Mediation advice
-
Mediation is a process where an independent third person helps people to in dispute to reach decisions. Mediation helps people to settle disagreements and avoid contested court proceedings. Family mediators can assist couples or parents who have never lived together ( and in some cases other family members, such as grandparents) to communicate at any stage of separation or divorce. Mediators will help people to work out terms of agreement concerning children, finances or other matters. A mediator helps people to make decisions, which are acceptable to both of them. An impartial and specially trained mediator can meet with each party separately to start with; to explain how mediation works and assesses the availablity of legal aid for mediation.
Family mediators do not make decsions or provide legal advice but they can give general information about the law and the way the legal system works. They cannot provide advice about a person's legal rights or their best course of action.
Family mediators are trained in medation: some are also lawyers, CAFCASS officer's. Councellors, family therapists.
Mediation usually takes place over a number of sessions, each lasting about an hour and a half. If you are thinking of mediation, you can find out more about it from any of these websites:
Family Mediation helpline
Legal Services Commission (LSC)
National Family Mediation
Family Mediation Council
Family Mediators Association
Resolution
Law society
College of Mediators
NCH - It's not your fault
back to top
-
How to find a family mediator:
- You can find a mediation service which is right for you form the Family Mediation Helpline.
- You can find details of local family mediation services from the National Family Mediation website.
- You can search for a mediator on the UK College of Family Mediators website.
- You can search for a mediator on the Family Mediators Association website.
- Resolution, the family lawyers’ organisation, has details of lawyer mediators on its website
- Your solicitor can advise you about local mediation services.
- Publicly-funded family mediation is available for clients with low income. The LSC funds family mediators directly. You can find your local publicly-funded family mediation service by calling 0845 345 4 345.
What do mediators do?
A trained mediator will meet with you both for a series of sessions in which you will be helped to:
- Identify all the matters you wish to consider
- Collect the necessary information
- Talk about the choices open to you
- Negotiate with each other to reach decisions that are acceptable to you both
- Discuss how you can consult your children appropriately about arrangements
The mediator's job is to act as an impartial third party and manage the process, helping you to exchange and share information, ideas and feelings constructively and ensuring that you make informed decisions. The mediator has no power to impose a settlement - responsibility for all decisions remains with you since you know better than anyone else what is right for your family. The mediator will not advise you about the best option either for your children or your financial affairs, nor can the mediator protect your individual interests.