EAG Family Mediation

Family Mediation Chester

Serving Chester families with expert, personalised family mediation

I'm Elizabeth and I believe every family in Chester deserves an opportunity to be supported through separation in a fair, calm and cost-effective way.

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Chester is a city with a long memory. Its Roman walls have stood for nearly two thousand years, its streets carry centuries of history and the families who live here — in the city centre, in the leafy suburbs of Handbridge and Upton, or in the villages that surround it — often put down roots that run deep. When a relationship breaks down in a place like Chester, the ripple effects touch every part of life: the school run, the shared social circle, the family home that may have taken years to find. I’m Elizabeth, and through EAG Family Mediation I help separating couples in Chester and across Cheshire to find a way through those difficult conversations.

Why I Do This Work

I came to family mediation from a background in commercial litigation. For years I worked as a solicitor in a large North West law firm and I saw close up what happens when disputes escalate into legal proceedings — the mounting costs, the loss of control, the way that the process itself can harden positions and make resolution harder rather than easier. Even in commercial cases, I watched mediation produce outcomes that litigation simply could not.

When I retrained as a family mediator, I brought that experience with me. I understand the legal landscape that surrounds separation — what the courts can and cannot do, what a consent order means, why financial disclosure matters — and I use that understanding to guide the people I work with towards agreements that are realistic, fair and built to last.

Chester’s property market is one of the most varied in the North West — from Georgian townhouses within the walls to substantial family homes in Christleton, Tarvin, or Tattenhall. When a relationship ends and a family home needs to be dealt with, the stakes are real and the decisions are not straightforward. Mediation gives both parties the space and the support to work through those decisions together, rather than asking the court to make decisions for them.

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What Family Mediation Is — and What It Is Not

Family mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which I work with both parties to help you reach your own agreements about the practical consequences of your separation. Those agreements typically cover one or both of the following areas.

Arrangements for children — where they will live, how they will spend time with the parent they are not living with, how decisions about schooling will be made and how the practical logistics of co-parenting will work day to day. Chester has a strong range of schools, from primary level through to secondary, and I find that decisions about children’s education often sit at the heart of the most difficult conversations separating parents need to have. Mediation gives both parents a proper opportunity to be heard on those issues and to reach an arrangement that reflects what their children actually need.

Financial matters — the family home, savings, pensions, investments, and any other shared assets or liabilities. These conversations require honesty, full financial disclosure and a willingness to share different perspectives. My role is to create the conditions in which that can happen — to manage the dynamic between two people who may be struggling to communicate and to keep the conversation productive even when it is uncomfortable.

What mediation is not is a way of avoiding difficult conversations. It is a way of having them properly — in a structured setting, with an experienced professional facilitating that conversation but with both parties in control of the outcome. A court imposes a decision. Mediation produces an agreement that you have made together.

The Services I Provide in Chester

Every couple I work with comes to me at a different point in their separation, with different issues to resolve and different dynamics between them. My approach is always tailored to the people in front of me. Full details of everything I offer are on the Services page, but here is an overview.

Initial Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM)

The starting point for every mediation is the Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting — often referred to as a MIAM. This is an individual, private meeting between you and me, held separately from your ex-partner, usually online and lasting around an hour. It is your opportunity to tell me about your situation in private, to understand exactly how mediation works and to ask whatever questions you have. I will assess whether mediation is likely to be appropriate and safe for your circumstances. We will also discuss alternative options.

Attending a MIAM is also a requirement before making most applications to the Chester Civil and Family Justice Centre relating to children or finances.

Child and Parenting Mediation

I believe that children’s wellbeing should sit at the centre of every decision separating parents make and that parents, not courts, are usually best placed to make those decisions if they are given the right support to do so.

Child and parenting mediation focuses on the practical arrangements that need to be in place for your children to thrive after your separation: where they will live, how they will spend time with both parents, how decisions about education and healthcare will be made, and how you will handle the inevitable complexities of school holidays, special occasions, and changing circumstances as your children grow. Where it is appropriate — usually for children aged ten and above — I can also work with specialists in Child Inclusive Mediation, giving children a safe and structured opportunity to have their voice heard. In my experience, when children are included in this way, the agreements parents reach tend to be more durable and more genuinely child-centred.

Financial Mediation

Financial mediation addresses the division of everything you have accumulated together — property, pensions, savings, investments, business interests, and any ongoing financial obligations. Both parties are required to provide full financial disclosure before these discussions begin and I guide you through that exercise. Negotiations built on incomplete or evasive financial information do not produce lasting agreements, and it is essential that both parties are working transparently.

For couples in Chester and the surrounding area, where property values and financial complexity can be considerable, mediation offers a cost-effective alternative to instructing solicitors to negotiate on your behalf. The difference in cost can be substantial as court-based financial proceedings can be extremely expensive and the process can take years.

Where appropriate, I offer an integrated approach to mediation so that third parties such as financial advisors or lawyers  can be invited into the mediation space to support the conversation.

