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This is an archived release.
Separation of cohabitants behind 4 500 mediations
As of 2007, mandatory mediations for cohabiting parents with joint children below 16 years of age were introduced. In total, there were 17 252 completed mediations in 2007, of which a quarter or almost 4500 were due to separation of cohabitants.
Mediation - for whom and whenMediation is mandatory in connection with separation or divorce (Marriage Act) and in connection with separation of cohabitants (Children Act).
Mediation is also mandatory in connection with court decisions on parental responsibility, children’s place of residence and access arrangements, and this is registered as mediations according to the Children Act . The court may refer parents to further mediation, which is registered as returned from court system (Children Act).
The purpose of the mediation is to reach an agreement on parental responsibility, access arrangements or the child/children’s permanent residence. The child’s needs are emphasised in this respect.
One mediation session is mandatory for parents in connection with separation/divorce and separation of cohabitants, but the parents can have up to seven sessions. |
Mediation in connection with separation or divorce accounted for more than 40 per cent, or 7 300, of all mediations in 2007. Disagreements between the parents about parental responsibility, place of residence and access arrangements (mediations according to the Children Act) were the reason for 32 per cent, or almost 5 500, mediations. Few cases are referred back to mediation after they have been referred to the court system; this only applied to 24 mediations in 2007. Cases referred back to mediation are the most time-consuming. Whereas 67 per cent of both mediations in connection with separation/divorce and separation of cohabitants had been completed after the first mandatory session, 70 per cent of the cases referred back to mediation had been completed after more than two sessions.
In cases where the parents wanted to take their case to court, one mediation session was sufficient in 53 per cent of the cases.
In 83 per cent of all mediations both parents attended all sessions. For both separation/divorce and separation of cohabitants both parties were present in almost 90 per cent of the cases.
The family counselling offices are the core unit in the Norwegian mediation service, and meditation is a major task in the family counselling service. In 2007, the family counselling offices carried out approximately 11 400 mediations, 66 per cent of all mediations in Norway. External mediators conducted the other 34 per cent, 5 900 mediations. Most of these mediations were carried out by social/health institutions (45 per cent) or lawyers (24 per cent),
Three quarters of all mediations were in progress within three weeks, and 90 per cent were completed within two months of the first session.
Amending legislation results in changes in mediation statisticsAs of 1 January 2007, mediation was made mandatory also in connection with separation of cohabitants with joint children below 16 years of age. This resulted in changes in the mediation statistics, and as of 2007 only completed mediations are registered in the statistics, not all mediations started. This means that mediations started but not completed at the end of the year, are included in the statistics the following year.
As of 2007, statistics on the number of mediation certificates will no longer be available. As of 2007, a certificate is issued after the first session, irrespective of whether the parents have reached agreement or not.
Thus there is a break in the time series, and statistics from 2007 are not comparable with previous years. |
For more figures, go to StatBank Norway .
Tables:
The statistics is published with Family counselling service.
Additional information
For more figures on mediations by region, mediation authority and cause of mediation, go to StatBank .
Contact
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Statistics Norway's Information Centre
E-mail: informasjon@ssb.no
tel.: (+47) 21 09 46 42