What Is Family Mediation?
Family Mediation helps couples who are separating or getting a divorce to work through their issues in a more supportive, constructive, and less expensive way than going to court.
A Family Mediator will help guide you and your family members through issues such as property, finance, arrangements for any children, and considerations for extended family in an impartial way, not taking sides, or making judgements.
Family Mediators are specialists in dealing with conflict. They will help you to consider other options, and make well informed decisions.
Family Mediation helps you to find better solutions to all issues surrounding separation, divorce and family dissolution in a constructive and supportive way.
An impartial Family Mediator, with formal training and experience in dealing with conflict and emotional situations, will help you and your former partner to work through topics such as property, finance, and childcare.
If you wish for Able Mediation to contact you, or to book mediation sessions or a MIAM, please fill out either the Self Referral Form, or the Solicitor and Agency Referral Form, and we will get in touch with you shortly.
We, at Able Mediation, are fully accredited Family Mediators, with over 10 years of family mediation experience. We also work as Professional Practice Consultants, supporting and supervising trainee mediators and other practices, and are experienced in dealing with all issues cases, including difficult parenting disputes, and high value financial cases. You can find out more about us and who we are here.
We hold memberships with the Family Mediators Association and College of Mediators, organisations which make up the Family Mediation Council.
PLEASE NOTE
As per the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018, that when you (or someone on your behalf) asks us to contact you this implies your consent for us to do so. As such this is also the start of a contract between us, a pre-requisite for which is that we store your contact information for as long as is needed to facilitate the mediation process. You can read our full Privacy Policy here.
Contact us to discuss your issues
The Family Mediation Process
What Are The Benfits Of Family Mediation?
- Improved outcomes for children: Research clearly shows that co-operative parenting and low conflict improves outcomes for children. Family mediation supports parents to develop good relationships after separation.
- Reduced stress and conflict: The court process is inflexible and adversarial by nature, thereby usually increasing stress and conflict. A family mediator will be flexible to your needs, to help reduce stress, and will help you to improve communication between you, to reduce conflict.
- It’s usually quicker than going to court: According to statistics from the National Audit Office, family mediation takes an average of 110 days, compared with 435 days for non-mediated cases. That is equivalent to a time saving of 10.5 months!
- You stay in control of the decisions: Court outcomes can be uncertain and sometimes feel arbitrary. Whereas, a family mediator will help you to find solutions that work for you and your family and will explain how these can be made legally binding.
- It’s usually cheaper than going to court: The National Audit Report in 2012 found that the average cost per person for mediation was £675, whereas the average cost for cases going to court was £2,823. This is an average saving of £2,148 per person.
- Mediation is confidential: The mediation process provides a safe, confidential space for you to be able to address family issues and negotiate joint proposals. Meetings are held in a neutral venue.
How Much Does Family Mediation Cost?
Family mediation is charged on an hourly rate, so costs depend on how many hours of mediation you have had and what outcome documents you require.
Our full rates, as well as estimates for overall costs, can be seen here.
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Our Services
MIAMS
Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting is the first meeting between the family mediator and the separating couple.
FAMILY MEDIATION SESSIONS
Family Mediation Sessions help you and your former partner to arrive at mutual decisions on topics including but not limited to property, finance, and childcare.
LEGAL AID
Participants in family mediation who are on benefits, have a low income, or high outgoings may be eligible for legal aid to cover family mediation expenses.
MEDIATION WITH CHILDREN
Child Inclusive Mediation allows children’s views to be heard, and more suitable child-focused arrangements to be made.
COURT FORMS
Court Forms required if either party decides not to go ahead with mediation, or if mediation breaks down. Download court forms for free from here.
ONLINE MEDIATION
With COVID-19 affecting the mediation process, we are running online mediation sessions through Zoom or on the telephone.
