Families describe their experience

We used the Family Mediation Session for a conversation about our mother's care that had been put off for about two years. Having the agenda written down before we arrived made a real difference — my sister and I arrived knowing what we were going to discuss, which took some of the tension out of it. The note we left with was useful to have at home in writing.

My two brothers and I used the Sibling Caregiver Coordination service for our father's care arrangements. The practitioner spoke with each of us separately first, which I think helped. The document we ended up with was straightforward and covered the points we had been arguing about without resolving them through argument. I would have liked slightly more guidance on what happens if one of us wants to change something later, though this was explained when we asked.

We had a complex situation — family property, money my brother had borrowed from our parents, and questions about who would take responsibility for our grandmother. The Multi-Party Settlement covered all of it in one document. The process took about three weeks, which felt right. We did not feel rushed and the final document was identical for each of us, which matters.

The remote session option was important for us because one of my siblings lives in Chiang Mai. We were able to hold the mediation via video call and the process felt essentially the same as an in-person session would have been, based on what I had expected. The written agenda was shared in advance and the outcome note arrived within two days.

I had some concerns about whether a mediation would actually produce anything binding, and this was addressed clearly when I made the initial enquiry. The explanation of what the outcome note is and what it is not was honest and helped me decide what the right next step was. The session itself was calmer than I had expected.

We used the Caregiver Coordination service after our mother moved in with our eldest brother's family and the arrangements had become unclear over time. Having everything written down — who contributes what money, who makes which decisions — removed the guesswork. It also means we can revisit the document if the situation changes, which was important to us.