Online Mediation
Mediation and MIAMs by Zoom, wherever you live.
Mediating online since 2012
Start Mediation has offered family mediation online since 2012. Stephen Anderson was the first family mediator in the UK to offer online mediation routinely, and has taught many other mediators in the UK and around Europe how to mediate online. He also helped draft the online mediation standards now adopted by the Family Mediation Council, which all family mediators working online must follow.
For many years, Stephen was one of very few mediators working online. Other mediators who couldn’t offer online mediation regularly referred their clients to him.
Since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, mediating online has become a normal part of mediation, and it’s now an everyday part of our work. Everything we offer in person, we offer online, including MIAMs (Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings).
Who online mediation helps
Online mediation may suit you if you:
- live in a different part of the country from the other person
- live abroad, or the other person does
- don’t live near a mediator
- have a disability or health condition that makes it hard to travel
- need to fit meetings around caring for children or your working hours
- want lawyers or other professionals to join a meeting
What we can help with online
- separation, divorce and dissolution
- finances and property
- children’s living arrangements and parenting plans
- child maintenance
- schooling, and moving abroad with children
- elder and adult family concerns
- disputes over wills and inheritance
- who keeps the family pets
- civil and business disputes
- almost any other problem or dispute
How it works
- Your MIAM. We meet each of you on your own first, by Zoom. We listen to what has happened, explain how mediation works and talk through your options.
- Deciding whether to mediate. If we decide, with each of you, that mediation would be a suitable way forward, we will write to you both together by email to invite you to mediate.
- Mediation meetings. We meet together by Zoom. The mediator manages the meeting so that each of you has the chance to be heard, keeps the discussion focused on the future, and makes sure the language used stays respectful. Our conversation guidelines can help you each and both to speak and be heard.
- Putting it in writing. When you reach proposals you both agree on, we can write them up and send them to you by email if you want us to. There is a separate charge for this.
What you’ll need
- a laptop, desktop computer or tablet with a camera, propped up rather than handheld (a phone is fine for your MIAM)
- a reliable internet connection
- a private room where you can speak freely
You don’t need a Zoom account. We’ll email you a link, and you click it to join.
Prices
Our prices for MIAMs, mediation meetings and written proposals are on our Pricing page.
Read and download our guide to mediating online
Our free guide, Getting the most from online mediation, explains how to prepare for an online meeting: privacy, setting up your space, Zoom, your internet connection and equipment, with a checklist for the day. There’s no sign-up needed.
What our clients say
My ex-husband and I were living in different parts of the country, however, Start Mediation were able to accommodate us by allowing us to have our sessions on-line. This was instrumental in us being able to move the divorce procedure (Consent Order) forward.
Stephen is very easy to talk with and has a wealth of experience and valuable insight into the divorce process. I can hand on heart say that we would not have reached resolution without Stephen’s help and I heartily recommend Stephen as a professional: fair, accessible, productive and indisputably patient mediator.
Mrs MS, Channel Islands – Online Mediation
My initial telephone contact with START Mediation convinced me to work with them – clear, concise and professional.
The initial MIAM consultation was set up quickly and proved very useful. Elisabet was focussed, empathic, professional, and as helpful as possible given my situation.
She undertook the required follow-up actions efficiently, reporting back to me on progress.
Ultimately, the process was unable to continue because my ex-partner declined the opportunity to participate. Based on my experience, I would have no hesitation in recommending Elisabet.
Mr ML, Suffolk 2018
Frequently asked questions
Some of the questions people ask us most often about online mediation.
Can I have a MIAM online?
Yes. We hold Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) online by Zoom, as well as in person at our meeting rooms in Ipswich. An online MIAM is just as valid for the court as one held in person.
You can join a MIAM from a laptop, tablet or phone. You need somewhere private where you won’t be overheard or interrupted. Our guide to mediating online explains how to prepare.
Do we have to be in the same room?
Typically, yes. Mediation works best when you can talk to each other directly, with a mediator there to help. Meeting together is how we normally work.
For people who live locally, meetings usually take place in person at our meeting rooms in Ipswich. Where people live some distance apart, or one of you lives abroad, we meet online by Zoom, with everyone on screen together. We decide which is more suitable.
If you are worried about being in the same room as the other person, please tell us at your Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM). We take that seriously, and it is one of the things we consider when deciding whether mediation is suitable.
Where it is essential for the wellbeing or safety of any participant, there are other ways of working. Meeting online by Zoom can be an alternative for some people. On Zoom, we can also arrange for you to hear each other without seeing each other, or for each of you to be in a separate online room, seeing and hearing only the mediator.
Mediation can also take place through private meetings in separate rooms, with each of you talking separately with the mediator, in person or online. But mediation through private meetings is likely to take more meetings than mediation where participants can talk to each other directly.
How do I get started?
For matters relating to relationship breakdown, such as separation, divorce, parenting and financial claims, you can fill in our online MIAM form, or call us on +44 1473 487427, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. We aim to get back to you within two working days. We won’t contact the other person until we have spoken with you.
For problems and disputes involving an older relative, adult family members, pets, or a business, please contact us and we’ll tell you how to get started.
If you’re looking into mediation for someone else, such as a friend or relative, they’re welcome to contact us themselves, or you can call us to find out more.
Ready to start?
Call +44 1473 487427, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or fill in our MIAM form and we’ll be in touch.