The first national meet up in France on international family mediation for the iCare2 project was organized at the Droit d’enfance ISS France’s premise on 18 February 2026. The event was attended by 19 participants in total amongst 25 inscriptions. The main objective of the meet-up was to raise awareness and build capacity among professionals regarding international family mediation in France and talk about the pre-mediation desk, by providing both a clear legal framework and a practical understanding of how these mechanisms operate in practice. The event sought to highlight mediation as a complementary, child-centred alternative to judicial proceedings, while respecting legal safeguards and the best interests of the child.
The meet-up enabled participants to exchange views on international family mediation (IFM) in cross-border situations, particularly in cases of risk or alleged parental abduction within the meaning of the Hague Convention. Legal presentations with our main speaker (barrister specialized in international child abductions), thematic workshops and forum theatre experiments provided an opportunity to articulate the regulatory framework, practical issues and a detailed understanding of the emotional dynamics at play.
The day’s proceedings yielded five operational guidelines that combine law, professional conduct, inter-institutional cooperation and effective child protection.
All the professionals present had positive comments about the day and how useful it was for their daily work regardless of their position and profession (lawyer, judge, family mediator). They all signed up for the next meet-up and webinar organized in May and June 2026.
The discussions that took place will also contribute to updating the international family mediation methodology developed by the European iCare project updated and adapted to the French context in 2025.
