Our Vision

About Kent Family Mediation Services & The 'Vision For The Future'

Kent Family Mediation Service was established in March 1983 as a non-profit making registered Charity and is a member of the College of Mediators. The organisation is Governed by a Board of Trustees. The day to day management of Kent Family Mediation Service and its staff, is overseen by Karen Clarke, the Service Manager.

In April 2013, Kent Family Mediation Service opened an additional five new family mediation centres in Kent, giving clients access to legally aided and affordable private family mediation across Kent. We currently holds a Legal Aid Contract.

We uphold a first class reputation by ensuring that all Kent Family Mediation staff are suitably qualified, provided with up to date training and hold fully enhanced DBS checks. KFMS ensures that all staff comply with current family mediation and Government legislation, including codes of conduct, data protection and current working practices. Our Mediators are accredited to the Family Mediation Council standards. This training is further enhanced by a great team working environment, access to modern technology and the Kent Family Mediation management, being fully supportive of each individual staff member’s personal development, with the provision of regular supervision, monthly staff meetings and yearly appraisals.

Our Mission Statement

Kent Family Mediation Service Mission Statement is to provide a confidential, impartial and professional legally aided and affordable private family mediation service to all service users; including clients and partnering agencies, by using fully trained staff and family mediators and endeavouring to provide the best possible help advice and support to families, parents and individuals, that have been affected by a relationship breakdown or family breakup.

KFMS has held a contract with the Legal Aid Agency (formerly known as the Legal Services Commission) since 1999 and despite the Legal Aid cuts that came into effect in April 2013, we been fortunate enough to be one of the few family mediation providers that have held onto its Legal Aid contract. The Legal Aid Agency actively monitors our service’s overall performance and standard of work. It is vitally important therefore that all family mediation, and the work carried out by KFMS and its staff, is of the highest standard possible.

The Legal Aid contract enables us to provide those eligible with free family mediation and a number of free hours with a family solicitor in many accessible family mediation centres in Kent.

Our Legal Aid accredited family mediators have undergone a number of years training, experience and have completed lengthy portfolios evidencing their work. Our clients can be confident in the knowledge that our Mediators hold the ‘gold standard’ mark of quality. Click HERE to read more about the benefits of mediating with Kent Family Mediation Service.

Kent Family Mediation Service offers affordable fees for private family mediation clients in Kent

Kent Family Mediation is able to offer competitively low fees for family mediation clients who either wish to pay privately for their family mediation, or who are not eligible to claim Legal Aid, because of its Charity status, and the service’s revenue being further supplemented by grants and donations.

All donations are gratefully accepted, if you would wish to make a contribution to our Charity, you may do so by clicking on the ‘Donate’ button (below) to make a secure online payment.

‘A One Stop Shop Catering for Every Service User’s Needs’

KFMS networks with a number of other Kent based voluntary, local Government, Schools, and self-help organisations, in order to share ideas and experience that may be of benefit to our clients and the local community. If you work for a health, public sector, education, community, voluntary, or business organisation in Kent and information about family mediation could be of use to the people and families that you support, please contact us HERE.

Manager Karen Clarke’s future vision for Kent Family Mediation Service is “A one stop shop catering for every ‘service user’s’ needs”. We are renown in the family mediation world, for being a ‘forward moving’ organisation and the largest and longest standing family mediation service in Kent. It cannot be denied that given the positive changes and internal development that the service has been implementing, Kent Family Mediation Service is most undoubtedly, now well on its way to fully achieving Karen’s vision!

Family Mediation Services

Family Mediation is the courts preferred way of resolving an argument, or issues that occur after a separation, or the breakdown of a relationship;including sorting out child contact, the custody of a child, child support maintenance and disputes…

More Information

Separated Parents Information Programme

Kent Family Mediation Service are pleased to announce that we have been granted a contract to provide Parenting Information Programmes in Kent on behalf of Cafcass. We hold the SPIP courses in a number of locations in Kent…