'Family mediation is a much kinder and more compassionate environment'.
Parents living in Leicestershire and Rutland who have decided to separate or divorce in 2025 are being urged to find out how to avoid courtroom confrontation to settle money and parenting arrangements, during Family Mediation Week (January 27 – 31).
January usually sees a rise in the number of parents deciding to live apart as the various pressures that go hand-in-hand with the Christmas period act as a final straw for relationships.
James Belderbos, Founder and Director of Belderbos Solicitors, which serves Rutland and Leicestershire, said Family Mediation Week was designed to raise awareness of the benefits of family mediation, a process that can help ex-partners agree what works for them, whilst avoiding the court process with all the stress, delay and cost it can bring.
Mr Belderbos, a trained mediator, said: “As a family lawyer, you see on a daily basis how challenging a relationship breakdown can be. But you also see how much more positive an experience it is when the separating couple work together and outside of the courts. It puts you in control. Instead of a judge making those big decisions about your family’s future, you can determine the path you want to follow.
“Family mediation is a much kinder and more compassionate environment for discussing the long-term needs and emotions of you and your children than the bleak setting of a courtroom. You’re in charge of the process and an understanding reached in mediation can be a much less expensive and less stressful solution. A better suited outcome to the long-term needs of you and your family.”
The Family Mediation Council says it has organised Family Mediation Week to shine a helpful spotlight on the tricky issues couples face when they split up and offer them information about their options as they look to make arrangements for parenting, property and finance.
“Family mediation is a process where an independent, professionally trained mediator helps you work these things out, enabling you to avoid courtroom confrontation,” said the Council. “Professional mediators help empower you to create long-term solutions for your particular circumstances, rather than leaving it to a court to make decisions for your family.”
Vouchers are available from the Government for up to £500 towards mediation costs for people dealing with children matters. Mediators will advise on the availability of this.
Anyone wanting to know more about the benefits of family mediation can visit Belderbos Solicitors’ website.
