About Mediation?

Child Issues

Mediators work with parents to assist them to make decisions about their future role as parents, which continues after the ending of the adult relationship. Mediators work to help parents focus on the welfare needs™ [see Children Act 1989] of the children rather than their own personal preferences.

Such decisions may include :

	Where and with whom the children shall live
	Arrangements for the children to see/stay with the non resident parent and perhaps with other family members (e.g. grandparents).
	Parenting agreements which set out how a whole variety of arrangements for education, holidays, medical issues, religious matters and many others can be agreed before they happen. The Government has sponsored a Parenting Plan booklet and also guides for children and young people whose parents are separating. Copies are available from mediators.
	Parental Responsibility. Married parents automatically have PR™ as do all mothers. Fathers who have not been married to the mother of their spouses child can acquire PR by agreement or application to court.

Finance and property issues.

The purpose is to assist former partners to make a full disclosure of their finances, valued and set out in a manner acceptable to a court, then to agree their distribution.

The mediator will:

	Assist in the identification of assets, liabilities, income and expenditure.
	Using this information help to examine what options might be available and the likely consequences.
	Help you to negotiate and agree proposals for the re-distribution of your finances in what you can regard as being fair whilst remembering that it costs more to run two homes than one!

These proposals will include your family home [& the mortgage], any other properties, endowments and other assurances, bank and savings accounts, vehicles, shares, valuable items, businesses and pensions.

Mediation will include an explanation of the role of the CSA and the mediator will assist your negotiations about payment of child support and maintenance.

The proposals will be written up in a detailed document known as a Memorandum of Understanding. Commonly this document is used by a family lawyer to draw up a consent order for the court. Such an order finalises matters and makes them legally binding.

Remember, mediation is not legally binding so either person may change their mind; a court order is legally binding.

All Issues Mediation

AIM is a combination of the Child and Finance & Property issues mediation detailed above.

Communication

Mediators work with adults on restoring communication where this has broken down.