HAVE YOU CONSIDERED  FAMILY MEDIATION?

Family Mediation is a  professional  service for separating and divorcing couples and facilitates conflict resolution and agreements in all types of family work.  Planning for a separation and divorce is stressful enough, as decisions need to be taken involving your living arrangements, your finances, your children (if applicable) and other important areas. Mediation can help to reduce the stress of this process. If you wish to explore the possibility of using mediation to resolve difficulties following a relationship or communication breakdown from your partner,or a member of your family, contact:

SUZANNA STEIN , ACCREDITED, INDEPENDENT FAMILY MEDIATOR, CONVENIENT FOR LONDON AND KENT

Suzanna is based in Bromley, Kent and offers Family Mediation which is easily accessible for Bromley, Croydon, Orpington, Beckenham, Bexley ,Sidcup, Eltham, Dartford, Lewisham and  London and Kent generally.

Suzanna is a  Member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Group (ADRg) Family Register, the Family Mediators Association, the Family Mediation Council, the British Association for Counselling and Psycotherapy and  a  Member of Resolution, the organisation of family lawyers.  She promotes an approach which is sensitive, constructive, cost-effective and most likely to result in an agreement.

Suzanna is an Accredited Family Mediator with the Family Mediation Council (FMCA) and a Professional Practice Consultant (PPC) and a Child Inclusive Mediator (CIM)

Phone 07849 483 797 or e mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for an appointment- usually  within a few days- for a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting to see if mediation is suitable for you. Cost is only £120.  Suzanna is also qualified to sign the relevant court form for you if this is applicable for a charge of £30.

WHAT IS FAMILY MEDIATION?

• Family mediation is a process to help you communicate when a marriage or relationship has broken down. A neutral third person, the mediator, helps you to consider options and reach your own agreements on how to proceed.

• You may wish to consider any matter arising, such as,  reconciliation of your relationship, or divorce or separation issues, the practicalities of separation, how bills will be paid and financial settlements proposed and how to tell the children (if relevant) and what arrangements need to be made.

• Mediation is voluntary, impartial, informal and confidential (with exceptions if criminal activity or child abuse is reported) and it is you who make the joint decisions about your future lives. Mediators provide a safe setting for discussions and information sharing  and do not offer counselling or legal advice. You yourselves set the agenda about what you wish discussed.

• Each party is supported to share concerns and suggestions and the process is reasonable to each side. The Mediator  ensures that no one party dominates the meeting, and a less  vocal  partner  is  equally heard.

• Most divorcing or separating couples going through mediation also take legal and financial advice during the process and to make sure that any agreements reached in mediation are fair before they become legally binding. It is the Family lawyer or Family solicitor who completes the legal formalities.

WHY HAVE MEDIATION?

It is cheaper, quicker and less stressful than going to court.

The process is client friendly and you and your ex make the decisions together, facilitated by the mediator.

It is the first step to a sane way to separate

It helps with communication issues

It considers short, medium and long term solutions because families don't stop after divorce or separation.

It helps with the process of separation, giving you the relevant legal factors in a neutral and simple way

The  Financial Disclosure aspect  is fully explained and you are guided  through this process.

You can discuss and  propose  your own future  financial and living arrangements.

You will be listened to and heard

You will have an equality of bargaining power in the discussions

If you have children you can discuss your wishes about access, arrangements, parenting, and maintenance.

When a matter is judged suitable for mediation, 4 out of 5 cases will reach a successful resolution.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

You are now legally required to attend a MIAM  ( Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting ) to consider mediation before commencing Court proceedings if the dispute concerns arrangements for children or sorting out finances. There is an expectation that the second party will also attend a MIAM if invited to do so.  This helps you to consider if your issues can be resolved without going to court. There are some exemptions to MIAMs attendance such as domestic violence and child protection concerns.

Please select the MIAMS (Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings) tab at the top of this page for further information.

The MIAM is also a pre mediation confidential consultation session individually with a  trained and accredited  Family Mediator (even if court is not being considered) to find out about mediation suitability and other forms of resolution and help if contemplating separation or divorce, or when divorce  proceedings have started, or in the case of a family dispute.

