Following a warm welcome, your mediator will introduce themselves to you and explain their role in the process. Details of our mediation team can be found here.
The Assessment meeting has a number of objectives, and the mediator will work through these during the meeting. The key objectives are:
- to ensure that you understand the role of mediation and what it can and cannot do
- to assess whether mediation is a safe option for you and the other people in the process
- to collect key information on what the main issues are that could be covered during the mediation
- to assess whether legal aid could support you through the process of mediation
- to signpost other organisations that you may find helpful during your separation
The Assessment meeting is held in private and is completely confidential.
Sometimes people wish to bring a friend or relative with them to the assessment for support. Your mediator may ask them to leave the meeting at times, if they view it necessary.
Occasionally the service may have a second person attend the assessment meeting, such as a trainee mediator. We will always explain who this person is and why they are there; if you are uncomfortable with them being present, please feel free to express this to your mediator, who will be happy to accommodate you.
At the end of the assessment your mediator will tell you whether they think mediation is a suitable option for you to resolve your issues. They may say that it is suitable for all or only some issues, or not at all.
You may also decide that mediation is not the approach you would like to take.
If your mediator or you feel mediation is not the correct option, then your mediator will issue the relevant court forms for you. In Children cases this would be the signed page, the C100 form, and in Asset cases it would be Form A.
If however mediation is the correct option, we will move on to inviting the second party to their own assessment meeting.
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