Isabelle and Elijah separated one year ago and have two young children, Theo (aged 18 months) and Freddie (aged 4). Isabelle moved from Manchester to London a month before mediation began and the children moved with her.

Isabelle felt Elijah was unreliable because he often worked away, and she said he tended to cancel arrangements. Elijah felt Isabelle didn’t respect him as a parent and was worried about not being able to contact his children.

The former partners attended joint sessions together and were encouraged to think about the future and what they’d like their children’s lives to look like in the coming months, years, and on special occasions. After several discussions and trialling options, with some understandable conflict in-between, Elijah and Isabelle came to several agreements.

The two agreed Elijah could have Freddie for overnight stays, and that Theo and Elijah could spend time together without Isabelle present. Long-term, they agreed that Elijah would spend time with the children every third weekend, at first in London, but gradually also in Manchester.

Elijah’s story is a case study from our 23/24 Annual Report.