The real benefit of the service for families is significantly greater than official statistics suggest, as not all reached agreements are reflected in the numbers. The state-provided service began operating in the fall of 2022 to help parents agree on how the life of a minor child will be organized after separation.

This includes where the child will live, how contact with both parents will be maintained, and how issues of upbringing and financial support will be resolved. The state aims to reduce the number of court disputes and support the well-being of the child.

Demand for the service has been steadily increasing, with just over a thousand mediation procedures carried out last year.

"This is a much more cost-effective solution for the state and far more focused on the interests and well-being of the child than court proceedings," explained Kadri Käsk, head of family mediation at the Social Insurance Board. "The state's goal was precisely to help parents reach agreements without going to court, because for many years the number of civil cases involving children had been gradually increasing. These primarily concern disputes over custody, visitation arrangements, and child support."

Researchers from the University of Tartu recently analyzed the effectiveness of the service. The study found its strengths include accessibility, a neutral environment that supports dialogue between parents, and a clear focus on the child's best interests. At the same time, several problem areas were identified, such as uneven levels of mediator training and working conditions, differences in the quality of children's involvement in the process, inconsistency in the legal enforceability of agreements, and insufficient follow-up support.

According to Käsk, work is currently underway to address many of these shortcomings. Discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Social Affairs about developing an IT solution within the court system to make statistics on such procedures more transparent and clearly differentiated.

"In reality, we have quite a lot of agreements where parents do not need confirmation from the Social Insurance Board," Käsk noted. "Formally, these do not become official parental agreements with enforcement power, but in practice the parents reached an understanding through mediation."

Anneli Valner, a representative of the Estonian Union for Child Welfare, emphasized that it is always better for a child when parents are able to agree with one another. Separation is often accompanied by strong emotions — which is why family mediation can provide crucial support.

"Under no circumstances should a child be put in a situation where they have to take sides between parents or decide who to live with," Valner stressed. "But I do not believe that this problem arises in family mediation itself. Professional specialists work there and guide the reconciliation process. It is important that the child understands what is happening and what their future life will look like. In addition, children must always be told that the separation concerns the relationship between the parents, not their relationship with the child."

The annual budget for the state family mediation service is €1.1 million, and it is free of charge for parents.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!