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Lakes Mediation. We mediate around child access in the North West. Helping you find solutions around finances and child arrangements following separation.
Call our team on 01539 644 002
Lakes Mediation provides professional and supportive family mediation services for individuals across Wigan and the surrounding towns like Hindley, Leigh, and Atherton. Below are answers to the most common questions regarding the process.
What does Family Mediation cover?
It covers all family issues arising from separation or divorce. It can cover arrangements for your children (residence, contact, holidays, schools) or financial matters (property, pensions, savings, maintenance).
Is mediation compulsory in Wigan?
In most cases, yes it is. You must attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) before you can apply to the Family Court in Wigan or Manchester for a Child Arrangements Order or Financial Order. The court will ask for the MIAM certificate to process the C100 application.
How long does mediation take?
It is often much quicker than court. While there is no fixed timeline, the average case involving children and/or finances is resolved within 2 to 5 sessions, depending on complexity and how much everyone collaborates. Mediation is voluntary and so finding solutions relies on everyone choosing to participate and find solutions.
What if we can’t agree?
Mediation has a high success rate with most familes and can help avoid going to family court if a solution can be found. If an agreement cannot be reached or one party refuses to take part in the process, Lakes Mediation can sign the necessary court form (C100/Form A). This ensures you have complied with the legal requirement to attempt mediation and allows you to proceed to court.
Can my children have a say?
Yes. For children deemed old enough and mature enough (often 10+), we offer Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM). A specially trained mediator meets with the child privately and talks to them about their wishes and feelings to include in the plans created through mediation, helping them make child-focused decisions.
Family disputes in Manchester often involve child arrangements, financial disagreements, and communication breakdowns after separation or divorce. Busy lifestyles, high population density, and cultural diversity can make communication between co-parents challenging.
Lakes Mediation offers a safe, neutral environment where parents can work together to:
Create parenting plans tailored to children’s needs
Resolve financial disputes, including assets, savings, and pensions
Improve communication and reduce ongoing conflict
Maintain healthy relationships for the benefit of children
Local knowledge is key. We work with families across Manchester districts, including Hulme, Didsbury, Moss Side, Cheetham Hill, Salford Quays, and Rusholme.
Lakes Mediation helps families find solutions with collaboration and communication. It starts with a MIAM (Mediation Information Assessment Meeting assess if mediation is right for you. They will also talk you through the process so you understand your options.
From there if everyone is happy to take part joint meetings will be set up to discuss and work to resolve the issues you have both share at your assessment. Plans made in mediation can be made legal with a court order if you feel this is needed.
This process allows families to avoid stressful court proceedings, reduce costs, and focus on positive outcomes.
Wigan is a historic town in Greater Manchester, nestled between Liverpool and Manchester, known primarily for its pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution and its strong cultural identity. Historically part of Lancashire, the town became a major centre for coal mining (the last mine closed in 1993) and cotton textiles, with its industrial output powered by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which runs directly through the town.
Wigan’s most famous, yet ironic, landmark is Wigan Pier, which was not a seaside structure but a coal loading staithe (a wooden jetty) on the canal, where wagons from local collieries were tipped into barges. It was immortalised, and its fame cemented, by George Orwell’s 1937 sociological book, The Road to Wigan Pier, which documented the grim living conditions of the working class in the industrial North. Today, the Wigan Pier Quarter is undergoing a major regeneration project.
Other notable landmarks include the historic Trencherfield Mill (home to a colossal working steam engine), Haigh Woodland Park, and the Museum of Wigan Life.
We offer mediation hubs around the North West. Family Mediation, Legal Aid Mediation.
Strictly by Appointment Only. Location is not staffed.
Mediation and urgent MIAM appointments can be arranged online
Our Wigan Hub – Find us at
Kingscroft Court, Wigan, WN1 3AP
Call our team to book your mediation on 01539 644 002.
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