Ministry of Justice

Longer-term outcomes in-court conciliation

Date: 21 November 2007

children on beach

This report explores the longer-term outcomes of in-court conciliation (or alternative dispute resolution) in child contact cases.


The study examines the impact on re-litigation, contact patterns, co-parenting, contact problems and adult and child wellbeing two years after the original intervention. The study is based on telephone interviews with 117 parents. This report follows an earlier study by the same authors, published in 2006, reporting on the short-term outcomes of in-court conciliation.