Upon receipt of the court order, I have the right to inspect the files of the court and to copy relevant documents. I contact the child's parents and invite them to an interview. I also like to meet and talk to the child personally.

 

I prefer to visit the child in his or her home environment,

to make the situation a little easier for him/her.

 

It is important to me to speak to the child without its caregivers. Depending on the question and the individual situation, additional conversations with the parents or conversations with teachers, therapists and other caregivers may be necessary.

 

Especially with very young children, but also in many other cases,

I like to observe the interaction between the child and a parent.

 

I will explain to your child exactly which role and task I have. In order to assess the child's situation and the child's wishes and feelings, I use different methods: talking to the child is only one of them. It is also possible to gain important insights through play, cards, figures or observation.

 

The conversations with the parents and other important reference persons serve to understand the child's situation even better. In my opinion, a good solution for the controversial question can only be found in connection with the child's environment and the ideas/expectations/fears of all the parties. Therefore it may also be necessary to talk to other people with whom your child has a lot of contact, e.g. teachers or other carers. You as parents will definitely be informed.

 

I like to offer the parents various possibilities for clarifying the dispute in a mediating joint conversation, giving them the opportunity to work out an amicable solution, which is then presented to the court. Further legal action can sometimes be avoided in this way.

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A written report with a recommendation ends the first active phase of my activity. If there is a court hearing afterwards, I will also be invited to explain the report in the hearing and help find a suitable solution.

 

Should your child be invited to a hearing in the court, I will inform the child about the interview and accompany him/her. 

 

The wishes, feelings and welfare of the child are taken into account.

 

Recommendations that I make to the judge are always carefully considered. The various sources of information are taken into concideration. It goes without saying that I will not make any recommendations that would be contrary to the best interests of the child.

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