Hello everyone, John Hind here.
Having launched the Divorce Manual this week, at the start of Good Divorce Week, I just want to say something about why it has meant so much to me to produce this document and to continue developing it for separating couples to use.
Why is the Divorce Manual so important to me?
First and foremost, its importance derives from my deeply held belief, developed over three decades of working with separating families as a mediator, divorce coach, family solicitor and collaborative practitioner, that with the right help and support, delivered in the right way, at the right time, most separating couples can do their own divorce, reach their own child arrangements and fair financial outcomes.
Indeed, I and many others in my field of work with separating families have been feeling the wind of change for some time now, easing us all into an era of individual empowerment, supporting separated families to take responsibility for their own situations and reaching their own solutions without the need to spend a fortune on professionals or go to court.
The Divorce Manual offers separating couples the choice not to ‘compete to win’ but to ‘collaborate to succeed’, succeed in having a ‘Good divorce’ or at least better divorce than they might otherwise have had and achieve a fair outcome for a fraction of the cost of using more traditional approaches.
The Divorce Manual represents one source of authoritative and reliable information, minimising the risk of polarisation and division caused by the couple working against each other or even in parallel using different sources of information.
It provides all the information most separating couples will need to be able to make informed choices for themselves and does so in written as well as video format.
The Divorce Manual goes hand in hand with the process it supports, the process of mediation or, to be more specific the process of ‘Mediation Teaming’ in which separated couple work with a mediator at the heart of the process, as well as other family professionals (including solicitors) as and when needed, in a joined up way, carefully managed by the mediator, working closely with the couple.
The Divorce Manual encourages a co-operative approach supporting the couple to make as many decisions together and for themselves, using mediation to support this aim, where necessary.
To me the Divorce Manual presents an opportunity for any separating couple who wish to take it, to work together, however difficult this may feel at the time, in the best interests of their children, communicating and resolving things together with the support of their mediator, if needed.
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https://divorcemanual.co.uk/