What is mediation?
Mediation is a way of resolving issues. Rather than pitting one party against the other as is usual in our adversarial legal system, mediation looks at things from a problem-solving point of view. The parties have a common problem and it needs sorting out in a non-confrontational way so that an outcome can be found that is acceptable to both. Where children are involved, the parties need to keep up an ongoing co-parenting relationship and it is important that their ability to communicate is improved rather than weakened.
Mediation allows couples to have their say, to be listened to and to make decisions about their future and the future of their children. Parties set their own agenda and decide what issues they wish to discuss as part of the process. The mediator then helps the parties explore the issues, look at the options and ‘reality check’ to see which option best suits their situation.
