Supporting Neurodivergent Individuals and Families
Family Law in Partnership (FLiP) has joined forces with FLANC to help neurodivergent individuals who need family law advice.
The teams at FLiP and FLANC have combined their expertise to develop best practice and a practical toolkit to help legal practitioners support neurodivergent individuals through Non-Court Dispute Resolution processes (NCDR).
Why?
It is estimated that around 1 in 5 people are neurodiverse, both in the UK and the rest of the world. Yet our family justice system is built by, and for neurotypical people.
Neurodivergent people often face barriers when accessing essential support as service providers do not understand or meet their needs. Barriers will be unique to each individual and in a family separation or divorce, it may be that both adults and children are facing barriers.
What is Neurodivergence?
Neurodivergence is an umbrella term used to describe a difference or ‘divergence’ from typical or usual neurological expression. Some of the most common types of neurodivergence are usually referred to using the following terms:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) otherwise known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Tourette’s Syndrome.
What is the NCDR toolkit?
The NCDR toolkit is intended as an aid for family solicitors, barristers, mediators and arbitrators who want to provide the best support to neurodiverse clients and help them to access negotiation, mediation, arbitration and collaborative practice.
It includes tools that can be used to better understand individual need and agree appropriate changes to the standard process.
Why should neurodiverse individuals consider NCDR?
Elizabeth Fletcher, a Director of FLiP who is also a Mediator and Collaborative Practitioner, explains: “In my experience NCDR processes are usually more effective for neurodiverse individuals as there is a level of flexibility that means the process can be tailored to individual needs.”
She adds “I hope the toolkit will support NCDR practitioners in making suitable adjustments to processes, so that more of the neurodiverse community are able to experience the benefits of an NCDR process in family separation and divorce.”
NCDR Toolkit
Further information on NCDR options can be found here.
Legal practitioners can access the NCDR toolkit here: www.flanctoolkit.org