National Family Mediation

Family mediation is a way of helping couples who are separating to resolve their differences without going to court. It is a quicker, cheaper and more constructive process than battling it out in the courts. It can also help to reduce the impact of separation on children. National Family Mediation has an extensive network of accredited services across England and Wales. They are a founding member of the FMC which regulates standards and practice in the industry.

NFM's pioneers saw first hand that when a relationship breaks down, traditional legal proceedings to sort out issues like money, property and kids can be long, expensive, confrontational and damaging to the relationships involved. They realised that children suffer the most and that bitterness and resentment can simmer for years. This is why they set out to develop a different way of managing the break up of a relationship which empowers families to reach their own arrangements which are in everyone's best interests – especially those of their children.

The NFM model focuses on providing support and education to both the professionals who work with family conflict and the general public. This includes organising events and training for those who work in the area, highlighting other alternatives to court and working with refugees to help them settle into their new homes.

As well as being a founding member of the FMC and a founder member of Resolution, National Family Mediation is one of the UK's leading family mediation providers. They are a not-for-profit organisation with a network of accredited family mediators across England and Wales. They work with a wide range of clients including those who are separating, divorced or widowed and have children.

In addition to ensuring their accreditation with the FMC, it is important for family mediators to keep up to date with their continuing professional development. This is why many of them are members of regional or national mediation associations and organisations. Being an active member of a mediation association shows that your potential mediator is committed to being at the top of their game. Look for membership of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, the Association For Conflict Resolution or other national or regional organizations that hold their members to a high ethical standard.

Interviews revealing significant tensions within the family mediation profession are disturbing. These include a lack of strong national identity for family mediators, with a constructed divide between the professional sub-groups of lawyer mediators and therapeutic mediators. This is a worrying trend which needs to be addressed as it may hamper attempts to unify the profession, encourage standards of practice and promote a sense of commonality. It could also lead to a proliferation of niche or specialised family mediator practices, potentially resulting in a fragmented and inconsistent service for the public.