How Well Hope Family Mediation Works
What is Family Mediation?
After partners have separated or are in the process of a divorce, Family Mediation helps you and your former partner create detailed plans (proposals) regarding your children, dependents, housing, and finances for the future.
Separation and divorce can be stressful, painful and full of uncertainty. Some, not all family mediators provide you and your former partner support to cope better with your emotions, and gain more clarity about your futures.
How Can Family Mediation Help Me?
There are many reasons to consider Family Mediation. A huge advantage is that Family Mediation is much cheaper and quicker than exclusively using court or solicitors. Relying only on solicitors and court has been proven to increase conflicts and problems between separated or divorcing partners. It is the court that has put mediators in place.
If you choose a Family Mediation service with expertise in supporting former partners to communicate more effectively, this can reduce stress, increase positive coping, and improve long-term wellness for you and your former partner.
Why Choose Well Hope Family Mediation ?
We offer an Integrated Family Mediation service that blends therapeutic interventions and skills building according to you and your former partner’s individual needs.
Our specialty is arrangements for children and other vulnerable family members (including elderly, disabled, mental health and/or addicted family members, those with housing insecurity or other complex situations requiring a lot of sensitivity. Also, Well Hope acknowledges your pet(s) as a valued family member.
We are skilled at managing high-conflict, high-stress situations. We’re always respectful and supportive, but provide you with relevant and constructive feedback.
Our services are mostly online, but in-person meetings throughout South West London are available. Please enquire to find out more. For online Family Mediation, all you need is a mobile phone, tablet, computer, and a reliable internet connection and you’re ready!
This is the Family Mediation Process
Step 1 – Complete a Referral
You can refer yourself to Family Mediation. You don’t need to go through the court or a solicitor. You can complete a confidential eferral form by clicking [HERE]. You can also email us to request a fillable PDF form.
We offer a free, no commitment, and confidential 15-minute consultation if you prefer to talk to us before completing a referral.
Before mediation can begin with your former partner, you must attend a confidential Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM). You attend this meeting by yourself, without your former partner. After completing our referral form, your mediator will contact you to book a MIAM. Once you have selected a date for your meeting, you will be sent instructions on how to pay. Once your meeting is confirmed, you will be sent a secure link to your online meeting.
Step 2 – Attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM)
A Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) is required before starting Family Mediation. Your MIAM is an opportunity to provide you information about the family mediation process and other forms of resolution that are available to you. Your MIAM is also a chance for your mediator to assess whether mediation is right for you. Your MIAM will be completely confidential.
Your mediator will ask you questions about your separation and divorce. This includes questions about your finances and/or children. You and your mediator will decide together about whether mediation is safe and appropriate for your situation. Together you will decide what your next steps should be, including consultation with other professionals, including solicitors. If family mediation is not right for you, your mediator may recommend other services.
Following your MIAM, you will receive a copy of our free Guide Book to help you gt organised and prepared emotionally for mediation.
Divorce and separation can be highly stressful. You may be scared about the future for you and your children. If you choose to proceed with family mediation, your safety and ability to contribute equally within mediation will be our priority. We are expertly trained to support you to manage difficult emotions so your mediation experience will be as comfortable as possible.
Your MIAM will take about an hour.
After your MIAM, your former partner will attend to attend a MIAM too. Like yours, their MIAM will be completely confidential. Joint MIAM are never possible between separating or divorcing partners. Following your MIAM, for any reason, you may decide that family mediation is not for you. At this time, you may request Court Sign Off so you can bring your dispute to court. Otherwise, you may decide together with your former partner to proceed to Mediation.
Step 3 – Family Mediation
Following your MIAM, if you and your former partner both consent to attend mediation, Well Hope will arrange for your first online mediation meeting that you will attend together. The structure of your mediation meetings will be customised based on the topics you’ve agreed to discuss.
For any reason at all, either you or your former partner can choose to end mediation at any time. In some cases, if there is a high level of conflict, you and your former partner may have options to be placed in separate video ‘rooms’ to better manage conflicts.
Your mediator may ask you and your former partner to complete additional paperwork and tasks between meetings. Well Hope is available to answer your questions and concerns, at your convenience between meetings. You will be supported with clear guidance about how to do this along the way.
Step 4 – When Mediation Ends
Every family has different needs. As mediators, our job is to help you get to the end of mediation in as few meetings as possible. Period. We work with you to reduce conflicts during meetings and help you to explore compromises that will meet the standard of the Court. One thing is certain, mediation is cheaper, quicker, and less stressful than other forms of resolution.
After mediation has ended, your child arrangement and/or financial proposals can be recorded into detailed documents by your mediator. With an additional step, these can become legally binding. This process will be explained to you during your MIAM.
In the UK, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you, someone you know, or a child are in immediate danger, dial 999 NOW to receive urgent help.
If you or someone you know feels suicidal or are struggling to cope and would like to talk to someone, contact Samaritans for free on 116 123. Alternatively, please go to your GP, or your local A&E.
Domestic Violence can happen to anyone. Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviour on the part of an abuser to control their partner. It can happen at any point of a relationship, including after you have split up. If you need help with domestic violence, contact the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
If you have concerns about a child, contact your local authority children’s services at any time of the day, the police or contact the NSPCC Helpline via this link: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/reporting-abuse/report
If you are a child and you need help, please contact Childline on 0800 111.
We are members of the Family Mediation Council (FMC), The Family Mediation Association (FMA), The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and Social Work England (SWE) in good professional standing.
