200 Malop Street, Geelong Victoria 3220, Australia
Geelong Family Mediation
Family Mediation
There are many reasons people choose to come to family mediation.
- Fair and balanced approach to crucial decision making
- Increase your chances of coming to mutual agreements without the costs of lawyers
- Establish realistic communication channels where perhaps they had been severed
- The family court will not hear your case unless you have made a genuine attempt at mediation (in some cases the mediator may decide that mediation is not appropriate and issue a section 60I Certificate which represents this. This can then be used to go to court).
- Parenting plans
- Child support arrangements
- Financial and property settlement arrangements
Over 90% of people who go down the legal battle path, settle outside of court. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY.
CALL NOW
FOR A FREE & CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION ON 0439 557 717
Interpretation Services
Sometimes language can be a barrier. We work in conjunction with Translation and Interpreting Services. Go to Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) for more information.
Phone Mediation
Phone Mediation follows the exact same process as face to face mediation. Phone sessions are held from the safety of your own home with both parties at a time that is convenient for you through our easy scheduling platform.
Long distances can be a factor in mediation. You may live in a rural area, and not have easy access to mediation services or one party may even be located internationally. Geelong Family Mediation offers a Phone Mediation Service to support these situations.
Call Rebecca on 0439 557 717 for more information or to make a booking.
Online Mediation
Online Mediation is similar to face to face mediation. You can see your mediator and the other party. Online Mediation is safe and effective and can help you read the situation more easily than perhaps a phone mediation might allow. Online sessions are held from the safety of your own home with both parties at a time that is convenient for you through our easy scheduling platform.
Call Rebecca on 0439 557 717 for more information or to make a booking.
Face to Face Mediation
Face to face mediation is common and usually very effective.
Your mediator will ensure that each party feels safe, secure and able to talk with equal balance of power.
When you arrive, your mediator will take you to a private room to check in with you and ensure you are ok to move forward with face to face mediation.
Our mediation rooms are comfortable, private and discrete. Your mediator will usually use a white board to help discuss solutions and options.
If at any time, your mediator or one party or another feels that being in the same room together is not working, we are able to gently move on as a shuttle mediation. in separate rooms.
Tea, coffee and private break out rooms are available.
Section 60i Certificates
Geelong Family Mediation is approved by the Attorney General to supply Section 60I certificates to parties which have met the appropriate criteria.
Section 60I Certificates are a requirement of the Family Court and must be obtaied before an application to the court can be made.
A Section 60I Certificate is to demonstrate to the Court that you have attempted mediation and made genuine attempts to work your differences out.
The types of section 60I certificates, which may be issued are:
- you did not attend because the other party refused or failed to attend;
- you did not attend because the practitioner (mediator) considered that your circumstances were not appropriate for Family Dispute Resolution;
- you did not attend and the parties did not make a genuine effort to resolve the issues; or
- you did attend and the other party (or you) did not make a genuine effort to resolve issues.
From 1 March 2009, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners have been able to issue an additional type of certificate. It states that the Family Dispute Resolution (mediation) started, but the practitioner considered that it would not be appropriate to continue.
When filing an Application, the court requires that a copy of the Section 60I Certificate be filed with the court Application.
Parenting Plans
Parenting Plans are important, even if you and your ex partner are getting along well. Parenting plans help with clarity and ease of how your family can operate together day-to day. Parenting Plans can help with future changes, such as new partners, who may have different opinions to what you are doing now. Geelong Family Mediation can help you put together a realistic parenting plan.
Child Support
Each parent is financially responsible for their child. Things like tuition, school fees, medical costs, and general day - to day living are all included in child support. Child support can raise very contentious issues, since it can be left to the government to regulate for you if you don't address it yourself. Geelong Family Mediation can help you make your own decisions on child support.
Intake Sessions & Forward Planning
Intake is when your mediator talks to each party separately and confidentially to gather necessary details about you and the relationships background. This session is completely confidential, where nothing from the intake session will be mentioned during the mediation session, unless you decide to bring it up yourself. The intake sessions will assist your mediator in determining the matters suitability for mediation.
The person instigating the mediation usually has their intake sessions first. However, each party has their own individual intake session appointment with the mediator, which can be conducted face-to-face with one of our experienced mediators, over Zoom/Facetime or the phone. .
Property and Financial Settlement Mediation
When it comes to property and financial disputes, mediation is an investment.
What many people don't realise is that when it comes to property and financial settlement, you also have to split the LIABILITIES. It's not uncommon to see people racking up huge debts on eating out, travel, clothes and other expenses (especially legal expenses) to make sure the other party just doesn't get as much as they otherwise could have.
Things change and FAST in break up world. Don't leave your future to chance by putting off the inevitable. INVEST in mediation and soon.
Financial and Property Settlement Mediation is handled separately to child matters in our Family Mediation process. This doesn't mean you need to make a new appointment, it just means that in our mediation process financial and property settlement is given its own time frame, separate to children's matters.
Call Rebecca on 0439 557 717 for more information or to make a booking.
Family Counselling & Individual Counselling
Relationship breakdown, divorce, separation, court hearings, changed finances and mediation can be a very traumatic time. Seeking support during relationship breakdown is important, while family and friends can often mean well, non-bias, and nonjudgmental support will strengthen your ability to get through this time successfully. Geelong Family Mediation offers counselling services to assist people who are experiencing relationship and family breakdowns, as well as general-related trauma by assisting you in:
- Regaining your identity;
- Setting yourself new goals and realigning your thinking;
- Finding your new pathway;
- Learning how to co-parent effectively;
- Discovering how to best support your children;
- Redefining your core values; and
- Feeling like YOU again
Call Rebecca on 0439 557 717 for more information or to make a booking. OR go to www.geelongfamilycounselling.com.au