Family Mediation Week 2021
Monday 18th of January 2021 marks the official beginning of Family Mediation Week 2021.
The FMA and FMC proudly present this week as a beacon, highlighting the power and capability of Family Mediation as a practice. Now more than ever, during these incredibly turbulent and unpredictable times, families need to feel reassured during separation and family breakdown, that there are alternatives to the stress-inducing, slow and costly court process.
Mediation offers a non-adversarial, co-operative solution to the varying family issues arising during separation and divorce. Separation is a life changing and emotional event, with significant legal and financial implications. You may need support emotionally. If so, we can help put you in touch with someone with the right qualifications and experience. You may benefit from legal advice and you may also need specialist financial advice and information. Again, the mediator can help with this. And a coordinated approach will offer substantial savings in time and money.
For many the priority will be ensuring their children are okay. Mediators work with you to prioritise the needs of children. Some form of dialogue and communication between you and your ex will be vital when there is so much to sort out. The mediator can help you to communicate and to organise your discussions so that they are useful and enable you to focus; and to make interim arrangements where necessary.
The role of the mediator to act as an impartial person between both parties, remains unchanged despite these exceptional times. Rather than setting the participants against each other, the mediator works with you to resolve the issues that are most important, in a manner that will leave all participants feeling stronger and more in control. Beyond simply assisting the participants themselves, Family Mediators are trained to support parents in understanding the long-term needs of their child(ren) and to help and guide them towards a co-operative parenting relationship that works well for the entire family.
Amidst all the doom and gloom right now, it can feel hard to know where to turn or what to do for the best. Family Mediation Week is about getting a message out to families who are struggling with relationship breakdown or separation. That message is ‘We are here, come and have a private, confidential meeting on your own, to understand your options and decide on next steps’.
It doesn’t need to necessarily lead into mediation although, for many, that choice may be hugely helpful. Ultimately, some find that Family Mediation is not be the ideal route for them. Regardless, we believe that in knowing and fully understanding your options, the power is given back to you, the individual, helping you to feel confident that you have made an informed choice that best fits your circumstances, whether that is to pursue mediation or to follow some alternative route.
If you would like to know more, then please contact Sybilla Agasee on 07825 167 785 or email at sybilla@agaseelaw.co.uk for a free initial telephone consultation.