What's a mediation session like? Podcasts

Most people who go through a separation or divorce worry about the future in one way or another. Parents who no longer live with their children often become concerned that ex-partners will make it difficult for them to see their children. Other people worry about what they're going to live on now financial responsibilities are no longer shared. Some can’t face the thought of having to leave the home they've spent time and money putting together with their partner.

Moving out - Cartoon by Phil Evans

If you're worried about any of these things and haven't been able to reach an agreement with your ex-partner, you could think about trying family mediation. Family mediation helps people to sort out arrangements for their children, home and finances on a separation. To find out what it's like, click on one of the links below to listen in on a mediation session.

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"I want to see my daughter..."
Darren and Justine had had an on-off relationship for a couple of years in their early twenties. They'd spend most of that time living together but, when Justine had a baby, the added pressures of parenthood finally brought their relationship to an end. After Darren moved out, Justine refused to let him see their daughter. She didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Click on the following link to hear how they got on in their family mediation sessions: .

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"How am I going to pay the bills now?"
Ross and Dawn had been married for eight years, with two sons aged five and seven, when Dawn threw Ross out for having an affair. Since the split, they'd both been struggling financially. Dawn hadn't worked since they'd had the children and Ross' wages wouldn't stretch between two households now they were no longer living together. When they went to family mediation, the mediator helped them to see that it was in everyone's best interests for them to start co-operating with each other again to work out how they were going to manage from now on. Click on the following link to listen to what happened in their family mediation sessions: .

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"There's no way I'm moving to a bedsit!"
Helen and Michael decided to divorce after almost twenty years of marriage. Helen felt that they'd both grown apart over the years and had nothing in common anymore. With two teenage children coming up to exams, they had to make some difficult decisions about what would happen to the family home. Click on the following link to hear how they got on in their family mediation sessions: .

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Mediation is confidential

Discussions with a mediator are confidential. The mediator can’t tell anyone else about them without your permission, so you can consider all sorts of possibilities without committing yourself. This doesn’t apply to the financial information you provide, which can be used later on by solicitors in negotiations, or in court if the mediation doesn’t work out. Despite the rules about confidentiality, the mediator may pass on information they’ve heard in a mediation session if they’re worried that there is a risk of harm to children or adults.

Because family mediation is confidential, we couldn't record real mediation sessions for you to listen to. The podcasts are dramatisations, but they are based on real-life situations.

To find out more about family mediation, see our guide to How mediation works (390 KB).