Prompt
You coach a recreational soccer team of 9-year-olds. The parents of one player, Maya, separated three months ago. Last week her mother emailed you to say that Maya's father must not pick her up from practice and that only she should collect Maya. When you asked whether there was a court order, she replied that there was not yet, but that she would deal with it. Practice has just ended. Maya's mother is 20 minutes late and not answering her phone, and Maya's father has arrived to take her home. Maya has run to him and is hugging him happily. The interviewer will play Maya's father. Speak with him.
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Communication
- Professionalism and integrity
- Empathy and compassion
How to approach this question
This MMI role-play station tests whether you can keep a child safe and stay neutral when one parent's instruction and the other parent's rights collide in front of you. Name what matters: Maya's safety and feelings, her father's right to see his daughter when no court order exists, her mother's request, and your responsibility as the coach. Acknowledge what you don't know, including why the mother made the request. Speak with the father calmly and respectfully, explain the position you've been put in, and look for a way to wait together until the mother is reached, without trying to physically stop him. Keep Maya out of the adults' conflict throughout. If the situation escalates in front of the team, focus first on the children, lower the temperature, and avoid taking sides.
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