<p>British Journal of Social Work Vol. 42 no. 2 (Mar 2012), p. 227-244</p> <p>Available in library.&nbsp; See journal shelves.</p> <p>Available online.</p>

This study queried ninety-six divorcing parents referred to court mediation in Israel. It examined (i) the impact of their reaching agreement on at least one disputed issue on their subsequent co-parenting and (ii) the contribution of select participant, relationship and mediation/mediator characteristics to the number of agreements they reached. The findings show that a measure of agreement reduced spousal hostility and tension, but did not affect their co-parenting behaviours. They also show that the number of agreements was most strongly affected by the participants' perceptions of the mediation, followed by their tendency to negotiate and their having been referred to mediation on account of their dispute about whether or not to divorce. Young age and better financial status also contributed to the number of agreements. Implications for social work are discussed.