What is Mediation? 

Mediation offers people a chance to talk together and make arrangements and agreements for their children, finances and property. 

We can also mediate in other family situations, including grandparents and step-parents, please contact us for details.

How does Mediation work?

We begin by offering you an information meeting which gives you an opportunity to tell us about your situation and concerns. Most people choose to come on their own to this first meeting and there is no charge.

If you and your ex-partner decide with the mediator that mediation is appropriate we arrange for you to attend a meeting together to discuss the issues. If it is really impossible for you to meet in the same room as your ex-partner it is possible to attend 'shuttle' mediation, where you attend together but sit in separate rooms.

You may have one or two mediators present at your meetings, depending upon mediator availability.  

Why Choose Mediation?

• It provides a safe, neutral and informal setting in which you can discuss the way forward.
• It focuses on dealing with the changes in your life in an organised and constructive way.
• It allows you to make decisions for the future which benefit the whole family.
• It helps ensure that neither of you is forced or pressured into something you don't want.
• It helps to reduce bitterness and can prevent expensive and lengthy court proceedings.

Who is the Service for?

Any couple married or single at any stage of divorce or separation whether they are married or not. 

Mediation can include other family members involved in arrangements for children, i.e. grandparents and step-parents.

Who are the Mediators?

Our mediators are trained by National Family Mediation and participate in continuous professional development and training and are subject to the Codes of Ethics and Practice of their training body.

Their role is to help you and your ex-partner to talk about the important decisions which affect your family. 

Mediators do not:

• take sides with either party
• make decisions for you
• offer counselling
• give legal advice - however they can signpost you to other helpful agencies or legal firms

How long will it take to reach a successful outcome?

The number of sessions depends upon:

• Your individual circumstances
• How many issues need resolving
• How complex the issues are
• How hard you are both prepared to work

Costs:

If you are eligible for Public Funding, the whole of the mediation process is completely free of charge and is not repayable at a later date.  You will not have any outstanding mediation debt at the end of the process and no charge will be placed on any property you own.

If you reach agreement in mediation, any legal advice from your solicitor in support of mediation will also be exempt from the statutory charge.

If you are not eligible for Public Funding our Client Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on your gross annual income.  We only charge for the face-to-face sessions, no charge is made for telephone calls or administration.

Direct Consultation with Children

Mediators can see children whose parents are attending family mediation, where both parents agree that the children should be offered the opportunity to meet with a mediator.

Children are usually seen at an early stage in the process, mostly after the first or second mediation session, and will only be seen if they are willing and the mediator is satisfied that it would be in their best interests.  They usually only see the mediator for one session.

Children are seen either individually or with their brothers and sisters. It is made clear to the children that it is not their responsibility to make any decisions about future arrangements but that this is an opportunity for their views to be taken into account as far as possible.

Children are never asked to choose between their parents. 

We offer confidentiality but find that most children wish at least some of their views to be fed back to their parents.

We do not report to the court or any other agency (unless there are serious welfare concerns).

We also provide a Child and Family Counselling Service which is for children, young people and families affected by divorce or separation.

Confidentiality

Mediation Herefordshire will not discuss the content of your meetings with anyone outside the Service.  The only exception to this would be if a child or vulnerable adult were believed to be at risk of significant harm. Discussions during mediation sessions are legally privileged, which means they cannot be used as evidence in Court, and the eventual agreements are communicated only to the clients.  If a Court is involved the Court is told merely that the clients have attended mediation with dates and whether an agreement has or has not been made.

Your Safety

If you are concerned about your own safety, or the safety of a child, or if you have experienced violence or intimidation in the past, please discuss this with the mediator at your first assessment appointment.  We are able to provide special arrangements for mediation appointments, for example, separate arrival and departure times and separate waiting rooms for each party.

Solicitors and Mediation

Mediation and legal advice from solicitors complement each other.  Mediation Herefordshire encourages you to seek legal and financial advice from your solicitor.  Once agreements have been reached in mediation and written in the form of a 'Memorandum of Understanding' you can take this to your solicitor to make into a legally binding document.

About us:

Mediation Herefordshire has offered a high quality, professional mediation service since 1987.  The Service is affiliated to National Family Mediation and is funded by the Legal Services Commission for the conduct of publicly funded mediation.

We are a Registered Charity and any fees charged go towards the running costs of the Service

Mediation Quality Mark

Mediation Herefordshire has been awarded the Legal Services Commission's Quality Mark for Family and Community Mediation Services.  This aims to ensure that the Service provides a well-managed, professional, high-quality service.