Mediation Herefordshire
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.
What is Mediation?
Mediation helps people who are separating or divorcing to reach agreements over the future arrangements for children, finances and property.
We can also mediate in other family situations, please contact us for details.
How does Mediation work?
We begin by seeing you on your own (or together if you both wish) to explain more about family mediation and to decide whether mediation is suitable. This gives you the opportunity to tell us about your situation and concerns.
If mediation is appropriate we arrange for you and your ex-partner to meet together with a mediator to discuss the issues.
Why Choose Mediation?
- It provides a safe, neutral and informal setting in which you can discuss the future.
- It focuses on dealing with the changes in your life in an organised and constructive way.
- It allows you to make the best decisions for the future without winners or losers.
- It helps ensure that neither of you is forced or pressured by the other 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 at any stage of divorce or separation whether they are married or not. 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 ease communication between you and your ex-partner to enable you to talk about, and reach agreement on, the important decisions which affect your family. Mediators do not:
- take sides with either party
- make decisions for you
- offer counselling or reconcilliation
- 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.
Concerned about your Children?
Parents are often concerned about the effect that separation is having on their children. When appropriate, it is possible for children to be consulted as part of mediation.
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.
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.
