Family Matters’s directors Juliette Dalrymple and Stan Angel
In support of Family Mediation Week (11 – 15 January 2016), leading Doncaster mediation company, Family Matters, is offering a free divorce and separation clinic on Friday 15th January from 10am to 2pm. The clinic, to be held at Family Matters’ offices at Cavendish Court, South Parade Doncaster, will give people the opportunity to find out more about mediation. Appointments will last for around 30 minutes need to be made in advance.
Post Christmas is stressful for separating families
Director, Juliette Dalrymple says “We recognise that post Christmas can be a very stressful and difficult time for separating couples and their families. We have vast experience of helping separating couples to deal with issues relating to children, property and finance using a structured and managed process that leads them to making decisions about the future that are more likely to succeed than when litigation is involved. At our clinic meetings, our highly knowledgeable and experienced mediators will discuss the mediation process and how constructive mediation sessions can help the family can take control of their own future and move forward. We can also assess eligibility for public funding (legal aid). This is a pilot scheme for us. If the free clinic proves useful, we will consider repeating it in the future and will advertise it on our social media.”
Independent, impartial and professionally accredited mediators
In mediation meetings, couples (either separately or together – although most attend separately), discuss their problems with an independent, impartial and professionally accredited mediator. Strongly supported by the government, mediation is a very successful means of dealing with family breakdown. It is less costly, and more flexible, than the traditional litigious route to separation that involves the courts.
Most separating couples must attend family mediation
Changes to the law in 2014 mean that most divorcing couples must attend a mediation assessment (sometimes called a MIAM) before they can go to court. In the year July 2014 – June 2015, over 8600 family mediation assessments took place with over 60% involving a successful agreement. Around 60% of these assessments involved children matters and about 67% of them came to a successful agreement.
Free divorce and separation clinic
Family Mediation Week aims to increase awareness of the availability and success of mediation to separating families and make this highly successful method of dealing with family breakdown available to as many people as possible. To book a session at Family Matters’ free clinic, please call 01302 369688 or email admin@familymattersmediate.co.uk F: Family Matters Mediation Ltd T: @FMMediation
