How does online mediation work?

• Referring a case

  After getting in touch with UK Mediation, one of our case managers will send you a Mediation Referral Form. This needs to be filled out with details of the dispute and of the participants and returned to us. A date can then be arranged and, once settled upon, a signed Booking Form will confirm the mediation case.

• Prior to the mediation

  Before the day of the mediation, one of our case managers will be in touch with the parties to ensure that they have everything they need to take part. A computer, a quiet location, a webcam and a microphone are all that is required. Instructions on how to join the video calls will also be provided.

• Individual meetings

  On the day of the mediation, the mediator will invite each party into a private video call that will last approximately 1.5 hours. This is done via email and is as simple as clicking a link to join. The purpose of these is to discuss the ongoing issues, as well as what is required – from their point of view – to end the dispute.

• After the initial meetings

  If the parties are ready to move ahead, the mediator will set up a joint session, typically on the afternoon of the mediation day. If the mediator decides that it would not be productive to have them in the same conference call, then he or she may instead “shuttle” between video calls. Again, parties will be invited by email to click a link to join.

• The joint meeting

  Getting parties together in the same video call allows for a comprehensive airing of views and offers a chance to speak directly to one another. The aim of the joint session is to discuss how they believe they have arrived at the current situation, and to try and agree on how to improve their relationship. The meeting usually lasts about half a day.

• The mediation agreement

  The agreement is a joint plan of action decided upon by the participants, with no input from the mediator. When an agreement is reached during the joint session, the mediator can offer to draft this in a typed form and send it to the parties. The summary is a good faith agreement and is not binding in any way.

• Feeding back to the referrer

  After the case is over, UK Mediation provides a summary report to the referrer. And, while the participants may not want to share all of the details, we will always let you know whether the mediation went ahead and whether it was successful. If parties consent to sharing them, you will also see the agreement points that the parties came up with.

• Follow-up and review

  The mediator will follow up the situation after an agreed period by contacting each party confidentially. This usually takes place via email and is intended to assess if the agreement is working and if any further input is needed from the mediator. This is then fed back to the referrer, providing consent is given to share.