ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the practice of employing a single consultation in order to resolve a dispute between parents. It discusses the mediation services provided at county courts by family court officers. The book then reviews traditional wisdom about the significance and effectiveness of mediation, and argues the case for an expansion of the current measures of efficacy to include the duration of mediation settlements. It also focuses on the mediation from the father's perspective and addresses the case of resident fathers and points to the need for further study of the utility of traditional concepts of 'mothering' in the area of sole male parenting. The book considers the safety and utility of mediation in cases involving intimate partner violence, drawing upon the views of women service users in the contexts of shared waiting areas and seating arrangements during mediation.
