Family Mediation Services

 

Our family mediation services are used in situations such as divorce, separation, parent / child conflict, breakdown of civil partnerships or breakdown of any relationships within a family. Our caring and professional team members use their experience and training to help discuss and resolve the emotional, financial and practical issues at hand.

PLEASE NOTE – Mediation must be explored as an option before making an application to court. Only Family Mediation Council Accredited Mediators are able to sign the required court forms. All Essex Mediation mediators are fully Accredited by the Family Mediation Council.

In cases of divorce and separation we can mediate on the division of property and other financial assets, debts, child contact, parenting responsibilities and child/spousal maintenance. Our family mediators aim to help everyone involved reach agreement and resolution quickly and with as little stress and upset as possible.

Click the titles below for further information on each service.

.

Divorce

We understand how stressful a divorce can be. Our specialist approach focuses on the individual and with the guidance of our experts, mediation in divorce can help you to reach the right decisions about your future, such as choices relating to finance, property and arrangements for children.

Divorce mediation offers you the opportunity to work through all the issues involved and to consider various options before making any final decisions. The agreement reached in mediation is documented and can be made legally binding as part of your divorce proceedings.

To find out more about how divorce mediation services can assist you through this difficult time click here to get in touch.

Separation

We know that emotional turmoil and separation can go hand in hand. During this difficult time decisions need to be made about practical matters, such as finance and property. If you have children, practical decisions need to be made about them and their futures. Our specialised mediation for separating couples can help you with this, whatever your situation, whether you are still living together or not.

Our approach offers you the opportunity to work through all the issues involved and to consider various options before making any decisions regarding a separation agreement. Our documents can be used by a solicitor to obtain a legally binding format to ensure there are no misunderstandings later on.

We have many years experience offering mediation for separating couples to help make these practical decisions. Perhaps at this stage you are not sure if the separation will be temporary or permanent. Although mediation is not a substitute for couple counselling, it does give you an opportunity to communicate constructively in a safe environment and this in itself can be therapeutic and help you to decide the way forward.

To find out more about how Essex Mediation can assist you through this difficult
time click here to get in touch.

Children's Arrangements

When a relationship involving children comes to an end, it is likely that one or both of the parents will leave the family home and day-to-day contact may change.

It is normally helpful if children know that both parents will continue to be involved in their lives however difficult that may originally seem. Mediation can help you agree upon workable child contact and visitation agreements.

The things which can be discussed in mediation include:

  • Where the children will live
  • How the children will share their time between their parents
  • How parents will communicate with one another in the future about their children
  • How much children will see of members of their extended family, for example grandparents
  • Financial support for children

This information can then be written up for you to refer to in the future and also review as circumstances surrounding child contact change. As your children grow up, their needs and wishes grow with them and our approach reflects this.

Family Disagreements

Disagreements in families are common place and sadly can on occasion be very difficult to resolve. Emotions run high and the ability to be objective can be very challenging when the dispute is so close to home.

Our mediators give you the opportunity to come together in an neutral, non confrontational and safe environment. We have extensive experience in dealing with family conflict situations and all our mediators are professionally qualified to help you reach a mutually agreeable way to move forward.

Fees

Assessment Meeting (MIAM) £97 (£50.00 if you claim Universal Credits)

All fees  are per person and are payable in advance.

Mediation sessions are £160 for an hour and a half.( £125 for child only mediations) 

Fast Track Intensive Mediation – £350  per person for up to 4 hours intensive mediation. This is available only when suitable. Suitability can be discussed at the MIAM.

Child Inclusive Mediation – £75 per hour (£50.00 if you claim Universal Credit)
We offer mediation with Children in conjunction with parents using mediation for child arrangements.

With the support of the government we are able to offer you a voucher of £500.00 towards mediation sessions that involve children ( not the MIAM  or document fees ) subject to availability

Document Preparation and drafting

Child arrangements Statement of Outcome : £110 ( £55 per party)
Open Financial Statement : £120 (£60 per party)
Memorandum of Understanding /  Statement of Outcome on Financial matters: £220 (£110  per party)

If no agreement is reached, we return at least 50% of the document fee to you, subtracting a processing fee for each client of £15 for cases involving children and £20 for cases involving financial issues.

Please note we do not participate in the government’s legal aid scheme, but offer a discount to clients who claim Universal Credits. This avoids completing complex eligibility documentation, saving time for our clients

To make an appointment click BOOK NOW 

We do not charge additional fees should you require the forms which allow you to proceed to court 

If I choose not to use mediation how much could it cost?

The average cost of a divorce is estimated to be £13,000, with the more expensive divorces costing in excess of £30,000 per party.