The City Council launches a service of the Women’s Department to promote the protection of minors in family disputes

Family mediation functions as an alternative to the judicial process for the dialogued search for agreements.

The Estepona City Council informs of the launching, for the first time, of a family mediation service in Family Law. This free resource is consolidated as a particularly relevant tool for dialogue and consensual resolution of family conflicts, avoiding in many cases the judicial process. It is a service coordinated by the Delegation of Social Welfare and the Area of Women.

The councilor of the Women’s Area, Julia Simón, has pointed out that “this service responds to a real need of the families of the municipality, offering a safe and professional space for dialogue and the search for agreements, always from the respect and co-responsibility”.

For her part, the councilor delegate of Social Welfare, María Aguilar, stressed that “family mediation is an effective and humane alternative to judicial proceedings, as it allows the parties involved to actively participate in the resolution of their own conflicts, reducing family tension and especially protecting the welfare of minors.”

Since its implementation last year, around 20 mediation processes have been carried out, with an average duration of approximately five sessions per process, which reflects a continuous, structured work, adapted to the specific needs of each case. The mediations have focused mainly on parental-filial conflicts and situations arising from separations and divorces, such as non-compliance with regulatory agreements or parental-filial measures, as well as the negotiation and reformulation of agreements.

In this sense, María Aguilar, explained that “the high number of agreements reached shows that family mediation works, as it allows to reduce conflict, improve communication between the parties and reach realistic, stable and tailored to the specific situation of each family solutions, always protecting the best interests of the children”. Likewise, the mayor stressed the preventive nature of the service, indicating that “it not only intervenes when the conflict is already established, but also encourages the acquisition of dialogue and peaceful resolution skills that are maintained over time”.

Another of the highlights is that the service is also provided in the afternoon, with the aim of facilitating access to people with work obligations. “We want to ensure the accessibility of this resource to all citizens and encourage participation and continuity in the mediation process,” added Julia Simón.

In order to make use of this service it is necessary to contact, previously, with the women’s area where it will be assessed whether the conflict situation can be subject to mediation. In no case this resource can be applied when there is abuse, these situations are excluded from the mediation process.

The Estepona City Council will continue to support this service as a fundamental pillar in the integral attention to families, promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the strengthening of family relationships.