Child Inclusive Mediation
At Children 1st Mediation our Family Mediators are specially trained to include children as part of the mediation process.
Mediators must now routinely consider with parents whether they feel that it is important that their child’s views are heard for children aged 10+. Sometimes children younger than 10 may be able to have their say too. The Mediator will help you consider whether it might be helpful to meet with your child or children.
Involving children in mediation can be very complex and a great deal of consideration and preparation is needed before a mediator will speak to a child. There are several things to think about which may be dependant on the age and maturity of the child. The child and both parents have to agree to the child meeting with the mediator.
The Mediation Process
Talking to children in Mediation
Children like to be informed and they appreciate having their views and opinions heard, although it is important that they do not feel responsible for the overall decisions.
Parents sometimes suggest that the child or children are involved in the mediation process. Sometimes the child makes the suggestion. It is important that parents understand the views, needs and desires of their children and involving them in the mediation process may be a good way to do this.
What does it involve?
Direct consultation with children involves a family mediator who is trained as a child consultant talking with a child or children as a part of a mediation in which arrangements are being made for children.
- Consultations with a child usually last approximately 45 minutes.
- Siblings will be seen separately or together depending on what the children themselves prefer.
- The child can either meet with the mediator who is already working with the parents or, as often happens, with a different mediator.
How much does Mediation cost?
Before the MIAM the admin team will speak to you to find out if you may be eligible for Legal Aid, if you or your ex-partner is eligible then this meeting will be FREE for you, otherwise the MIAM will be £120 inc vat.
We offer the £500 Voucher scheme, which is shared between you towards the cost of your mediation fees.
Depending on the experience of the Mediator the fees range from;
| Per person per 1.5hr mediation | ||||
| Consultant Mediator | £234 | |||
| Practice Director | £255 |
All fees are per person and inclusive of VAT.
If you require the mediator to provide you with a written summary of proposals or an open financial statement these will be charged in addition to the fees above. The mediator can explain these fees to you at the MIAM or in the mediation.
If you are a mediating about child arrangements a one off voucher can be applied for which will pay up to £500 towards the time in joint mediation meetings. Click here for more details.
More about Child Consultations
Children like to be informed and they appreciate having their views and opinions heard, although they need to understand that they are not responsible for the overall decision.
Involving children in mediation can be very complex and a great deal of preparation is needed before a mediator will speak to a child.
Different considerations apply depending on the age and maturity of the child.
The child and both the parents have to agree to the consultation. It is the mediator’s decision whether child consultation is appropriate.
Why Choose Children 1st Mediation?
Our team of Professionally qualified Family Mediators have over 80 years collective experience in Mediation, so you can be sure you’re getting the best service. We believe in you retaining the decision making between you.
All of our Family Mediators are qualified and registered which means they are required to work within the parameters of family law and will consider with you both how the family court may deal with things. The mediator will help you navigate your way through the process towards finding workable solution for you both that can then be made legally binding as part of your divorce or legal separation.
Over 90% of our mediation’s lead to an outcome that both people are positive about, which makes us one of the most successful mediation services in England. This means that both of you have found a settlement that you can both live with, which avoids the need for court intervention, which no one wants. All of our mediators are accredited with the Ministry of Justice to undertake Family Mediation in both financial and Children’s issues so you can be confident your in safe hands.
Child Inclusive Mediation Bristol
Our head office is located in Plymouth, but we have trained and qualified mediators working remotely across the country. Most of our mediation is done online now, usually on Zoom. However, we do occasionally do face-to-face mediation when the need arises. We are regularly dealing with clients from Oxfordshire and surrounding areas including Oxford, Banbury, Abingdon, Bicester, Didcot and Witney.
Over 90% of our mediation’s lead to an outcome that both people are positive about, which makes us one of the most successful mediation services in England. This means that both of you have found a settlement that you can both live with, which avoids the need for court intervention, which no one wants. All of our mediators are accredited with the Ministry of Justice to undertake Family Mediation in both financial and Children’s issues so you can be confident your in safe hands.
