Family Mediation Surrey

Email:  family@mediationsurrey.org

Family Mediation Surrey is a community based Family Mediation service led by Dr Lesley Saunders and Will Stewart. We operate across Surrey with venues at Woking, Guildford, Ashtead, Reigate, Redhill, Oxted and Caterham. We also offer Zoom meetings. This is a fee-paying service with costs kept as affordable as possible.

 Family Mediation can:

• Avoid expensive and lengthy court procedures
• Offer you a calm and constructive approach to reaching agreement
• Provide you with a safe and private environment for discussions
• Allow you to make the choice and decisions about how to go forward
• Help you come to an arrangement by working with a professional and experienced mediator

How does Family Mediation work?

Mediation Information Assessment Meeting (MIAM)

Firstly, we meet each of you separately for an initial meeting called a MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) where we discuss the process of mediation with you and find out information about your situation.  Each meeting lasts up to 60 minutes and costs £95 per person. 

After those initial meetings, you each decide whether you wish to proceed with mediation.

Joint Mediation Session

If both parties are then willing your mediator will see you together in a joint mediation session.  At these sessions the mediators will help you to consider the issues and reach a decision about how to go forward.  The number of joint mediation sessions needed will depend on the issues involved and their complexity. A joint mediation session lasts 90 minutes and costs £120 per person.

Child Inclusive Mediation

Sometimes it is appropriate to hear the children’s voice in the mediation process by giving the children the opportunity to meet with a mediator specially trained in child mediation.  The mediator helps the children to open up and talk about their feelings and wishes regarding their future.  Parents are then able to make a more informed choice over child arrangements.  Child inclusive mediation lasts one hour and costs £50.

Outcomes and Agreements

Any and all joint decisions and agreements reached during the mediation sessions can be recorded in a written document which can be considered and approved by the court.

Fees for Services

Meetings

• MIAM – £95 per person
• Joint Mediation Session – £288
• Child Consultation – £30 per person

Paperwork:

• Memorandum of Understanding for Finance and Property – £120 per person
• Open Financial Statement – £60 per person
• Statement of Child Arrangements – £60 per person

Concessions may be available for extenuating circumstances.

We support the Government voucher scheme.

If you are on a low income you may be entitled to free mediation.  If you believe you may be entitled to Legal Aid, click on the following link which will take you through to the Gov.uk site – www.gov.uk/legal-aid. 

 Family Mediation Surrey does not offer Legal Aid Mediation.

For more information about our mediation service or to meet with our family mediators please contact us by  the Enquiry Form below or

 Telephone: 03301 340176                             Email: family@mediationsurrey.org

Our Lead Family Mediators

• Will Stewart  trained as a solicitor with Penningtons Solicitors LLP and has worked in dispute resolution since 2004.   He qualified as a family law mediator with National Family Mediation (NFM) achieving full Family Mediation Council Accreditation status in 2014.  Since then Will has worked with many private and legally-aided clients helping them to craft their own set of financial and/or parenting arrangements as part of their separation.  He has continued to focus on and develop his own mediation practice by qualifying to consult with children as part of the mediation process (Child Inclusive Mediation).  He is also a Professional Practice Consultant supervising other mediators and helping to develop their own way of working.  Finally, he has complimented his mediation work by completing levels two and three of the BACP Counselling and Psychotherapy approved training.  Will has a calm, balanced manner and encourages clients to adopt a future-focused vision rather than dwelling too much in the past.   

• Cathy Baillie – Cathy completed her family mediation training with National Family Mediation in 2013 and attained full FMCA status as an accredited mediator in November 2020.  Cathy has been a practising mediator for 9 years and specialised in family mediation for the last six years.

• Joanne Deagle- Joanne completed her family mediation training with LA Dispute Resolution in 2015 and attained full FMCA status as an accredited mediator in November 2021.  Joanne has mediated many different types of cases for the past 9 years and previously worked as a family solicitor in Surrey.

• Working Towards Accreditation Shelley Howles- Shelley qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and worked for 14 years as a Family Legal Advisor at the Law Courts in Kent and Surrey.  Shelley trained as a mediator in 2015 and then completed her family mediation training with National Family Mediation in 2018.  Shelley has been a practising mediator for 8 years and specialised in family mediation for the last 3.

Child Inclusive Mediation

Dr Lesley Saunders is a renowned and skilful mediator with over 20 years of experience, specialising in family mediation since 2004. In 2006, she qualified as an All Issues Family Mediator, accredited to provide both child and financial mediation.  Lesley has a background in supporting children and young people through their parents’ separation, and is qualified to consult with children as part of the mediation process, a service which she provides for our mediators at Mediation Surrey.