EAG Family Mediation

Family Mediation Warrington

Expert family mediation in Warrington

I'm Elizabeth and I work closely with families in Warrington to help them reach the agreements that matter most for their children, their finances and their future.

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Warrington is a town that has always been defined by its position — sitting squarely between Manchester and Liverpool, at a crossing point on the Mersey that the Romans used, the Georgians canalled, and the Victorians railroaded through. It is a place built on movement, on connection, on the practical business of getting things done. With a population of over 210,000, it is also one of the largest towns in the North West, with all the diversity of family life that size brings — from the leafy suburbs of Stockton Heath and Grappenhall to the newer estates of Birchwood and Westbrook, and everything in between. I’m Elizabeth, and through EAG Family Mediation I work with separating couples in Warrington and across Cheshire to help them reach agreements about their children and their finances.

Why Mediation Matters

I qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and as a commercial litigator I saw first hand how mediation is so often a better option than allowing disputes to continue into months and years, legal costs consume the very assets being fought over and watching parties become so entrenched in their positions that they lose sight of the issues that matter.

Similarly, family mediation helps to keep both parties in control of their own decisions, sees resolutions being developed in weeks and months rather than years and costs a fraction of what contested court proceedings demand. And crucially, in a town like Warrington where families are large, communities are interconnected and former partners will inevitably share the same school gates, the same neighbourhoods, and the same social circles for years to come, it is an approach that gives both people a realistic chance of emerging from a separation with a functional relationship still intact.

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What Family Mediation Involves

Family mediation is a voluntary, confidential process. I work with both parties — separately at first, to understand each person’s situation fully and without the pressure of the other being present, and then together in joint sessions — to help you reach your own agreements about the issues you face. I do not make decisions for you. I am not your solicitor and I do not advocate for either of you. My role is to facilitate — to keep the conversation structured, to manage the dynamic between two people who may be struggling to communicate and to help both of you stay focused on what actually needs to be resolved rather than dwelling on the grievances that brought you to this point.

The issues that mediation addresses fall into two main areas, though very often both are present together.

Arrangements for children — where they will live, how time will be spent with both parents, how decisions about schooling will be made, how you will organise holidays, birthdays and the daily logistics of co-parenting. Warrington has a wide range of schools across its neighbourhoods, and for many separating parents the question of which school a child attends — or continues to attend — sits right at the heart of the most difficult conversations they need to have. Mediation gives both parents a proper, structured opportunity to address those questions honestly and to reach arrangements that actually reflect what their children need, rather than what a court document says they should have.

Financial matters — the family home, pensions, savings, any shared debts, and the ongoing financial arrangements that separation requires. These are rarely simple conversations and they require full financial disclosure from both parties. My job is to ensure that both parties are negotiating about the same financial picture, within the shadow of the law.

The Services I Provide in Warrington

Every separation is different. The issues, the dynamics, the level of conflict, the financial complexity — all of these vary enormously from one couple to the next, and I tailor my approach accordingly. Full details of everything I offer are on the Services page. Here is an overview of what the process involves.

Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM)

Every mediation begins with a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting — a MIAM. This is a private, individual 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 your own words, to understand exactly what mediation involves, and to ask whatever questions you have. I will give you an honest assessment of whether I think mediation is appropriate for your circumstances — and if it is not, I will tell you clearly and point you in the right direction.

Attendance at a MIAM is a requirement of the Family Court for almost all applications made relating to children or finances. Even if you are uncertain whether you want to mediate, attending the MIAM is an important step.

Child and Parenting Mediation

This is the area of my work I feel most strongly about. I became a family mediator in large part because of how clearly I could see that a child’s wellbeing after a separation depends enormously on how their parents handle it. Child and parenting mediation is designed to help parents to navigate such a difficult experience while keeping the child’s best interests at the forefront of all the discussions.

We work through the practical arrangements that your children’s lives require: where they will live and with whom, how time will be spent with both parents, how you will make joint decisions about their education and healthcare, how you will manage the school holidays and the occasions that matter most. In Warrington, with its range of communities from Lymm and Grappenhall in the south to Culcheth and Birchwood in the north, the logistical questions around schooling, travel, and day-to-day co-parenting often have a very specific local dimension that parents are far better placed to resolve between themselves than in court.

Where it is appropriate — usually for children aged ten and above — I can also involve specialists in Child Inclusive Mediation, giving children a safe, age-appropriate opportunity to have their own perspective heard by a trained mediator. This is not about putting children in the middle of adult decisions. It is about ensuring those decisions genuinely reflect what children need, from children themselves.

Financial Mediation

Financial mediation addresses the full picture of what a couple has built together and needs to divide: property, pensions, savings, investments, business interests and ongoing financial obligations. Both parties are required to provide complete financial disclosure before these discussions begin. Agreements built on incomplete information are ultimately unlikely or be approved by the court.

Warrington’s property market is varied and in many areas competitive. Whether you own a family home in Stockton Heath, a newer property in one of the town’s growing residential developments, or something in between, the financial decisions that separation requires are significant — and the difference in cost between reaching them through mediation and reaching them through contested court proceedings can be tens of thousands of pounds.

Joint Financial Statement

Where financial matters are being addressed, I prepare a Joint Financial Statement — a structured document that brings both parties’ financial disclosure together clearly and provides the foundation for productive, focused negotiation. Having that shared document, prepared by an impartial professional, removes one of the most common obstacles to financial discussions: the sense that each party is working from a different set of facts.

