A new, not to be missed, documentary series, “Mr v Mrs: Call The Mediator”, will start at 9.00pm on Tuesday 21st June on BBC2. It promises to be quite an eye opener and follows 9 couples through their family mediation experiences.
In an interview with The Telegraph, one of the programme’s featured mediators, Irene Jackson, discusses the series and her personal experience of some of the 17,000 family mediations that take place in the UK each year.
Juliette Dalrymple, director of Family Matters Mediation, one of the region’s leading mediation firms, will certainly be casting her professional eye over the series. She says:
“I’m really pleased that the BBC is airing this programme as it reflects a growing awareness of the importance and relevance of mediation in today’s environment – not just for separating couples but also for conflict generally.
The involvement of two national mediation organisations, National Family Mediation (NFM) and Relate gives this program great credibility. Irene Jackson, the mediator interviewed by the Telegraph, deals with difficult cases with professionalism and compassion, but she can’t be said to be a soft touch! By keeping to the mediation process and structure she helps couples to reach agreements which are acceptable to each and are workable, showing that mediation can work in cases involving both children and financial arrangements.
Juliette Dalrymple
At this early stage in the series there is no mention in the interview about government support for mediation or the fact that legal aid continues to be available for mediation. Where one person is eligible for legal aid, the initial individual meeting and first mediation are paid for by public funding. I would have liked to have seen this subject discussed in the interview – but maybe the subject will be raised in later programmes. I shall certainly watch with interest.”
You can find out more about mediation and how it could help you on our web pages. Contact us now if you want to make an appointment to meet with our independent mediators.
