A voluntary process in which a Professional Family Mediator helps family members to communicate more effectively and to make their own arrangements for the future
To benefit families, mediation can:
• Minimise conflict
• Improve family relationships
• Help avoid long, painful and expensive legal battles.
Mediators do not take sides, make judgements or give guidance, but support people to make their own decisions about the future. Family mediation supports parents, children, grandparents and the wider family through change, particularly as a result of separation, divorce, homelessness, family restructuring or the impact of poor health.
Who is it for?
Family mediation is for all sorts of people: married ,cohabiting, single, parents, grandparents, step-parents and young people can all participate in family mediation.
Mediation can help…
at any time if communication becomes difficult or breaks down. This may be:
• During or any time after a relationship breakdown
• As a result of families re-forming, such as step-families
• When parents, grandparents, step-parents, children or young people identify there are difficulties with communication or there are practical arrangements that need to be resolved
• When young people become homeless, mediation may be useful to maintain communication with family members.
poor health impacting on senior members and therefore decisions are required.
How does it work?
• Each family member is offered an individual, confidential meeting where options are discussed
• If mediation is appropriate, a joint meeting is arranged with the mediator where family members have the opportunity to talk about their concerns, explore options and agree an acceptable way forward
Agreements may only be achieved when all participants approach the process with an intention to negotiate fairly, agree ground rules and compromise