Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes – we offer Child Inclusive Mediation. Our research and experience show us that children and young people want their voices to be heard and for their parents to listen and acknowledge their thoughts and feelings. Children who have been involved in the arrangements even in a small way feel and do better than those who are left out of the process. We feel confident in our work with children and young people as the majority of our mediations are also child and family counsellors so are fully experienced professionals in this work.

We hold a Legal Aid contract and will complete an application for Legal Aid at your MIAM appointment. If you are eligible mediation is free as all your costs will be met by the Legal Aid Agency. At present if one party is eligible BOTH parties MIAMs and their first mediation session will be covered by the Legal Aid Agency It is difficult to give an exact cost – until we have met with you and understand your needs we can only give you averages. But here is some examples: Child Arrangements = £325 - £750 Property and Finance = £700 - £1200 All Issues = £700 - £1400 These costs include all work with your mediator, all administration costs, letters, telephone calls and the production of your agreement. They may seem high but if you compare them to Court or Solicitors where your costs can run into thousands and more importantly consider the emotional stress of going to court.

No – our mediators can advise on the legal process, and we have a Legal Consultant who supports our team but for legal advice we would suggest a Solicitor or other agencies who provide legal advice i.e. Law Clinics.

No – It is more productive if you mediate together. However, we can offer shuttle mediation where parties are separated, and the mediator moves between the parties. These details would have been discussed and agree during your MIAM appointment.

No – we can arrange for you to wait separately. When you arrive and we greet you we will always check with you any special arrangements you require. We can also arrange to stagger arrival and departure times.

No – you can mediate without any legal representation. Mediation is not a legal process, but it is part of the court process. If you have a Solicitor, they can suspend work whilst you are in mediation; we may advise both parties to seek independent advice from a Solicitor to help with a final order or court proceedings.

You don’t have to worry – we will apply for a mediation voucher worth £500 on your behalf to help with the cost of the case as long as child arrangements are part of the matters to be agreed.

When we book you a MIAM we will ask you to register a debit or credit card. We then deduct your session cost from the registered card on the day of your mediation session.

This depends on the type of case. On average Property & Finance or All Issues cases complete in 4 sessions. Child Only on average completes in 2 sessions. These are averages – we will tailor mediation to meet your individual circumstances and the number of sessions you need will reflect this.

No – we cannot present to Court, but once your agreement has been produced it can be given to a Solicitor to be made into a Final Order or Child Arrangement Order which turns the agreement into a legally binding document.

PRO’s: Less Expensive Quicker than court You have a voice and make the decisions Legally fair agreement One mediator throughout the process Discuss what’s important to you Mediation agreements are stronger because you have put the arrangements together Mediation promotes parental communication Children have better outcomes when parents agree arrangements. Even if your relationship is over – you are both still parents. CON’s: Courts / Solicitor costs can run into thousands It can take months to get a court hearing Court makes all the decisions Court can make winners and losers In court dealing with numerous court personnel Court is formal – not flexible Court arrangements do not always fit in with the demands in your life Court does not cover how you parent separately Child Arrangements produced in court often break down

We would not be able to proceed as mediation involves both parties engaging in the process. Recently we have seen - if both parties had not considered mediation the family courts are referring them back to mediation before allowing the court case to go ahead. It is always worth understanding and considering mediation before rejecting the option.

Most cases result in successful agreements. But if you are unable to resolve the issues, we will provide you with the relevant court forms to allow you to make an application to the family courts. The forms issued by us are valid for a period of 4 months from the date they are signed. This period is set by the Judiciary and cannot be amended by us. You are of course welcome to return to mediation at any time whilst there are issue to be agreed and you are both willing to engage in the process.

MIAM stands for mediation information assessment meeting. This meeting will take around 45 minutes and is a confidential conversation between you and the mediator. We will ask you to explain your situation and what kind of arrangements you are hoping to achieve. The mediator will explain how mediation works and gives you a chance to understand how it may help you.

Mediation allows you to discuss the issues that are important to you and to make your own decisions. If you go to court the judge will make the decisions for you and you must follow the ruling; even if you don’t agree or will struggle to keep to the arrangements. Mediation gives you choices and the outcomes are stronger and work for both parties.

All our mediators are fully qualified to undertake All Issues work and are members of the College of Mediators and affiliated to the Family Mediation Council. Only FMCA mediators can conduct MIAMs and are recognised by the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency. The Legal Aid Agency annually audit our service. Our mediators come from a wide range of backgrounds; Child and family counsellors / Family Solicitors etc. All bring valuable experience and skills to the profession together with the family centred ethics of our organisation.

All our mediators are fully qualified to undertake All Issues work and are members of the College of Mediators and affiliated to the Family Mediation Council. Only FMCA mediators can conduct MIAMs and are recognised by the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency. The Legal Aid Agency annually audit our service.