If you are part of a court case involving children or divorce, the judge may ask both of you to go to mediation. Mediation is a meeting where a third party tries to help the two sides come to an agreement on their own.

This is common during divorce cases. But, this could also arise in other cases with children, like a parentage case.

The mediator can help you make decisions about the following areas:

• Parenting time (formerly "visitation")
• Decision-making power (formerly "custody"), including:
  • Medical
  • Education
  • Religion
  • Extra-curricular activities
• Child support
• Splitting debts or assets in a divorce

Services may be offered for free in some counties. In others, the court will divide the cost between the parties. In this case, a court can order mediation for a reduced fee or no fee.

The Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago offers free mediation services for changes to parenting plans. It also offers services forfinancial issues in divorces.