Early signs of success after six months? “At-Court Mediation” guides couples away from the courts towards effective communication
Following the arrival of the new Family Court in April this year, accompanied by the obligatory requirement to attend a mediation information assessment meeting prior to issuing court proceedings, initial indications suggest that the message on mediation is starting to filter through.
One such indicator has been provided by the six-month reports of a project funded by the Department for Work and Pensions: “At-Court Mediation”. Organised by National Family Mediation, At-Court Mediation is a year-long pilot project launched in March 2014 aimed at helping parents who have been separated for more than two years and who are currently in court proceedings over child-related issues. The programme works with CAFCASS to determine which cases are at this stage deemed most suitable for the project but quite often they will be cases where there has been domestic abuse and/or child protection issues. At the moment, the project is being run in just three pilot areas: Herefordshire, Berkshire and West Yorkshire.
The scheme provides free mediation services and one-to-one support delivered by specialist mediators accredited by the Legal Aid Agency. Each programme lasts approximately eight weeks and starts with a mediation information and assessment meeting with each party, which takes place at court. This is sometimes then followed immediately by a short mediation session, depending on the progress made. Each party is then offered a two hour “conflict reduction” module with one-to-one coaching. Further sessions are held at the service premises within four weeks of the first meeting, with a review meeting taking place at eight weeks to check on progress.
Six months in, and the initial results are encouraging. National Family Mediation has recently reported that over 90% of couples who have taken part in an initial mediation awareness meeting, many of whom had previously been caught in the deadlock of the court system for months on end, have moved on to full mediation and to finding long-term solutions to their disagreements.
It remains to be seen whether, following this initial success, the project will be rolled out more widely across the country and indeed made available to couples struggling with financial disputes, but with a total fund of £10 million to be made available for providing help and support for separated families, there is yet hope – watch this space!
For more information in relation to this service, please click on the link below:
If you have any queries about this article please contact jonesnickolds on 0203 405 2300 or contact@jonesnickolds.co.uk