Joint Financial Statement

Where financial matters are being addressed in mediation, I prepare a Joint Financial Statement — a clear, structured document that sets out both parties’ disclosed financial positions and provides the working foundation for productive negotiation. Having everything in one document, prepared by an impartial professional helps to move conversations forward.

Summary of Proposals

When mediation reaches a conclusion, I prepare a Summary of Proposals setting out the agreements you have reached. This document is not legally binding in itself, but it can be converted into a legally binding Consent Order with an application to the court.

How the Process Works

People who contact me are often unclear about what mediation actually involves in practice. Here is how the process typically looks from start to finish.

  1. You contact me — no agreement from your ex-partner is needed at this stage. Many people come to me before they have even raised the idea of mediation with their ex-partner, and I can advise on how to approach that conversation.
  2. I meet with each of you individually for a MIAM — usually online, around an hour each, scheduled separately.
  3. If mediation is suitable and both of you are willing to proceed, we agree a format for joint sessions. These can be online or in person, in the same room or in separate rooms if you would find that easier.
  4. Joint sessions begin. Each typically lasts around 90 minutes. For child arrangements, two to three sessions is often sufficient. Financial matters often take longer.
  5. Where finances are involved, I prepare a Joint Financial Statement once both parties have provided their disclosure.
  6. At the conclusion of mediation, I prepare a Summary of Proposals.
  7. You each take that Summary to your own solicitors for independent legal advice, and if you wish, it is converted into a legally binding consent order.

About Elizabeth

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I’m Elizabeth — a family mediator based in Cheshire, and the founder of EAG Family Mediation. I qualified as a solicitor in 2001, spent the early part of my career in commercial litigation, then after a career break to raise my four sons, I retrained as a family mediator.

I am a member of the Family Mediators Association (FMA), registered with the Family Mediation Council (FMC), and conduct every mediation in accordance with the FMC’s Code of Conduct and Code of Practice. I am also committed to continuing professional development — keeping pace with developments in family law and child development. You can find out more about my background on the About page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Mediation in Chester

How is mediation different from using a solicitor?
A solicitor acts for one party and advocates for their interests. A mediator is impartial — I do not represent either of you and I do not take sides. My job is to help both of you reach an agreement that works, not to secure the best outcome for one of you at the expense of the other. Many people find that using solicitors to negotiate on their behalf hardens positions and increases conflict, because each solicitor is doing their job — which is to get the best deal for their own client. Mediation is a different dynamic entirely. That said, in financial mediations I always recommend that both parties take independent legal advice from a solicitor before or during the mediation so that they are negotiating on a fully informed basis.
Do I have to attend a MIAM before going to court in Chester?
In most cases, yes. Before making an application to the Chester Civil and Family Justice Centre relating to children or finances, you are required to have attended a MIAM, or to qualify for one of a limited number of exemptions — for example in cases involving domestic abuse or urgent child protection concerns. Attending a MIAM does not commit you to mediation; it simply demonstrates that you have properly explored mediation as a means of conflict resolution and it gives you the information you need to decide whether mediation is right for your situation.
What if my ex-partner won't engage with mediation?
You can contact me and attend your own MIAM regardless of your ex-partner’s position. If they are unwilling to participate and you choose to make an application to the court, I can confirm to the court that mediation was attempted but could not proceed. Sometimes people are initially resistant to mediation because they misunderstand what it involves or because they assume it means giving something up. I am happy to talk to you on how to raise the idea with your ex-partner in a way that is more likely to get a positive response.
Is what I say in mediation kept private?
Mediation is a confidential process and in most circumstances what is said during sessions cannot be referred to in any subsequent court proceedings. This confidentiality is one of the things that makes mediation work — it means both parties can speak honestly without fear that an admission or a concession will be weaponised later. There are exceptions to this confidentiality rule if, for instance, information is disclosed that raises a serious safeguarding concern, in which case I would have a legal duty to act on that information.
How much does mediation cost compared to going to court?
The cost of mediation is significantly less than legal proceedings. Contested financial proceedings through the courts can cost tens of thousands of pounds and can also take a very long time. I discuss my fees with you at your Information Assessment Meeting so you know exactly what to expect. There is also government funding of £500 per couple available from the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which I can apply for on your behalf if child arrangements are the primary issue.
Can sessions be held online rather than in person?
Yes, and many of my clients prefer it. Online sessions are just as effective as in-person ones in my experience, and they remove a significant logistical challenge — particularly for parents managing childcare, demanding work schedules, or the simple awkwardness of having to be in the same physical space as their ex-partner before they feel ready for that. In-person sessions are available if you would prefer, and some couples find that a mix of the two works well as the process develops.

Get in Touch

If you are going through a separation in Chester or the surrounding area and are wondering whether mediation could help, the best first step is simply to have a conversation. You do not need to have made any decisions, and you do not need your ex-partner’s agreement before contacting me. Please visit my Contact page or get in touch directly:

I look forward to hearing from you.