As from Monday 13 September 2021 our telephone lines will be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
Mediation Services Throughout the South West
As from Tuesday 01 December 2020 our telephone lines will be open from 10.00am to 3.00pm, Monday to Fridays. These will be manned by our administration staff who are working on a part-time basis.
Please note that Accord will be closed for the Christmas and New Year period from 3.00pm on Tuesday 22 December 2020 and will reopen at 10.00am on Monday 04 January 2021.
As from Thursday 05 November 2020 our telephone lines will continue to be open from 10.00am to 2.00pm, Monday to Fridays. These will be manned by our administration staff who are working on a part-time basis.
Unfortunately, we are unable to conduct face to face meetings under the current government guidelines/restrictions. Our offices remain closed.
Appointments will be conducted by telephone or video conferencing.
Email communication is still welcome, and this can be either by emailing [email protected] to make a referral/enquiry, ensuring you include your telephone contact number. Or, alternatively by using the Contact Page on our website.
Accord will resume normal service as soon as government guidance allows.
As from Wednesday 1st of July 2020 our telephone lines will be open from 10.00am to 2.00pm, Monday to Fridays. These will be manned by our administration staff who are returning on a part-time basis.
Unfortunately, we are unable to conduct face to face meetings under the current government guidelines/restrictions. Our offices remain closed.
Appointments will be conducted by telephone or video conferencing.
Email communication is still welcome, and this can be either by emailing [email protected] to make a referral/enquiry, ensuring you include your telephone contact number. Or, alternatively by using the Contact Page on our website.
Accord will resume normal service as soon as government guidance allows.
The Coronavirus pandemic and the current restrictions on people leaving their homes mean that Accord is not offering face to face meetings with clients until government guidance allows.
Our administrators are all furloughed so our Mediators will now be handling all referrals and administration until such time that our offices can re-open to the public.
Should you wish to make a referral appointment for a MIAM (Mediation Information Assessment Meeting) these will be conducted by telephone, or video conferencing and at a reduced cost of £60 +VAT = £72. (This is to take into consideration that some clients may not be in receipt of their usual income. If you qualify for Legal Aid then all steps of the mediation process would be free to you once we have established your eligibility.
We would ask that you contact Accord in the first instance by email on [email protected] to make a referral/enquiry, ensuring you include your telephone contact number.
Or, alternatively by using the Contact Page on our website.
We will contact you by email regarding our process for new referrals/enquiries.
Accord will resume normal service as soon as government guidance allows.
Following the government announcement on Monday 23 March 2020, the practice will be temporarily closed until further government advice.
During this time our emails and answerphone cannot be accessed so please do not send or leave any messages as we will be unable to respond.
Accord looks to resume normal service as soon as further government advice allows.
With the current concerns about Coronavirus and its ever-evolving situation, the wellbeing and duty of care for our staff and clients is of utmost importance to Accord Mediation.
New Referrals. Our process is to book the person who refers into Accord for a Mediation Information & Assessment Meeting (MIAM) to meet with a mediator to learn about the process and assess suitability of your case. At the same time of the referral we write to the other party inviting them to contact us to let us know if they wish to book for a MIAM.
If both parties attend separate MIAMs and agree to mediate then the next step would be to arrange mediation.
For the foreseeable future we are suspending arranging any New Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings.
For the foreseeable future we are suspending arranging any New Mediation Appointments.
Parties who have ongoing cases with Accord your file will be put on hold and once government advice allows us to return to normal we will review your file and be in contact with you.
You may wish to seek legal advice. A legal advisor will be able to guide you as to how best to proceed with this matter.
If you feel your situation cannot wait for such time, provided you have attended a MIAM or had a Mediation Appointment we will, upon request, endorse the relevant Form (FM1, Form A or C100) for you or your solicitors to submit to Court under the Pre-Action Protocol.
Our telephone lines and emails currently will be open 10.00am until 2.00pm Monday – Fridays.
Our policy may change as government advice becomes clearer.
Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to continue to provide exceptional service, safely and without minimum disruption in these difficult times.
How Family Mediation can help grandparents when they have been denied access to their grandchildren.
Relationship breakdowns are a very emotional time for the whole family and can lead to difficult family disputes. But what happens when grandparents are stopped from seeing their grandchildren? Family mediation can often help.
What is family mediation – and how does it benefit grandparents?
Family mediation is a way of resolving serious family disputes, where mediators help relatives to find their own solutions to their differences.
The best way for grandparents to ensure they stay in contact with their grandchildren following divorce or separation is to remain co-operative with both their own child and their son/daughter in-law. Unfortunately, grandparents sometimes feel they have no alternative but to take their own steps to secure their relationship with their grandchildren. In these instances, grandparents can benefit from mediation.
How does family mediation work?
The mediator meets with both the grandparent/s and the parent/s, to discuss the issues they need to resolve to enable contact to take place. The mediator will then arrange a meeting of all the parties and help them work through the issues raised. The aim is to come to an agreement that suits everybody – especially the children.
Once an agreement has been reached, the mediator can provide a summary outcome statement to help everyone stick to the agreements. This is not a legally binding agreement.
When mediation can help
Grandparents often feel conflicting emotions when their child is going through a separation. They want to support their son or daughter, but in doing so can be seen to be taking sides with their soon to be ex-in-law.
Many grandparents are shocked when they discover they have no automatic right to be part of their grandchild’s life. Family mediation is a confidential and safe process well away from courtroom heat. It can help reduce conflict between family members, and is often the best way to resume contact. It can be a quicker and cheaper way to pursue contact issues than going to court.*
Is there such a thing? Can you come out at the end of a divorce with your dignity intact and still being able to have a discussion with your ex- partner without it turning into another argument?
According to many reports there is: people are divorcing differently. The rise of the divorce selfie (see Twitter #divorceselfie) says it all, suggesting that many couples are able to find a way to go their separate ways as friends and with respect for each other. So, what is the secret?
How to have a better divorce
The first thing is to take things slowly and try to be rational if you can – don’t rush to a divorce solicitor immediately, whilst anger and frustration still cloud your thinking and reactions. If you don’t want to wait for 2 years, see if you can agree with your ex-partner how to take the divorce forward and consider what is most important. The more you can agree on before the divorce, the quicker and cheaper it will be, no matter which route you take.
You probably have children and you’ll want to go through this divorce causing the least possible harm and disruption to their lives. It is always better to find a way to separate amicably rather than ‘staying together for the sake of the kids’ – arguing between parent’s can have a far more detrimental effect on them. Remember, children usually want to see both parents after the divorce and seeing them being respectful to each other. Child mediation can involve children in the divorce and find out what they actually think and want.
Consider what sort of future you want. It will be different for you both and you will have different lives to fund. Mediation works because it will help you to try to find a financial agreement that will enable you to both live your lives and support your children financially. The mediator will help you to ensure that you make proper financial provision for them, and agree a parenting plan that will allow them to see you both equally and take part in both of your lives – and for you both to take part in theirs.
Try not to listen too much to what friends and family say. Of course you might need their emotional support, but they are not objective, and they may not be looking to the future the way you want to and so they may not be in the best place to advise you.
Mediation can lead to a better divorce
Come to Accord Mediation. With the assistance of our experienced mediators we can help you to divorce in a more dignified way, bringing you to the end of your marriage or relationship with your ex’s and your children’s lives less bruised and battered and a ‘ working relationship’ with each other still intact.*