FMNI provides its services directly to families in dispute which may include parents, siblings, stepsiblings and the extended family. It provides training and support to other professionals. FMNI accepts self- referrers and referrals from a range of sources within the voluntary, community and statutory sectors
FMNI delivers its services through a team of professional mediators in venues across Northern Ireland. FMNI was commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCBNI) to deliver the funded service to pre-court parents. FMNI seeks to influence service commissioners, the judiciary and policy makers so that mediation is the preferred way to resolve familial disputes.
There are three main beneficiaries of FMNI’s work.
Outcomes for Children:
1. The fulfilment of their rights by enabling positive relationships with both parents
2. Improvement in their emotional wellbeing through a reduction in stress and anxiety
3. Learning how to resolve disagreements in relationships which may help them to break the cycle of destructive conflict when they become adults themselves
Outcomes for Parents:
1. Increasing their parenting and co-parenting ability through developing conflict management skills
2. Managing the upset of separation and enabling agreement about practical matters such as financial management
3. A reduction in anxiety through the separation process which enables them to parent their children more effectively at the time, and into the future
Outcomes for Families in Dispute
1. Minimise conflict that may lead to estrangement
2. Improve communication and maintain family relationships
3. Help avoid long, painful and expensive legal battles
