National Family Mediation week provides the perfect opportunity to thank the Family Mediation Council for its amazing work and support over the last few years.
From a more personal perspective, I would also like to thank the Compass Resolution Network of mediators and family professionals around the country for their dedication, hard work and support.
11 years ago, when I created the Compass Resolution Network, I could never have imagined that it would develop into what it has become today, a wonderful home for exceptional and talented family mediators, family professionals and management team, all dedicated to helping and supporting separated couples and their children.
Our national team continues to grow offering private and legal aid family mediation around the country.
Most recently, Dilshad Miah, Belinda Jones, Liz McTear, Liz Hunt, Rachel Jaysan and Asha Rani have joined us, bringing our total number of accredited family mediator to over 20 and the total number of mediators to over 40, covering an area from Manchester to Bournemouth and Kent to South Wales.
At Compass we all share the belief that most separating couples are best served by a process which puts them and their children at the centre of the decision-making process, enabling and empowering them to make important decisions for themselves and their children.
Everything flows from this belief including the approach we take, the skills we develop and the resources we build.
The most recent addition to our support resources is the online Divorce Manual which has been over 4 years in the making with over 330 pages, 120 videos, 100s of guides and links to all the most important websites.
This Manual has been specifically created and designed for the separating couple and their children in mind and the difficult situations they often find themselves in.
It provides them with resources to help them improve their communication and work in a solution and outcome focused way.
It also provides a wealth of information, guides and forms to complete, ensuring that the couple can do as much or as little of the work themselves depending on the level of support they need and cost they wish to save.
We believe that using a combination of our Divorce Manual and team of family professionals including mediators, divorce coaches, financial neutrals, children and legal experts, working in a joined-up way around the mediation process, is the right way to go for the majority of separating couples.
Many people seem to agree as we have seen the number of separating couples using the Divorce Manual and contacting the Compass Resolution Network for help, going ‘through the roof’.
Once again I would like to thank the team I work with at Compass Resolution, the team at the Family Mediation Council and all the inspirational couples we have helped to reach successful outcomes for themselves and their families.
It is appropriate to end with a big thankyou to these separating couples from whom we have learned so much.
They continue to inspire and inform us every day.
These are the people who make our conflict resolution work worthwhile.
So, on National Family Mediation week, thank you to you all.