Talk²Sort – Mediation

Raised voices, slammed doors and stereo’s turned up to full volume. Does this sound familiar?

The Bridge Mediation Service works with young people and families who are experiencing difficulties at home and/or with their relationship. The most common issues that people want to sort out include arguments at home, untidy bedrooms, loud music, and communication between family members, house rules, household chores and relationships with step parents, siblings and step siblings. Mediation can be highly effective with these behavioural issues and can also impact on feelings that are more difficult to define such as respect, trust and the atmosphere at home.

Who can the talk² sort mediation service work with?

If you, or someone you know, feel you have hit a brick wall and just can’t get through then mediation could help. talk²sort can work with 14 – 19 year olds and their families who live in the Charnwood Borough area. Many of the young people that we see at The Bridge have been referred by other agencies such as Connexions or the Single Access Point because communication has broken down at home and they are thinking of moving out or at risk of being asked to leave.

We understand that this is a situation that many families encounter when they feel they are unable to resolve conflict by themselves. Having the opportunity to use mediation so that they have support to deal with the difficulties can often benefit everyone involved. We aim to work preventatively whilst the young person is still in the family home, however if this is not the case then our aim is to enable families to resolve the conflict in question so that the young person can either return home or that positive communication is achieved so that young people can have the support they need from their family.

How does talk² sort mediation work?

We find that being flexible and offering two different ways of working with family members is effective in helping most people to feel they can give it a try.

Individual meetings  joint family mediation

Step 1: Meet with the mediator on your own to talk about what has happened to cause the difficulties, what you want to happen in the future and what your initial ideas are for moving things forward. With the exception of serious criminal activity or abuse, everything discussed in the meeting is private and confidential.

Step 2: If you choose, the mediator will then contact the other people involved to arrange Step 1 of the process with them

Step 3: If you are all happy to go ahead, a joint meeting can be arranged. The mediators enable you to each have the chance to discuss the difficulties from your point of view and how you feel and then move on to discuss what you want to do about it

Step 4: Everybody works together to make agreements about how best to move things forward.

Step 5: The mediators type up copies of the agreement for everyone involved. It’s usual for families to use more than one joint meeting to cover all the issues involved. The mediators can then review how things are going and build on/ adapt agreements.

One to one meetings with a mediator

There is no pressure at any stage and some people choose to stick with meeting the mediator on their own. This can help you to see things more clearly, learn from the past and decide how you could handle things from now on to achieve some positive changes. We can still review how things go and help you to build on your successes.

Who can I refer to the talk² sort mediation service?

Any 14 – 19 year old and their families who live in the Charnwood Borough area can be referred to the service if they are willing to give it a go. If you feel that they may benefit from mediation but they are still unsure about using the service, they are welcome to get in touch with us to speak in more detail about how we could work with them.

We also accept self referrals from any family member and we will always seek permission from them before contacting the rest of the family. It is helpful to remember that mediation is a person-centred approach where they remain in control and we treat everyone as an individual.

When would a situation not be suitable for mediation?

∙ Where someone’s personal safety is at risk

∙ Where there is known to be severe mental health issues

∙ Where there are child protection issues such as allegations of child abuse

How can I complete a referral to the talk² sort mediation service?

You can ring up and complete a referral form over the phone with us or fax/ post a completed referral form to us. You can also download an electronic copy of the referral form which you can then fax back to us.

If a client wishes to self-refer to our service they can either telephone us or come to the offices to complete a referral form.

Mediation for neighbours and communities

Mediation is recognised as an effective means of resolving problems between people. When neighbours are experiencing conflict with each other‚ a mediator can help them to communicate with each other about their problems. Mediation provides a safe‚ structured and focused way of talking about problems. Mediation is focused on the future so, rather than spend a lot of time raking over the past, mediators will help you to explore reality based and achievable solutions.  Mediation allows all parties to have their say and the process can be completed relatively quickly.

“I’ve spent weeks worrying and now I feel like things are moving along at last.

It’s been a really worthwhile experience, I just want to say thank you”

High hedges complaints

If you are troubled by a neighbouring hedge, the best way to deal with the issue is to discuss it amicably and to agree a solution with your neighbour. For this reason, the law requires people to have taken reasonable steps to try to settle their hedge dispute for themselves before complaining to the local Council.

Part 8 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 does enable neighbours to make a complaint about a hedge to their Local Authority. However, the Council will charge to take the complaint (£350 in Charnwood). They will also advise you that making a complaint should be a last resort if you really can’t agree a solution with your neighbour. They can refuse to intervene if they think you haven’t done everything you reasonably can to settle your dispute. The Council will often recommend that you contact your local mediation service before they will accept a complaint. We are happy to take enquiries from anyone involved in a hedge dispute.

We are able to take your details over the phone and send an initial letter to your neighbours introducing the service to see if they would be willing to use mediation. We do charge to send this letter.

Neighbour disputes

Mediation is a tool that is at the forefront of dealing with housing issues of all kinds. Between 2004 and 2005, over 40,000 people in the UK used mediation to help them to resolve disputes with their neighbour. Since we began taking referrals we have also experienced a high demand for work with conflicts between neighbours. We recognise that calling in the authorities or going to court can take a long time, may cost a lot of money and can make the problem worse. Our aim is to respond as quickly as possible and where possible mediation is free of charge to the people using the service. Conflict between neighbours also has far reaching consequences ranging from emotional distress to the threat of eviction, which in turn can lead to homelessness. Disputes can cover a wide range of issues including noise, anti-social behaviour, pets, parking, boundary problems or verbal abuse. At this time the service is experiencing such a high demand for work with families that we are unfortunately unable to take referrals for neighbour disputes.

Contact

Rachael Sisson

Mediator

rachael.sisson@bridgehousingservices.com