Costs & Charges

CFFM is a “not for profit” service and registered charity, aiming to help all regardless of ability to pay. Free mediation is available through Legal Aid if you are on a low income and have limited savings (see separate Leaflet re: Legal Aid).

None of the charges apply if you are eligible for Legal Aid.

 

 

Step by Step Guide:

Stage 1 – Make a Referral

To our Service via the form on our website.

A member of the team will then have a brief free telephone call back with the referrer to establish the current situation and provide information about our process.

 

Stage 2 – Decision to use our service (referrer)

Non-refundable ‘Referral Fee’ of £50 is payable at this point UNLESS you can promptly send in proof of ‘Passported Benefits’ for Legal Aid purposes (see leaflet). The Referral Fee covers initial administration, telephone calls and correspondence.

Once the Referral Fee has been paid (or proof of ‘Passported benefits’ has been received) we then write to the other party to engage them in the mediation process.

 

Stage 3 – Both of you willing to try mediation

Both parties have a FREE individual Mediation Information and Assessment session (MIAM) – up to 1 hour free.

 

Stage 4 – Starting Mediation

Both parties meet together with a trained mediator in a joint session.

Booking Fee for joint appointments:

Before each joint session we ask for part-payment as a non-refundable Booking Fee of £50 payable in advance to secure your joint session which is deducted from the session fee with the remainder paid at the meeting.

Hourly session fees (per person on a sliding scale dependent upon gross annual income).

Up to £20k –   £105

£20k – £30k – £130

£30k – £40k – £155

Over £40k –  £180

 

Stage 5 – Providing you with an outcome statement

This is FREE for children’s matters and costs £150 for financial issues.

Note: if we see children as part of the mediation process, we charge £60 per session unless legal Aid applies 

Providing court forms to show that mediation was considered (no mediation sessions) or was attempted and has broken down

The charge for this is £105 but again free if you qualify for Legal Aid.

Copies of old documents £20 per copy

Any queries contact us at admin@childrenfirstfamilymediation.org.uk or ring 0161 763 8793

Mediation sessions guide

When we receive the initial referral we will aim to see you for the individual introductory meeting within 2 weeks.

Any further mediation sessions will then be arranged at a timescale to suit both of you and the mediator

The number of sessions can vary.

If you are only discussing children’s matters, then 2-3 joint sessions is usually enough to resolve matters. If you are sorting out finances then more sessions may be needed depending on the complexity of your finances.

However, the time needed depends on:

• Individual circumstances
• The number and complexity of the issues that need resolving
• How flexible you can be regarding days/times for appointments
• Most sessions last for 1 to 1.5 hours

Mediation is usually quicker and more direct than using just solicitors to negotiate for you.

In terms of cost, the National Audit Office reported several years ago that mediation average costs were less than a quarter of the cost of going to court with the latter over £2800.