Family Matters has recently achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification which means we are in an excellent position to manage the changes which will be implemented when the Data Protection regulations come into force in May 2018. The cyber essentials qualification was a requirement for the provision of the Cafcass program the Separated Parents information Program which was awarded … [Read more...]

Mediators at Family Matters have noticed an increasing trend for people who have been identified as being on the autistic spectrum, including Asperger’s syndrome, or having autism, enquiring about mediation. Autism is a disability that affects how a person experiences the world around them and how they relate and communicate with other people.  It is a lifelong disability, not a condition that … [Read more...]

The most devastating cost of a divorce or separation will be the effect on the family, but the financial fall out when a couple decide it is the end of the road for their marriage or partnership probably comes a close second, with many families finding the situation they are left in difficult to cope with. Financial cost of divorce on the increase Insurer, Aviva, suggests that the cost of … [Read more...]

Remember when you were young and how excited you were about Christmas? Your children are no different, whether you are separated from their other parent or not. Teenagers may still want to stay in bed all morning on Christmas Day whilst you wait in anticipation for the day’s festivities to start, whilst, in their excitement the younger ones are probably up and ready to play at 5am! Create happy … [Read more...]

Family Matters ran its first portfolio building course last week. The course is designed to help trainee mediators who are preparing the portfolio for Family Mediation Council Accreditation (FMCA). "I wish I had been on the FMCA course 18 months ago!" The course was a great success and attracted universally positive feedback, with one attendee commenting: “I wish I had been on this course … [Read more...]