Family Matters News

When relationships break down, families face a lot of challenges, including practical considerations such as “what arrangements will be best for any children?” and “what will happen with finances?” Professional family mediators, such as those at Family Matters in Doncaster, act as neutral third parties to help ex-partners have conversations about these issues.  A recent survey by the … [Read more...]

We are delighted to announce that Jane Howarth has won the 2019 Jane Knight Memorial Mediation Scholarship. Jane has completed the first stage of becoming a family mediator by successfully undertaking the foundation training programme during 2019.  She will now work with Family Matters to gain experience and qualify with the Family Mediation Council in family mediation … [Read more...]

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of cohabitating couples in the UK is growing faster than married couples or lone-parent families.  In 2018, there were over 25% more cohabiting couples than there were ten years previously in 2008. Despite this, the myth of the “common law marriage”, in which couples who cohabit have the same rights as married couples, … [Read more...]

When Adele’s split with her husband, Simon Konecki, was announced last month, this is what was published: "Adele and her partner have separated. They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always, they ask for privacy. There will be no further comment." Of course, there is still a lot of press coverage, nothing sells a newspaper more than a juicy celebrity story, but that … [Read more...]

Here at Family Matters, we know how effective mediation is. However, despite government and other widespread support for the effectiveness of mediation, we still encounter people with misconceptions about how mediation will work and how it can help. Here Family Matters' director, Juliette Dalrymple, discuss some of those. I can’t get into the office to take part in a MIAM MIAMS usually work best … [Read more...]