Wandsworth Mediation Service is an independent local organisation established in 2003 in response to a need for conflict resolution of different kinds within and for the local community. 

 It aims to enable people within the London Borough of Wandsworth to resolve conflicts and disputes affecting them, building communication between both individuals and organisations across the many communities within the Borough.

 The main aims of the local Service are to:
1) provide access to mediation, conciliation and reconciliation between persons, organisations, authorities or groups;
2) inform the local community about the purposes and methods of mediation and conciliation.

Oddly enough, it is often easier to describe what Mediation isn't, rather than what it is. But a simple way of seeing what Mediation is about is to describe it as

                    A way to help people hold a difficult conversation.

 

What is Mediation?

In more text-book terms, Mediation is an unbiased, voluntary and confidential process that encourages disputes to be settled as quickly and effectively as possible. It can be quicker and less stressful than sorting out your dispute through court action, and cheaper.

If you are in an ongoing relationship with the other person or people involved, a mediation agreement can lead to a more positive relationship in the future. This applies between neighbours who have to continue living alongside each other or, equally, to businesses who have traded together and may want to continue to, after solving the immediate problem. 

It is a simple fact of legal life that there are many cases which the courts regard as more suitable for some other kind of solution than going through court, looking for a judgment that it is often very difficult for a judge to reach. A good number of people come out of a court case, having won it, and still feel that the judgement was not what they were looking for.

This is why government is exploring mediation as one of the alternatives to court action, both as better service to people with a dispute and to relieve the workload on the courts.