Family Mediation Services
In British Columbia, mediation has been an alternative to the traditional court process of dispute resolution for family disputes, for over 20 years. Mediation can be used for many kinds of family disputes but is most often used when couples separate or divorce.
Mediators on the Society's Family Roster mediate a variety of family-related matters, which include reorganization of the family after separation or divorce, parenting, financial support and property matters connected to separation or divorce, family business, family property or finances, family inheritance and estates, responsibility for care of elderly parents, adoption, pre-nuptial issues, and intra-family conflicts.
You can find detailed information about individual mediators on the Family Roster in our searchable Directory of Family Mediators. The requirements for being admitted to the Family Roster and the application process are described in Family Roster Admission.
The Re-Design Process
Since 2004, the Family Mediation Practicum Program has assisted many families in resolving a wide variety of family disputes without the need to go to court. Mediate BC is currently developing a new family mediation program called the Family Mediation Mentoring Program (FMMP) to replace the Family Mediation Practicum Program. One of the objectives of the new program is to provide better access to mediation services for families and training opportunities for mediators around the province.
Other key objectives of the re-design are:
Integration - with Family Mediation Services and other Mediate BC family initiatives, other Mediate BC staff, and other family justice professionals.
Geographic flexibility- to enhance access to training for mediators and mediation services for families in more remote and underserved regions in BC.
Financial viability - to achieve more cost-effectiveness,
efficiency, and sustainability
The FMMP will provide families with access to affordable mediation services for a wide variety of family disputes including parenting responsibilities and property and asset division.
A client-oriented brochure "Family Mediation Services: Regional Mentoring Program" describing how clients can access the Regional Mentoring program's mediation resources is available for families looking for accessible, affordable and quality services.
More information on the Family Mediation Mentoring Program is available on our Family Mediation Services webpages.
How to Obtain Further Information
If you are interested in resolving a family dispute through mediation or would like to receive further information about the Family Mediation Mentoring Program, please contact the Family Mediation Services Team at (604) 684-1300 ext. 205 or fms@mediatebc.com.
Address:
Suite 177 - 800 Hornby Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5
Toll Free: 1-877-656-1300 ext. 23
Local: (604) 684-1300 ext. 23
Distance Family Mediation Project
From May 1, 2011 - May 15, 2012, Mediate BC offered a “distance family mediation" service to British Columbian families through a Law Foundation funded, time-limited project called the Distance Family Mediation Project.
The Project was aimed at helping people undergoing separation or divorce who find it difficult to talk to each other in person because of distance or conflict between them. While distance mediations are no longer being offered under the Project, you can obtain them directly from the Project's private practice family mediators, as well as through select Family Justice Centres. You can find more information about the availability of the service in the Distance Family Mediation blog's final post.
The Project's mediations were held “from a distance” by a specially trained group of family mediators. Unlike traditional face-to-face mediations, the distance mediations were conducted using today's communication technologies. The technologies used in the mediations were the one that best suited the people involved. Technologies available to clients included telephone, email, web conferencing, computer videoconferencing and online platforms dedicated to mediation.
A key goal of the service was to make family mediation affordable and available to all British Columbians, regardless of their income or location. People using the service paid the mediator a highly discounted fee. (The services of three participating Family Justice Counsellors were available to eligible families at no charge, in keeping with their usual policy.)
The service was available in all parts of the province, as well as for people who lived elsewhere but were undergoing a separation or divorce in British Columbia. Further details about the Project's service can be found in various posts on its blog.
In November 2012, Mediate BC released the Project’s second edition of “Mediating from a Distance: Suggested Practice Guidelines for Family Mediators”. This publication is an updated and expanded version of the guidelines produced by the Project in 2010, at the conclusion of its Phase 2. Further information about the new guidelines can be found in a Mediate BC news release.
The service was evaluated in the fall of 2012 and a final report has been released. The Evaluation of the Distance Mediation Project: Report on Phase III of the Technology-Assisted Family Mediation Project Report was released in March 2013.
Reports for the previous phases of the Distance Mediation Project are available for downloading:
General inquiries about the Distance Mediation FamilyProject may be directed to Susanna Jani, Project Coordinator: distanceproject@shaw.ca.
The Distance Family Mediation Project is generously funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia.