Mediation
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Solicitor's referral form (pdf)
- How can Family Mediation help?
- Family Mediation is ...
- Family Mediation is not ...
- Family Mediation does ...
- Family Mediation does not ...
- Who can come to Mediation
- When to come
- Finance and property
- Legal advice
- Informing other services
- Appointments
- Costs
How can family mediation help?
Parting from each other when a relationship breaks down is both difficult and painful. It is difficult for children too. As parents your children need you to find a way of working together for them. They need you to lessen the confusion and uncertainty for them at a time when you may be suffering from all these feelings yourself.You will have to make practical arrangements and decisions about where the children will live and how they will keep contact with each parent. It is important that both of you tell the children what has been decided. You will also need to decide how to share any savings, depts, pensions or property you have. Regular Support payments may be needed.
Once you are separated contact can be difficult. The children may be upset at home or at school. New partnerships may develop which are hard to cope with. Although you are no longer partners you can still work together as parents. This may not be easy but help is available in the Mediation process. Pain situations can be resolved and new arrangements made which suit you and your children.
Our professionally trained Family Mediators have a lot of experience of working with families in different ways. They are all members of the UK College of Family Mediators and work to a strict Code of Practice. Before mediation starts they see each of you separately to work out if mediation is right for your situation.
In short, family Mediation is a chance for parents to meet on neutral ground to make their own arrangements for a family's future after separation/divorce with the help of an unbiased, caring and skilled professional.
- a way of helping separating parents agree on workable arrangements for their children and finances
- a process which helps take some of the heat and stress out of separation and divorce
- voluntary - you decide if you want to use us, we decide if we can help you
- confidential - all discussions at Family Mediation are confidential except in cases where there are risks of harm, especially to children
- unbiased - we do not 'take sides'
- independent - we do not act for, or report to, other organisations
- right for everybody
- always appropriate. Sometimes intimidation, violence or other factors make mediation too difficult
- counseling or legal advice. If this is what you want we canrefer you on.
- help you decide on the future of YOUR family
- help you look at the situation with your children's need in mind
- support you in making the best possible arrangements for your family
- treat you as responsible adults able to make your own decisions
- help improve communication and understanding, thus reducing bitterness and conflict
- take place on neutral ground with a well trained mediator
- attempt to reconcile you
- impose decisions on you
- parents of all kinds including grandparents
- anyone who has or could have parental responsibility for children. (The Children Act 1989 provides that both parents continue to be responsible for children even if they are separated or divorced. In addition, others who care for a child may be granted parental responsibility by the Courts.)
- others, such as children or new partners, are sometimes directly invloved in mediation but only if this has been agreed in a meeting by the mediator and both of you
- before separation - a very difficult time. This can be the best time to make plans for your children before views become fixed and attitudes harden
- during divorce proceedings
- after separation/divorce, even after many years
- provide full details of your expected income and expenses
- consider your housing needs
- estimate the replacement value of major items provide details of all property, savings, investments, loans, debts etc
- mediation is not a substitute for legal advice
- you should seek legal advice and tell your solicitor that you are coming to mediation
- at the end of mediation mediators summarise the outcome in words agreed by each of you
- your solicitor can be sent a copy of any summary prepared
- if another service (e.g. Courts, Social Services etc) has referred you to our service, we would write, if asked, to inform them that you are coming to mediation and to tell them if progress has been made
- what is said in mediation is priviledged and cannot be used in Court proceedings unless you both agree
- your first appointment will be for yourself only to exchange information to decide if you want to try mediation
- the mediation appointments can be made at a location convenient to you
- time - each mediation appointment lasts for about one to one and a half hours
- number of appointments - this varies and is usually between two and eight depending on the issues to be resolved
- as we are a charity we want to be available to all those we can help regardless of their ability to pay,
however, we ask those who can to contribute as per the sliding scale below
Gross Annual
Income (£)Payment per Person
per Session (£)Income support/
Family credit* up to 4,999 * 5,000 - 9,999 * 10,000 - 14,999 20 15,000 - 19,999 30 20,000 - 29,999 45 30,000 - 39,999 60 40,000 - 49,999 75 50,000 + To be negotiated * People in these bands are normally eligible for free mediation on Legal Services Commission Public Funding (formerly called Legal Aid). We will assess you for this.