About Us
The goal of the Family Mediation Hub is to focus on a successful resolution in family law disputes without the need for costly litigation.
Our centres provide specialist family dispute resolution services by practitioners that are accredited by the Attorney General’s Department and are therefore able to issue a S60I certificate in family law matters.
Our philosophy is that every family should have the opportunity to reach an amicable resolution of their dispute without spending funds on litigation or expensive lawyer fees.
The centres are located at Richmond and Parramatta as well as other areas by appointment including the central west of New South Wales.
Our Process
Reach Us
The first step in approaching Family Mediation Hub is to call our friendly staff. We will be able to do an initial intake discussion with you via email/call.
Refer to Mediator
From the initial assessment, if necessary we refer you to the Mediator to ascertain if your matter is suitable for mediation.
Make Contact
Once we deem your matter is suitable for madiation, we charge an initial deposit which covers our administration costs and enables us to then make contact with the other party in your dispute.
Once we contact the other party, if they decide not to proceed or refuse to mediate, your initial deposit is used to then issue the S60I certificate.
MEdiation
If your matter proceeds to mediation, your initial deposit which is a flat fee of $330.00 including GST is used in reduction of the final balance owing for the mediation. If the mediation does not proceed then we retain the initial deposit and issue the S60I certificate immediately.
Our Services
Both of our services offer a S60I certificate after completion of the mediation.
Family Mediation
These are a discounted mediation service for a flat fee of $880.00 including GST for up to three hours mediation. These are to focus on children’s matters only with the parties present with the mediator.
Family & Property Dispute Resolution
If parties wish to utilise a lawyer and can also include property, then we offer a second tier of mediation being lawyer assisted and property mediation services. These services focus on resolution of children and property atters and can include your legal practitioners if you choose to do so. We offer these services for a flat fee of $1,650.00 including GST for up to three hours mediation with your lawyers present.
Faq
What if the Other Party Refuses to Mediate?
As already indicated, after payment of your initial deposit and meeting the requisite guidelines, if the other party refuses to mediate we can issue the S60I certificate for the small initial fee of $330.00 including GST.
What is Family Dispute Resolution?
This is a term that we use to describe services that are tailored to help families involved in disputes about children/parenting arrangements and property settlement. It is aimed at reaching an agreement without proceeding to any type of court or litigation and involves several hours of discussion and mediation with an accredited facilitator. The Family Mediation Hub always encourages settlement particularly where children are involved and does not condone or support any type of violence or aggression. If you feel that you may be intimidated or worried about mediating in the presence of the other party, we can discuss this with you during our intake assessment. If you would still like to proceed to mediate, there are options available including a shuttle mediation whereby you would not be required to sit in the same room as the other party. We can discuss this with you at the initial intake during our phone call with you.
Is There a Charge for the Rental of the Mediation Room?
We have centres available at Richmond in the Hawkesbury area or Parramatta in Western Sydney and we do not charge a fee for the use of our centres. If you do wish to mediate at other areas or locations throughout Sydney, there will be a small fee for the use of the room if appropriate and this can be discussed with you at the time of the booking.
What if we don't reach an Agreement?
We note that there is no refund available if you do not reach an agreement. We can follow up with you in writing if you request this at the mediation. We note that a S60I certificate will issue for no additional charge after mediation. It is certainly open to you after the initial mediation to consider mediating again at a later date and we are happy to also facilitate that for you. Our mediators do work hard to try to see a successful resolution of your matter.
Fees and Cost Structure
- Fee for initial intake appointment and issue of S60I certificate $330.00 including GST.
- Total fee for a parenting mediation without lawyers present $880.00 including GST.
- Total fee for children and/or property with lawyers present or without lawyers present $1,650.00 including GST.
These fees are up to three hours only. If more time is available then we recommend that you book a second mediation at a later date.
These fees do not cover any costs involved in legal drafting of your agreement. We can discuss this with you during the mediation process. The fees if conducted at our Centres are inclusive of any room hire costs and there are no further fees or charges unless you request the mediation occur elsewhere. The initial intake deposit is part of the flat fee. If your matter proceeds to mediation this deposit is deducted from the final balance owing.
What if the other party refuses to pay half?
Generally speaking, all mediations should be equally funded by each of the parties. However, if you are keen to have mediation conducted efficiently and the other party is refusing to pay or indicating they don’t have the funds to pay, it is a matter for you if you decide to simply pay the fees yourself to allow the mediation to occur.