A pathway through divorce and separation
call us on 01707 790017
Serving Herts and Beds
-
Mediation For Couples who are Co-habitees (living together)
November 11th, 2011Tags: Co-habitees, cohabitation contract, common-law marriage, costs, court case, financial dispute, lawyers, legal rights, litigation, living together, Mediation, outcomes, property | Posted in Blog, Co-habitees | | Comments OffAs the legal case ‘Jones v. Kernott’ , which hit the news headlines recently has highlighted, for separating couples who have been living together but are not married, the law affecting your separation is very different from divorce. The emotional stresses and strains are however just as high. Many people believe mistakenly in the myth [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Ministry of Justice ‘Family Justice Review’ Proposals Announced
November 9th, 2011On the 3rd November 2011, the Family Justice Review Panel announced a package of recommendations aimed at tackling delays in the family justice system and to make sure that children and families are given the service they deserve. The key recommendations are: • A new six month time limit in care cases so delay is [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
10 Ways to Help Your Children When You Are Going Though Divorce or Separation
October 19th, 2011Tags: Children, co-parenting, Contact Schedule, Former Partner, Mediation, parent, Relationship breakdown, supporting-children | Posted in Blog | | Comments OffRelationship breakdowns are physically and emotionally draining from a personal perspective. There is also often the added responsibility of children and the knowledge that the way in which you and your former partner handle their feelings during this crisis will have an impact upon the rest of their lives. This is a huge responsibility and [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) and Form FM1
April 15th, 2011Tags: Form FM1, Information and Assessment Meeting, MIAM | Posted in The process and costs of divorce | | Comments OffThe Government has introduced new procedures for anyone wishing to apply for a court order linked to children or their financial circumstances relating to the breakdown of their relationship. From the 6th April 2011, before such an application can be made to the court the parties will first have to have attended a Mediation Information [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Pre-court Mediation Assessment Meetings become compulsory
February 23rd, 2011Tags: Assessment Meeting, Children, Contact, Cost, Court, Divorce, family, legal-aid, Mediation, Mediation Assessment Meeting | Posted in In the News | | Comments OffIt has just been announced that from the 6th April, before applying to courts, most couples disputing family matters will need to attend a ‘mediation awareness session’ or ‘assessment meeting’ in order to find out about the option of resolving matters through mediation. Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly said: ‘Nearly every time I ask someone if [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
What is Shared Care and can mediation help to achieve it?
October 1st, 2010Tags: Access, Cafcass, child arrangements, Children, Contact, Court, Custody, Parental-responsibility, parenting, Residence, shared care, supporting-children | Posted in Blog, Children in Divorce and Separation | | Comments OffThe terms “residence”, “shared care” and “contact” are frequently bandied about when discussing where children should live following the separation or divorce of their parents. These are all terms used in the Children Act 1989 which deals with children’s issues following divorce and separation. The underlying philosophy of this Act is to underpin the relationship [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Children in Divorce and Separation: Are you lost in the terminology?
June 6th, 2010Tags: Access, Cafcass, Child-maintenance, Children, Contact, CSA, Custody, Parental-responsibility, Parenting-plan, Residence | Posted in Children in Divorce and Separation | | Comments OffDivorce and separation is a difficult time in which there are hard and emotional decisions to be made, not least with respect to any children. Parents find that suddenly the time they spend with their children has a range of complicated terms associated with it, most of which will be unfamiliar. The alphabetical listing below [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Government Encourages Mediation
June 4th, 2010Tags: Benefits-of-mediation, Children, Conflict-reduction, Court, Disputes | Posted in In the News | | Comments OffThe Government recognises the many benefits of mediation and is keen to promote the use of family mediation. In January 2010, the Ministry of Justice announced it would be undertaking a ‘Fundamental review of the family justice system’ and the statement, detailed below makes interesting reading. Further details can be found on the Ministry of [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Checking your Benefit and Tax Credit Entitlement.
June 4th, 2010During and after divorce or separation (and indeed, often before), budgets can be very stretched. Maximising income, as well as often reducing expenditure where possible, can be very important. At Headway Family Mediation we often give information to our clients to help them check whether they are currently claiming their full benefit entitlement and to [...]
Read the rest of this entry » -
Reducing the High Costs of Divorce
June 4th, 2010Tags: Benefits-of-mediation, budgets, divorce-costs, finances, legal-aid, solicitors | Posted in The process and costs of divorce | | Comments OffIt has recently been reported in the press that the average cost of ending a marriage through the British courts is £13,000 per divorce with more expensive divorces costing anything between £25,000 – £50,000. It often doesn’t matter if the divorce is amicable and not taken to court; there will often still be high costs [...]
Read the rest of this entry »