THERE'S A BETTER WAY - WELCOME TO WORSLEY MEDIATION
A family mediation service working with you and your ex-partner to resolve the issues that are important to you and your family
If you have found this site, you may just be curious, but you are probably in the process of divorcing /separating and wondering which way to turn. You may have been told you have to go to mediation before you can go to court. If there are children of the relationship you may be worried about the effect the situation is having on them. You may be terrified about how you will manage financially. You may have heard all sorts of advice and horror stories from well-meaning family and friends. The whole situation can seem bewildering and scary.
Relax! You’re in the right place. All of these concerns are perfectly normal and understandable.
Experience shows that agreements reached through mediation are more likely to be kept to and the conflicts and bad relationships caused by going to court can be avoided. Mediation is also more cost effective.
I won’t give you legal advice, take sides, tell you who is right or wrong or what to do. What I can do is help you and your ex-partner reach agreements over the issues which are important to you both by using a structured mediation process, and by providing relevant information in a friendly manner.
WHAT HAPPENS IN MEDIATION?
Each party is invited to an individual Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) where I will gather some background information from you and assess whether your case is suitable for mediation. If it is then we can move on to one or more joint meetings so I can help you resolve the issues that are concerning you. if agreement is reached I can write up a "without prejudice" summary of the terms, called a Mediation Summary (sometimes known as a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU), and in a financial case also prepare an Open Financial Summary (OFS).
If mediation is not appropriate I will let you have my certificate to that effect so that you can, if you wish, take the matter to court.
WORSLEY MEDIATION
Professional and Caring
MY MEDIATION SERVICE
What I can provide
MIAMS
Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs)
CHILDREN ISSUES
Mediation for Children Issues
FINANCES
Financial Mediations
ALL ISSUES
All issues Mediations
Sometimes children can feel as if a breakdown of a relationship is their fault. By using mediation you can reassure them that you are working together with the other parent to resolve the issues that matter to them. In appropriate cases consideration is given to using Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM) using a specially trained mediator to feed back the children's views to the joint meeting.
NB CIM cases will incur additonal costs.
For more information see https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/and http://www.resolution.org.uk/
Paul Kidd
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Fees
I offer affordable fees. For a MIAM I charge £90 plus a further £30 which is either credited to towards your first joint meeting, or, if mediation is not appropriate, it covers the cost of my certificate to that effect which you will need if you wish to go to court. Due to the current coronavirus pandemic I am currently not charging the second person for the MIAM.
Each joint meeting which normally lasts between one and a half and two hours costs £180 per person irrespective of length.
Additional fees are payable per person to cover the costs of writing up the Mediation Summary and, if appropriate, the OFS, based on my hourly rate.
Legal Aid
I don't offer legal aid assessments but if you think you or your ex may qualify for legal aid because you or they are on qualifying benefits or a low income just let me know and I can easily arrange for an assessment to be carried out by my friendly colleagues from another local mediation service.
Mediation Voucher Scheme
This government scheme is non means-tested. Funding is limited so it is available on a first come, first served, basis and is only for disputes involving children or disputes involving children which also have a financial element. It is not for solely financial cases. If eligible, couples in mediation can receive a contribution of up to £500 towards their joint total mediation costs. It is not £500 each and it does not cover any MIAM or document fees. If you would like more information just let me know.
ACCREDITED MEDIATOR
by the Family Mediation Council
ACCREDITATIONS
I am a Mediator accredited by the Family Mediation Council
MEMBERSHIPS
I am a mediator member of Resolution, whose Code of Practice seeks to remove adversarial attitudes and minimise conflict in family disputes. See http://www.resolution.org.uk/code/
ABOUT MEDIATION
Mediation is a cost-effective, structured process which has the aim of helping former spouses and partners resolve their differences with a mimnium of stress.
Please have a look at the video in the next section for more information.
MEDIATION
What is it?
OPENING HOURS
When do you want to come?
I don't have set opening hours and can usually arrange mediation appointments to suit you.
Please note that initial appointments (MIAMs) take about 45 minutes to an hour and joint mediation sessions last between one and a half to two hours.
ABOUT ME
Proud and Professional
PAUL KIDD FMCA
Accredited Family Mediator
I was a family law Solicitor for 37 years dealing with all aspects of family law. When I retired from practising law I founded Worsley Mediation to provide quality services to clients in Worsley, Greater Manchester and anywhere else in England and Wales with the professional yet caring attitude they deserve. I also regularly carry out MIAMs and mediations for other mediation services. Although I do not offer legal aid for mediation (but see under "How Much Does It Cost" above) my private rates are affordable and you may save a lot of money on legal fees if you can get to a mediated agreement with my help. I am a Mediator with many years experience accredited by the Family Mediation Council (that's the FMCA bit by my name above) and a member of Resolution. See below and get in touch by providing your details below, call me on 07429 085174 or email worsleymediation@outlook.com to learn more.
Paul Kidd
MEETINGS AND PAYMENT
Please note that I do not see clients face to face and all MIAMs and joint meetings are conducted through Zoom.
