Focus Family Mediation training for new mediators

So you think you want to be a family mediator? Mediation is a very different from legal work or psychotherapy. It is much more demanding than family litigation and traditional bipartisan negotiations. To be a good family mediator, you need to know enough family law (and be up to date with the law) to give good quality legal information. AND you have to manage the mediation process AND the couple dynamics. Not everyone can do this – if you think you can and are ready to work hard in training, then read on.

We are keen to recruit and train family mediators. Our key mediators have been mediating for over ten years and we need to bring on the next generation. However, as a trainee you must expect to work very hard for about a year before you are able to undertake publically funded work on your own.

Steps to becoming a family mediator:

Complete your 8 day foundation training with the Family Mediators Association (“FMA”) for lawyers or people from a therapeutic e.g. physiology or psychotherapy, background, educated to graduate level. Alternatively, you can train through Resolution if you are a family lawyer. Some people train elsewhere, but these are the key providers and professional bodies for the non-charitable sector. If you are thinking of training elsewhere, check with FMA or Resolution that the training would be acceptable to them and you would be able to join one or other of them as your professional body after qualification.
You will need to be ready to commit at least one day a week to training as a mediator, probably at Milton Keynes or Watford. To start with, you will observe an experienced mediator working, so that you can learn the translation of the mediation skills that you have learned in theory into practice.
When our supervisors judge you ready to practice, you will co-mediate with them. Once you are ready to take responsibility for your own cases, you will be certified as “Ready to Practice” by your supervisor. We will then provide an experienced mediator to observe you while you prepare your portfolio of cases for an accreditation through the UK Council of Family Mediation, so that you can become qualified to conduct mediations where legal aid is granted. You will need to be self-supporting. We run on a shoestring and cannot afford to pay mediators a salary while they train – we will obviously be paying the mediator who is training them. You cannot train as a mediator on your own. Practical experience is everything – theoretical knowledge and role plays only go so far.
We can only train two (possibly three) mediators at a time. We have people waiting to train and at different stages in training.
There is a route in to mediation for family lawyers as well as non-family lawyers (usually people from a therapeutic/psychological) background. However, please note that non-family lawyers working with us will major in Children only work. They would need to study family law and be able to give good quality legal information before it could be possible for them to make the transition to Property and Financial work. Property and Financial Mediation - when done properly - involves giving considerable amounts of legal information and it is not a task for people who are tired of the law and do not want to be bothered keeping up to date!
There is a simplified route in for people who are ready to start mediating on children only cases, learn and hone their mediation skills and potentially up grade later to Property and Financial work. This is a more gradual learning process, which might be considerably easier and quicker than trying to learn to mediate and learn all about family law at the same time.
We don’t want to put people off - but please be aware it takes about a year, sometimes longer, to prepare your portfolio for Legal Services Commission accreditation, it is very hard work. You would need this to conduct legally aided or part legally aided cases.
Focus offers quarterly group supervisions for our team. Our team is made up of supervisors, experienced and trainee mediators. Mediation can be a lonely profession unless you are part of an experienced and supportive team.
We are keen to train mediators who wish to work for Focus. Training is an immense commitment for us and it is unlikely we are going to have the capacity to train mediators to work with other organisations.

Still interested? Email your full CV in confidence to Lynn Devereux and one of our supervisors will get in touch with you.

Mary Banham-Hall
Lead Mediator and Managing Director
Family Focus Mediation