Online Mediation

Although it is recognised that face to face mediation for separating or divorced couples, in the presence of a mediator is usually the best option in order to achieve a successful conclusion to the issues at hand, if this is not possible, all is not lost.

With people living greater distances apart with heavy work commitments or perhaps child care issues and some ex-couples even living in different countries after they separate, being in the same room, at the same time may prove impractical. Another reason why it may be impractical to consider face to face mediation is when a split has been particularly traumatic or high conflict, one party may not feel comfortable being in the room with their ex-partner.

Although communicating online is less than ideal, if the alternative is not to be able to mediate at all, then the advantages of family mediation (its inclusiveness, speed, value-for-money and fairness) are lost. Because of this, we do offer an online mediation service utilising a variety of different apps such as Zoom or Skype.

Booking an online assessment or mediation session

This is booked in a similar manner to routine assessment and mediation sessions, although time slots are very sought after therefore client’s must make some allowances in order for us to accommodate their needs.  You may call our office to make an appointment or, alternatively complete our referral form which you can find here.

Requirements

• You must have access to a smartphone, tablet, PC or laptop capable of running the app (preferably Zoom).
• You must be able to use the application
• We will only conduct online mediation if you agree not to audio or video record the session.
• You must have somewhere private and quiet that you can use for the session/s where you will not be disturbed.  You will be asked to confirm that your end of the call is completely private and that you are alone in the room.
• Prior to the session, you must complete and post or email to us our agreements to mediate and confidentiality (these will be emailed to you).
• Any documentation you are relying upon for a legal aid assessment must be provided to us prior to the session in order for us to be able to conduct the legal aid assessment accurately.

That may seem daunting, but it is quite straight forward and you will find that online mediation is an effective mediation facilitation tool when other means cannot be used.

Pricing

If you qualify for legal aid, there will be no cost to you.  If you are not entitled to legal aid, the pricing for online mediation sessions is available on our ‘fees’ page.  You can find this page by clicking here.