What sort of things will I be expected to do during the mediation process? After signing the Agreement to Mediate, both of you will work with Susan to:
- Agree how you will conduct the sessions – e.g. agree ground rules
- Explain your family situation
- Set the mediation agenda. The mediation sessions are tailored around what you want and need to discuss
- Agree the issues that you need to discuss
- Decide the priority of the issues. Some issues are more pressing than others and need to be resolved first, e.g. child arrangements, short-term financial support, holidays, contact
- Set time scales to deal with certain matters e.g. for separation or divorce
- Clarify the issues: sometimes it is not certain what matters are really in dispute and clarifying these avoids future misunderstanding
- Consider whether any other specialists might be able to help you
- Find the common ground
- Provide/obtain information. If you have financial issues to discuss, you will be asked to complete a financial questionnaire (called a Form E) or have a form explained to you. This also involves each of you providing details about any property you own and your income and expenditure. This is the same information that you would be required to provide if you were to go through the court process.
- Look at the various options and reality-test those options. When there are financial issues you will need to give consideration to what everyone in the family needs, especially the children
- Arrive at the option that best suits both of you and work out the details of your proposals
