Family Mediation in Milton Keynes

What happens in mediation?

The first meeting is between you and the mediator, giving you a chance to find out how mediation works. This meeting is called a Mediation Information and Assessment meeting or MIAM for short. The mediator first discusses your financial position and whether or not you can get legal aid. This will mea n mediation will be free.

Call for a quick decision about legal aid, or check here.

Then you have a chance to explain your issues in complete confidence. Mediators are trained to work out whether mediation is right for you and your family and to decide if a joint meeting with your ex-partner would be beneficial. He or she will have their own separate confidential meeting and nothing discussed by either party is disclosed. This session usually takes about an hour.

After the first meeting a joint mediation meeting will be arranged providing both of you are prepared to proceed. In certain circumstances it is possible to have mediation in separate rooms.

You and your ex-partner explain your concerns to each other and what you think needs to happen in the presence of the independent mediator. The mediator can help you both come to an agreement. Mediation puts both of you in control of the outcome rather than a judge imposing their decision on you. When an agreement is reached, your mediator can provide you with a written summary, so everyone is clear about what has been decided. You can ask the court to make the agreement legally binding if both you and your ex-partner agree.

Is family mediation safe?

Our specially trained mediators can support you even if you are victims of domestic abuse or are involved with with the public Law process (Childrens social care).

At your initial consultation ( which will between you and the mediator alone), we can discuss your individual requirements and whether mediation is safe to proceed . This may mean arranging a specific safety plan including separate arrival and leaving times, separate rooms.

Contact MMK when you need help sorting out arrangements. You might be referred to us by a solicitor or come to us through a recommendation but you do not have to see a solicitor first.

We provide services in Central Milton Keynes and Northampton, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire but it might also be possible in appropriate circumstances to offer you flexible arrangements such as mediation by phone or zoom.

Family mediation – where a couple decide to divorce or separate, there are many issues to consider, especially regarding children, closely followed by property and finance.

Mediation allows people to discuss all these matters in a confidential space where they are in control and make decisions about their own futures, rather than matters being passed to lawyers and then entering the legal process, which can quickly become confrontational, expensive and time consuming.

CONFIDENTIAL - Whatever is discussed in the individual caucus session with each party is not disclosed to the other without agreement. Everything discussed with the mediator is confidential and nothing is disclosed save for exceptions e.g. money laundering, person in danger.
FLEXIBLE - when mediating, you get to decide your own arrangements and can work to a flexible framework- this can also be placed into court as a legally binding agreement. Any agreements reached together will work!
WITHOUT PREJUDICE - All parties can make proposals for settlement without the risk of such proposals being detailed in Court or “used against them”.
INEXPENSIVE – Mediation costs are considerably less than solicitors, barristers and Court fees.
QUICK – Unlike the Court process which can take months or even years (especially if there is an Appeal) mediation can resolve the dispute in days or weeks.

Child Inclusive Family Mediation

Your Child has a voice- have you heard it?

Child Inclusive Mediation gives you, as a child or young person, the opportunity to meet and talk with a trained mediator who is helping your parents to sort things out for your family because of a separation or divorce. This can help you too, whether your parents are getting on okay or arguing about what should happen

You can decide if you want the mediator to pass your thoughts on to your parents or not. The mediator will check this out with you carefully and agree with you exactly what is to be kept confidential and what you would like the mediator to feed back to your parents. (The only exception to this confidentiality between you and the mediator would be if any concerns about safety arose).

Whilst your parents will still make the decisions, the fact you’ve met with the mediator can often help them improve things and make better decisions all round about the things which really affect you now and in the future.

Child Inclusive mediation exlained

When Parents and/ or carers separate or want to make changes to their usual arrangements, they will want to make the right decisions for their child(ren) but sometimes they can become lost in their own issues and dilemmas; and may loose sight of how their child(ren) might be experiencing their parents’ separation.
Once any individual proposed changes/ arrangements and options have been identified and explored, the children will be invited to join the mediation process once a meeting has taken place between the parents / carers.’ Please note that the child(ren) and all those who hold parental responsibility will need to give their consent for this.’
The mediator will then discuss any specific needs your child(ren) might have, ( we have mediators specifically trained and experiences in SEND to allow all children and young people to access this service.). Your child(ren) will then receive their own invite to make them feel fully involved in the process.

How many mediation sessions do the children have?

This will be established after the first of your child’s meetings with the mediator and depends on their individual needs and the issues raised.

What are the mediation costs?

If you are entitled to legal aid , these sessions will be included in your mediation process and will be free of charge. Check my legal aid eligibility here- httpss://www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid
This will be established after the first of your child’s meetings with the mediator and depends on their individual needs and the issues raised.
If you are private fee payers, the cost start from £ 75 per session.
There are other child inclusive processes that we can offer outside of the mediation process such as restorative parenting and child consultation- please ask for details.

Make an enquiry now on 07702 680211