In addition I am unable to accept cards, cash or cheques and all fees are payable by PayPal.
I am not currently charging the second party for their MIAM but reserve the right to reintroduce this charge in the future.
GET IN TOUCH
Please complete ALL fields so I can properly deal with your enquiry.
I will reply as soon as I can. It helps if you can indicate in your message some details of the issues and whether you would prefer me to call or simply email in the first intstance.
Please note that I do not offer Legal Aid (but see under Fees above).
PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ANY MARKETING ENQUIRIES THROUGH THIS WEBSITE. THANK YOU.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
It is of the utmost importance for me to protect the privacy and personal information of my site visitors and users.
Data Collection, Use, and Sharing
I am the sole proprietor of the information collected on this site. I only collect data that are voluntarily provided by site visitors, and I never sell this information to any third parties without informed consent. Unless you indicate otherwise, I may contact you to tell you about Worsley Mediation updates or changes to this privacy policy.
Control Over Data
You are free to contact me at any time to inquire about what information I hold about you, to change any of your details which need to be corrected or updated, or to express any concerns you have regarding our use of your data.
Information Security
I take comprehensive steps to protect your information. Sensitive data is always encrypted, and stored on secure servers, and transmitted using the safest methods.
MY COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
This is information required to be published by the Family Mediation Standards Board
(under FMSB requirements as of February 2022)
1. Who can complain and when?
A client, a former client or a qualifying third party (see below) may make a complaint that relates to breaches of the FMC’s Codes of Practice or Standards Framework that occurred within the last three months. For avoidance of doubt, complaints that relate to the way a mediation was conducted as a whole, the date the three months runs from is the last mediation session.
2. Exceptions
Complaints that appear to be vexatious or of a purely personal nature do not have to be investigated (see below).
3. Timescales
All complaints will be acknowledged within 10 working days of receipt.
All complaints will be investigated and responded to within 30 working days of receipt. If further time may be required, the complainant will be notified in writing.
4. Who is involved?
This procedure allows for mediation of the complaint where both the complainant and mediator wish this to proceed.
5. What if we can’t resolve matters?
If we cannot resolve the issue between ourselves then I will pass the details of your compliant to my PPC (Professional Practice Consultant)
6. What if I’m still not happy?
If the response is not accepted, the complainant can ask the Family Mediation Standards Board (FMSB) to consider the complaint if certain criteria are met and provide details of how to do this.
7. Privacy
I am required to have in place a privacy policy/notice which allows information held by me to be shared with the FMSB in the event that a formal complaint is made to the FMSB, to which that information pertains.
8. Where can I find this information?
Mediators are required to include a copy of or a link to their complaints policy, which meets the minimum standards set out above, in the Agreement to Mediate.
9. Why am I seeing this information here?
Mediators are required to make their privacy notices and complaints policies available on their websites so that they are readily accessible by members of the public.
Qualifying third parties
The following qualify as third parties who can make a complaint against a mediator:
v A prospective client who has been directly affected by a mediator’s professional behaviour.
v A person who has been invited to participate in a mediation process, for example another professional who attends a mediation.
For the avoidance of doubt, it is common for a mediator to contact a potential mediation participant after seeing the other potential mediation participant. Complaints about a mediator making contact with a potential participant do not therefore need to be investigated by mediators and will not be accepted by the FMSB.
Likewise, mediators may sign court forms to say one person has attended a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) without notifying a potential second mediation participant or inviting them to attend MIAM themselves. Complaints about a mediator not making contact with a potential participant do not therefore need to be investigated by mediators and will not be accepted by the FMSB.
Please note that neither mediators nor the FMSB will be able to disclose any information to you that is confidential between the mediator and the mediation participant(s). It is therefore normal that as a third party, you will only receive a limited amount of information in response to your complaint, even in circumstances where it is considered by the FMSB.
Complaints that appear to be vexatious or of a purely personal nature
Complaints that appear to be vexatious or of a purely personal nature do not have to be investigated by mediators.
Complaints can be considered vexatious when:
· the purpose appears to be to intimidate, disturb, disrupt and/or unduly or unfairly pressurise the mediator or the FMSB.
· they are persistent/repetitive and repeating the same or substantially similar complaints which have already been investigated.
· they are clearly unfounded and unsupported by evidence.
· they are irrelevant and relate to matters other than mediation.
· abusive or offensive language is used.
Complaints are of a purely personal nature if they are discriminatory or focus on the personal attributes or circumstances of a mediator rather than their actions as a mediator.
TERMS OF USE
Introduction
Please read these terms of use carefully. By accessing this site or using my services, you acknowledge that you understand, agree, and are bound by these terms.
Modification of Terms
At my discretion, Worsley Mediation may edit, add, or remove parts of this agreement. If I do make changes to these Terms of Use, I will make a reasonable effort to provide notice.
Prohibited Conduct
You are solely responsible for your conduct while on our site, and agree to abide by all laws, contracts, intellectual property and third-party rights.
Termination
Worsley Mediation reserves the right to terminate access to this site and block future use of my services if I deem these Terms of Use have been violated.