Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing you with a professional service and if for any reason you are dissatisfied, we would seek to resolve this issue to the best of our abilities.

Our complaints procedure is compliant with the standards set by the Family Mediation Council and allows a client, a former client or a qualifying third party* to make a complaint that relates to breaches of the FMC's Codes of Practice or Standards Framework that have occurred within the last 3 months (ie. The last mediation session must have taken place within the last 3 months).

  • 1. In the first instance, if it feels appropriate and the client feels able, raise any concerns with the mediator(s) themselves at the start of a mediation session.
  • 2. Alternatively, submit your complaint to us in writing at info@navigatemediation.co.uk in as much detail as possible. Please provide your name and preferred contact address and telephone number, details of your complaint including the name of the other party involved, and dates of relevant meetings whether online or face to face.
  • 3. All complaints will be acknowledged in writing within 10 working days of receipt.
  • 4. All complaints will be investigated and responded to within 30 working days of receipt. The nature of the complaint may require additional time to investigate, in which case the complainant shall be notified in writing of this.
  • 5. If appropriate the investigation will be carried out by somebody other than the mediator that the complaint refers to. This other person may also mediate the complaint between the complainant and original mediator(s) if both parties wish to proceed in this manner.
  • 6. If the response from Navigate Mediation to the complaint is not considered acceptable, the complainant can escalate their case to the Family Mediation Standards Board for consideration. Details of the FMSB complaints process can be found here: https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/complaints-about-mediators.

The following qualify as a third party who can make a complaint against a mediator:

  • A prospective client who has been directly affected by a mediator's professional conduct
  • A person who has been invited to participate in a mediation process, eg. another professional who attends a mediation. For the avoidance of doubt, it is common for a mediator to contact a potential mediation participant after seeing the other potential mediation participant:
  • Complaints about mediators making contact with potential participants do not therefore need to be investigated and will not be accepted by the FMSB. Likewise, mediators may sign court forms to say one person has attended a MIAM (Mediation Information & Assessment Meeting) without notifying a second potential mediation participant or inviting them to attend a MIAM themselves.
  • Complaints about mediators not making contact with a potential participant do not therefore need to be investigated and will not be accepted by the FMSB

Please note that neither mediators nor the FMSB will be able to disclose any information to third parties 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 very limited amount of information in response to your complaint, even in circumstances where it is considered by the FMSB.

Complaints that appear to be vexatious or of a purely personal nature
In accordance with the Family Mediation Standards Board policy, complaints that appear to be vexatious or of a purely personal nature do not have to be investigated by mediators and will not be considered by the FMSB.

Complaints can be considered vexatious when:

  • The purpose appears to be to intimidate, disturb, disrupt and/or unduly or unfairly pressurise the mediator or FMSB
  • They are persistent/ repetitive, and repeat the same or substantially similar complaints that 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.