Mediation – Step by Step

Mediation helps you to help yourself (and sort out the best future for you and your children):

• By taking the step to mediate, you are empowering yourself to make your own decisions
• This is done by talking through and working out all issues surrounding your divorce or separation, whether it be before, during or after the event.
• Mediation improves communication and helps you build for the future in your new circumstances. In particular it can help your children maintain their family relationships.
• Mediation is usually less than half the cost and twice as quick as only using a solicitor
• CFFM is a specialist not for profit family mediation service with experienced highly trained staff who have experience in children, finance/property and the legal system.

Step 1 – Make a Referral to us via the Referral Form on our website.

You will then have a brief free telephone call back  to establish the current situation; provide information about our process and check whether you will be eligible for a free service through Legal Aid Legal Aid Leaflet.docx

Step 2 – Set up a MIAM  (Referrer)

Provide you with a Mediation Information and Assessment meeting(MIAM)lasting up to 1 hour. This will:

• Explain more about mediation and check suitability
• Discuss and agree best way of engaging the other person involved in your dispute
• Complete any assessment for Legal Aid
• Explain other funding sources if not eligible such as the Mediation Voucher SchemeFamily Mediation Voucher Scheme.docx
• Look at alternatives to mediation if the other person will not take part

Find out more here

Step 3  – Both of you willing to try mediation

Provide a MIAM for the other person as quickly as possible.

Step 4 – Starting Mediation

Both parties meet together with a trained mediator in a joint session.

Children’s matters 1 hour session. Financial matters (and shuttle mediation where we only see you separately) may be longer, typically 1 ½ hour session.

Step 5 – Providing you with an outcome statement

This is FREE for children’s matters and costs £150 for financial issues.

When we receive the initial referral we will aim to see you for the individual assessment meeting within 2 weeks.

Any further mediation sessions will then be arranged at a timescale to suit both of you and the mediator The number of sessions can vary – if your are sorting out finances and children’s matters(“All Issues Mediation”) then the average is between 3 and 5 meetings.

If you are only discussing children’s matters then 2-3 joint sessions is usually enough to resolve matters.

However, the time needed depends on:

• Individual circumstances
• The number and complexity of the issues that need resolving
• How flexible you can be regarding days/times for appointments
• Most sessions last for 1 to 1.5 hours.