Family Mediation NI are under contract with the HSCB to delivered an early intervention approach to family breakdown to assist parents to communicate around achieving the best outcomes  for their children going forward. The service is available in all five Trust areas and delivers a child focused, facilitative model that aims to empower separated parents to negotiate, compromise and draft their own bespoke co-parenting agreement.

FMNI have a robust screening and assessment process to ensure that we work with those who are mediation ready.  Mediation is not counselling and those parents for whom the timing is not just right will be referred out to counselling services for end of relationship  support.

For those mediation ready, engaging with this practical process is transformational for the whole family.  Using a professional family mediator can enable parents to move to a different level of communication that leads to agreement on child contact, residency and the minutia of family life as separated parents.  Ultimately avoiding a protracted court case is in the best interests of children.  Parents will be engaged with us for on average four sessions after attending their individual  pre-mediation assessment appointments.   

Article 9 of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:

‘Children whose parents do not live together have the right to stay in contact with both parents

FMNI Mission

Enabling separated parents to agree the best outcomes for children by accessing

the professional services of FMNI

FMNI Vision

Family Mediation NI is fully integrated into family support services as the first choice when parents separate