Feedback, Concerns and Complaints
If you have any concerns, worries or complaints, please contact me direct, using this link. I will respond to you immediately. The views of my clients are important to me. I will, therefore, make every effort to use these views in a constructive manner, to continually improve the way that I practice. My complaints procedure complies with the Family Mediation Council (FMC) Code of Practice.
A complaint against a mediator must relate to breaches of the FMC’s Codes of Practice or Standards Framework that occurred during the last three months. For complaints that relate to the way a mediation was conducted as a whole, the date the three months runs from is the date of last mediation session.
A complaint can be made by:
Any client, former client or qualifying third party.
A prospective client who has been directly affected by a mediator’s professional behaviour;
A person who has been invited to participate in a mediation process, for example another professional who attends a mediation.
Please be aware that I do not have to investigate complaints that are considered to be vexatious or purely personal in nature. These are defined as:
the purpose appears to be to intimidate, disturb, disrupt and/or unduly or unfairly pressurise the mediator or the FMSB; -
they are persistent/repetitive, and repeating the same or substantially similar complaints which have already been investigated; -
they are clearly unfounded and unsupported by evidence;
they are irrelevant and relate to matters other than mediation;
abusive or offensive language is used.
Complaints can be considered of a purely personal nature if they are discriminatory or focus on the personal attributes or circumstances of a mediator rather than their actions as a mediator.
I will ask you to address any concern or dissatisfaction with me. I will listen and try to resolve the matter with you.
How I will handle your complaint:
If you still feel dissatisfied, I ask that concerns are put in writing, via email or letter, for a thorough consideration of the complaint. This is likely to include consultation with another experienced mediator, my Professional Practice Consultant. Written complaints will be acknowledged within 10 working days of receipt and responded to within 30 working days of receipt. On occasion, further time may be required, in which case you will be notified in writing.
Where I recognise that a complaint is justified, I will offer appropriate redress. Examples of this could include an apology, reimbursement of fees, an explanation of process or regulations, or assurances for the future.
Entering into mediation of the complaint is also an option, where both you and I wish for it.
If you are still not satisfied by my response after completing the above stages of my procedure, as long as the complaint meets the criteria as set out above, you can ask the Family Mediation Standards Board (FMSB) to consider the complaint. The process for making a complaint to the FMSB can be found here
MIAM Contact Note: it is common for a mediator to contact a potential mediation participant after seeing the other potential mediation participant. Complaints about a mediator making contact with a potential participant do not therefore need to be investigated by mediators and will not be accepted by the FMSB. Likewise, mediators may sign court forms to say one person has attended a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) without notifying a potential second mediation participant or inviting them to attend MIAM themselves. Complaints about a mediator not making contact with a potential participant do not therefore need to be investigated by mediators and will not be accepted by the FMSB. Please note that neither mediators nor the FMSB will be able to disclose any information to you that is confidential between the mediator and the mediation participant(s). It is therefore normal that as a third party, you will only receive a limited amount of information in response to your complaint, even in circumstances where it is considered by the FMSB.