Sources familiar with the situation tell us, Paula has agreed to give Robin significant time with their son. We're told both Robin and Paula saw the light and realized their battle was taking an emotional toll on Julian, so they agreed to work toward a settlement.

There's a catch. The L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services has an open case after Julian complained to teachers at his school Robin was using excessive corporal punishment ... something Robin has denied.

As we reported, Julian had become fearful of Robin, but in the last few weeks they have been spending an increasing amount of time together -- especially since Paula has been out of town filming -- and we're told the boy is now "comfortable" with his dad.

We're told the settlement should be signed in about a week. The deal was supposed to be sealed last weekend, but some issues popped up they're still hashing out, but we're told they won't torpedo the settlement.

As for Robin and Paula ... the divorce is in the process of becoming finalized.