The Coronavirus pandemic

There are no Coronavirus restrictions currently in the UK . During the pandemic many mediators offered MIAMs and mediations on line. This actually improved the efficiency of accessing mediation for many people as travel time was saved and travel costs disappeared. Currently, some  MIAMs (Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings)  will be  conducted remotely, using WhatsApp video or SKYPE. During the  MIAM there will be a discussion whether video or face to face mediation or shuttle mediation may be considered, according to your needs and preferences, and providing if mediation is deemed suitable.  Please do not hesitate to contact Suzanna  by e mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone or text 07849 483 797 if you wish to discuss this further.  Thank you.

HOW DOES MEDIATION WORK?

You may contact the Mediator directly or your solicitor or another organisation may refer you. Please click on the tab above or 'left click' with your mouse on the yellow box 'Contact Mediator' or 'Arrange Mediation' or 'Client Referral' which you will find to the  right of each page.

Face to face/ in person mediation is  undertaken in the same room with both of you and the mediator present. This is considered the traditional and most helpful way of family mediation, if it is safe and appropriate and meets the needs of  both  parties.

Skype video mediation involves the three of us sharing the same screen and  discussions take place between the three of us on line. This is a good alternative, particularly if travel or time is an issue, and some parties feel more comfortable meeting on line.

In a  few cases completely separate mediation is needed, and then either two rooms can be arranged by agreement with both of you. This is called 'shuttle mediation' and the mediator 'shuttles' between the two of you and you and your ex do not meet face to face. There is an additional charge of £40 per person per session for this service.

Or shuttle mediation can be via Skype/video mediation There is no extra charge for video shuttle mediation. The mediator ' shuttles' between you and each party only sees the mediator on screen. You do not see or speak to your ex.  All communication is via the mediator. This type of mediation is still mediation and appropriate in certain circumstances, and the mediation takes a little longer this way as the mediator spends time relaying messages to each party, and then facilitates the discussion.

If one party lives abroad, SKYPE Mediation is offered.

Most mediations  if straightforward can reach satisfactory outcomes with between 3 or 4 joint meetings.

Please note that Suzanna Stein offers private mediation only ( ie fees are charged for the MIAM and for the mediation sessions)   and  she does not offer Legal Aid Mediation or the Government Voucher Scheme. Details of Mediators offering these  can be found on the Family  Mediators Association website or the  Family Mediation Council website. Please read the section on 'Standard Fees' on this website. Thank you.

WHAT IS CHILD INCLUSIVE CONSULTATION?

There is an expectation in Family Mediation that the voice of the child ( or children ) needs to be heard, where parents are coming to mediation to discuss their child arrangements and/or  any other matters concerning them resulting from the separation or divorce. This does not take away the decision making responsibility of the parents.  Suzanna Stein is quailfied, if the parents give their consent, to have a confidential meeting with your child (or children) so that their feelings and views can be explored. This is called child inclusive mediation consultation. Please discuss this possibility of a child inclusive mediation consultation with the mediator should this  service be required. There are  strict protocols of confidentiality and safeguarding surrounding this process and the child or children need to consent to this process, which is voluntary and confidential. Only what the child or children  wish fed back to the parents is then fed back. The child or children need to be over the age of 10 years and there is a separate charge for this meeting.

WHO CAN HAVE MEDIATION?

Separating or divorcing parties in a marriage or civil partnership, whether cohabiting, in a same sex partnership, or parties  involved in a conflict within the family. Sometimes there are disputes with in-laws, parents and children, or close family members. Mediation can take place at any stage of the relationship breakdown

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?

Mediation can be a fast and cost- effective alternative to resolving disputes related to your separation and divorce. Mediation costs are fixed so there are no expensive  surprises. This  avoids lengthy, stressful and expensive court battles and heavy legal fees.  It is particularly helpful for parents to agree the arrangements over their children through Family Mediation rather than to let the courts decide.

It is always in the interests of both parties, and particularly if there are children, to try and resolve disputes by agreement whenever possible. The mediator is lawyer supervised which is an advantage.