I wrote last week about Grandparent’s Rights under Spanish divorce law. In recent years many grandparents have complained about losing contact with their grandchildren after a divorce or separation, and some changes in the divorce law have been made as a result.
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Grandparents as Peacemakers
June 27, 2010
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After Separation & Divorce, Conflict, Grandparents | 
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Posted by madridmediation
Grandparents’ Rights
June 20, 2010When parents split, a fault line is often created that separates one half of the family from the other. Grandparents and children feel this divide keenly, especially if they have always enjoyed a close relationship. This is particularly true in Spain, where grandparents often live nearby and are much depended on to lend a hand while busy parents work or run errands.
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5 Comments | After Separation & Divorce, Grandparents, Parenting Plans, Shared Custody, Spain | Permalink
Posted by madridmediation
Calculating Child Support
May 31, 2010In Spain there is no hard-and-fast formula for calculating child support payments. In determining the pensión alimenticia judges take into account the non-custodial parent’s income as well as the child’s expenses (schooling, clothing, meals, etc). Other factors, such as dependents from a previous relationship, may need to be taken into account as well.
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2 Comments | After Separation & Divorce, Divorce Mediation, Economic Factors, How Mediation Works, Parenting Plans, Shared Custody, Spain | Permalink
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Reactions to Aragon Shared Custody Law
May 25, 2010Pere Ríos, a Barcelona-based journalist, makes a number of points in favor of shared custody in “Esto es la igualdad”. One is that the new Aragón law will challenge the status quo in Spain by encouraging men as well as women to become caretakers, thus ultimately helping to end workplace discrimination against women.
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Leave a Comment » | After Separation & Divorce, Aragón, Divorce Mediation, Economic Factors, Parenting Plans, Shared Custody, Valencia | Permalink
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Aragón Votes in Favor of Shared Custody
May 20, 2010Last December I wrote about an initiative underway in Aragón to modify Spain’s 2005 Divorce law in favor of shared custody. According to an article in today’s El País, Aragón voted this afternoon to make shared custody the prefered option whenever separating or divorcing couples cannot agree on how they will care for their children.
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3 Comments | After Separation & Divorce, Aragón, Catalunya, País Vasco, Shared Custody, Spain | Permalink
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Co-operative v Parallel Parenting
May 2, 2010Parents get a lot of advice (some of it unsolicited) about how to parent. Separated and divorced parents are no exception. A common bit of advice for the separated parent is to work closely together with your ex as much as possible when it comes to the kids. This means agreeing the same rules for bedtimes, meals, sweets – you name it.
This would be ideal but in many cases it’s just not possible. If reaching agreement with your ex generates more problems than it solves, drop it. It’s not worth it. Your kids will learn soon enough that there’s one set of rules at Mom’s and another at Dad’s. It won’t cause them too much trouble.
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Leave a Comment » | After Separation & Divorce, Divorce Mediation, Parenting Plans | Permalink
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The problem of cross-border family relocation
April 26, 2010The problem of separations involving parents of different nationalities is becoming more common, and there is no easy solution in sight. For example, an American woman comes to Spain and falls in love with a Spanish man. They live together for a while in Madrid and have a child. Then they fall out of love, and the American wants to go home and take their young daughter with her. The father, naturally, is unhappy with the idea as he fears he will lose touch with his child. What are they to do?
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2 Comments | Across Borders, After Separation & Divorce, Child Abduction, Divorce Mediation, Ex-pats, Family Relocation, International, The Hague Convention | Permalink
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Puntos de Encuentro Familiar
April 16, 2010A friend recently sent me an article the from the March 7th El Mundo about Puntos de Encuentro in Castilla y León. Puntos de Encuentro are neutral spaces – usually flats – in which custody exchanges can take place safely. When the relationship between separating parents has badly deteriorated, they may need to use a Punto to reduce their contact to a minimum.
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Leave a Comment » | After Separation & Divorce, Conflict, Custody, Divorce Mediation, Puntos de Encuentro, Spain | Permalink
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Shared Custody: Catalunya Shows Flexibility
April 8, 2010The Comunidad de Catalunya apparently feels that conflict between parents does not necessarily rule out shared custody. Recently, their Tribunal Superior de Justicia (TSJC) ordered a pair of warring ex-spouses to share the care of their two young children.
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2 Comments | After Separation & Divorce, Catalunya, Conflict, Custody, Shared Custody, Spain | Permalink
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Preventing a Tragedy
April 4, 2010Sometimes custody battles have extremely tragic consequences, as in the family row in Aldershot last December that left father, mother and four-year-old daughter dead.
In response to the story, Lorraine Schaffer, Director of the Centre for Mediation and Conflict Resolution of the Institute of Therapy, wrote a letter to the Guardian, “Mediation can help solve family disputes” in which she lamented that parents weren’t more aware of resources available, including mediation, to help them resolve conflicts more quickly, less painfully, and non-violently.
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Leave a Comment » | After Separation & Divorce, Conflict, Custody, Divorce Mediation, How Mediation Works, Separation Mediation, UK | Permalink
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