Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution

The Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution is a one-year qualification for people who want to work with families in conflict, separation, parenting arrangements, property disputes and the day-to-day decisions that follow a relationship breakdown. You study the legal framework that governs family dispute resolution in Australia, including the Family Law Act, the obligations it places on separating parents, and the role of accredited practitioners in the system. Alongside that you learn how mediation actually runs: intake and screening, assessing risk and family violence, managing power imbalances, running joint and shuttle sessions, and writing the agreements and certificates that courts and clients rely on.

As a graduate diploma, this sits between a bachelor degree and a master's on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is coursework-based and normally takes one year of full-time study, made up of units of study worth credit points, often eight units across two semesters, or the same load spread over three trimesters. Teaching is a mix of seminars, role plays and supervised practice, because you cannot learn mediation from a textbook. Assessment tends to include simulated mediations, reflective journals, case analyses and written work. Some providers build in a placement or supervised practice component with a community legal centre, family relationship centre or private mediation practice, since the field expects graduates to have logged real mediation hours before they seek accreditation. Confirm the exact unit list, credit points and placement requirements on the official course page.

You finish with practical skills that employers in this field ask for: structured negotiation, conflict analysis, safe screening for family violence, culturally aware practice, and the ability to hold a difficult conversation between two people who do not want to be in the same room. You also gain a working knowledge of how family dispute resolution connects to the courts, legal aid, child support and the broader family services system.

This course suits a few groups. Social workers, psychologists, counsellors and lawyers who already work with families and want to add mediation to what they do. People in community services or legal roles who want to move into family dispute resolution proper. And graduates from law, social science or related fields who are starting out and want a qualification that leads to work in the sector. If your goal is to become a family dispute resolution practitioner and eventually seek accreditation under the Australian family law system, this is the kind of qualification that gets you there. International students should note that the Department of Home Affairs sets its own English threshold for the Student visa, separate from the college's admission requirement, and that the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available after you finish. While studying, a student visa generally allows up to 48 hours of work per fortnight.

• Family dispute resolution practitioner in a family relationship centre, community legal centre or private mediation practice
• Mediator or conciliator handling parenting and property matters
• Case manager or family support worker in community services organisations
• Child contact service worker supervising arrangements between separated parents
• Social worker or counsellor adding mediation to an existing family services role
• Legal practitioner or paralegal specialising in family law and alternative dispute resolution
• Policy or program officer in government and non-government family services

These roles sit across the Australian family law and community services sectors, family relationship centres, legal aid commissions, community legal centres, courts, child support services, not-for-profit family organisations and private practice. Accreditation as a family dispute resolution practitioner is granted by the relevant Australian authority and usually requires supervised mediation hours after graduation, so check the current requirements before you enrol.