Summary of Proposals

At the conclusion of a successful mediation, I prepare a Summary of Proposals setting out the agreements that have been reached. This document can be used by a solicitor to draft a consent order, which the court then approves and it becomes legally binding.

How the Process Works

People who contact me often have very little idea what family mediation actually looks like in practice. Here is how the process typically unfolds from start to finish.

  1. You contact me. You do not need your ex-partner’s agreement or involvement at this stage — many people get in touch before they have even raised the idea of mediation with their ex-partner, and I can talk to you on how to approach that conversation.
  2. I meet with each of you separately for a MIAM — usually online, around an hour each, arranged at times that work around your schedules.
  3. If mediation is suitable and both parties 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 that feels more manageable at this stage.
  4. Joint sessions begin. Each typically lasts around 90 minutes. For child arrangements, two to three sessions usually covers what needs to be addressed. Financial matters often require more, particularly where pension values, property equity, or other complex assets need to be worked through carefully.
  5. Where finances are involved, I prepare a Joint Financial Statement once both parties have provided their financial disclosure.
  6. At the conclusion of mediation, I prepare a Summary of Proposals covering the agreements reached.
  7. Both parties take the summary to their own solicitors for independent legal advice, and if appropriate, it is converted into a legally binding consent order.

The process adapts to the people involved. Some couples come to me with communication almost entirely broken down. Others are broadly willing to cooperate but need a structured framework and an experienced hand to keep things on track. I work with both.

About Elizabeth

Liz Greaves Profile Image

I’m Elizabeth, the founder of EAG Family Mediation and I am based in Cheshire. I qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and I spent the early part of my career as a commercial litigator at a large North West firm. Mediation entered my professional life through the commercial cases I was involved in and I saw how it was so often a better option than protracted, expensive legal battles.

I took a career break to raise my four sons and when I returned to professional life, I retrained as a family mediator. The skills I built as a litigator (and a mother)— listening carefully, holding both sides of a dispute in mind simultaneously, understanding what people need beneath what they say they want, and keeping a clear head under pressure — translate directly into my mediation work.

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 committed to staying current — family law evolves, mediation practice evolves, and the people who trust me with their most difficult moments deserve someone who keeps pace with that. You can find out more on the About page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Mediation in Warrington

How quickly can mediation get started?
Usually much more quickly than people expect. In most cases I can arrange an Information and Assessment Meeting (“MIAM”) within a week or two of first contact, and if both parties are ready to proceed, joint sessions can typically begin shortly after. This is one of the most significant practical advantages of mediation over court proceedings — the Family Court in England and Wales is under considerable pressure and waiting times for hearings can stretch to many months. If reaching a resolution quickly matters to you — and for most separating families it does, particularly where children are involved — mediation is almost always the faster route.
We have a very complicated financial situation — can mediation still work for us?
Yes, in most cases. Financial complexity — property portfolios, business interests, pension arrangements, assets held in different names — does not preclude mediation. It may mean that more sessions are needed or more documentation is required but my background as a solicitor has given me the grounding to navigate the financial and legal landscape that surrounds separation and divorce. Furthermore, I offer an integrated approach to mediation which means that if both parties prefer and it is appropriate to do so, I can invite other professionals (such as financial advisors, pension experts, legal advisors) into the mediation space to further support the conversation.
What if there has been domestic abuse in our relationship?
This is an important question. Mediation is not appropriate in all cases involving domestic abuse and the safety of both parties is my first consideration. During the Information and Assessment Meeting I will explore this carefully with you. In some situations, shuttle mediation — where both parties are in separate rooms or online spaces throughout, with no direct contact — can make mediation workable even where there is a history of abuse. In other situations it is not appropriate at all. Mediation will only take place when it is safe and suitable for it to do so.
Do my children have to be involved in the mediation process?
No. Whether children are involved is entirely your decision, made jointly with your ex-partner. Child Inclusive Mediation — where a specially trained mediator meets separately with children, usually those aged ten and above, to give them a safe opportunity to have their views heard — is an option I can facilitate where both parents agree it would be beneficial. It is never imposed, and children are never put in the position of making decisions or choosing between parents. What it does, when it works well, is give parents a clearer and more grounded picture of what their children are actually experiencing and what they actually need — which tends to make the agreements parents reach more meaningful and more durable.
Is mediation suitable if we are not married but have children together?
Yes, absolutely. Mediation is not limited to divorcing couples. Unmarried parents who are separating face many of the same practical challenges — arrangements for children, decisions about the family home if it is jointly owned, financial obligations — and mediation is equally well suited to helping them resolve those challenges. The legal framework around cohabitation and property is different from that which applies to married couples, which is another reason why taking independent legal advice alongside mediation is important — but the mediation process itself works in the same way regardless of marital status.
What if my ex-partner agrees to mediate but then is not honest in the process?
Financial disclosure in mediation is a requirement, not a suggestion, and both parties sign to confirm that the information they have provided is accurate. If it later emerges that disclosure was dishonest or incomplete, any agreement reached on the basis of that disclosure can be set aside by a court. If I have concerns during the process that disclosure is not complete, I will raise them. My role is to ensure the process is fair, and that means holding both parties to the same standard.

Get in Touch

If you are based in Warrington or the surrounding area and are thinking about whether mediation could help your situation, please do get in touch. You do not need to have made any decisions, and you do not need your ex-partner’s agreement before contacting me. The first step is simply a conversation — and that conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Please visit my Contact page or reach out to me directly:

I look forward to hearing from you.