What is mediation

What's covered

By deciding to use mediation you are empowering yourself to make your own decisions.

Mediators do not tell you what to do but help you to make your own informed decisions. Your mediator will give you information about legal matters, how to deal with financial issues, issues relating to children, the court process, court orders, how to contact various other bodies and agencies and obtain legal advice if and when required.

You may find it handy to know what is covered in the mediation sessions. Most mediations, whether they are relating to children, property and finance , or “All Issues” (finances and children) follow the same consequential steps, as follows:

  1. Set the mediation agenda. The mediation sessions are tailored around what you want and need to discuss.
  2. Agree the issues that you need to discuss.
  3. Decide the priority of the issues. Some issues are more pressing than others and need to be resolved first, e.g., maintenance, holidays, contact.
  4. Set time scales to deal with certain matters e.g., for separation or divorce.
  5. Clarify the issues, sometimes it is not certain what matters are really in dispute and clarifying these avoids future misunderstanding.
  6. Find the common ground.
  7. Obtain information, e.g., complete a financial questionnaire.
  8. Look at the various options and reality test the options.
  9. Arrive at the option that suits you both.
  10. Secure mutually acceptable proposals.
  11. Document those proposals.

At the end of the mediation process your mediator will inform you how to obtain legal advice upon the proposals and how you may convert this into a legally binding agreement.