Re-Connect - Improving Family Relationships

Re-Connect is one of the projects provided by Family Mediation. From our Swindon base, we provide mediation to young people (13 - 25 years) and their families to repair relationships whether living at home or not. Mediation is a way of bringing people together to help them settle disputes or make joint decisions to improve things between them. What do we offer? * A private, quiet place to talk. * Someone who will listen to you carefully about how you feel. * Confidentiality. We will not talk to other people about what you tell us without your permission, unless someone is at risk. Mediation can help you talk about: * Wanting to leave home * Family arguments * Changes at home * Friends and family * Coming-in times * Not listening to each other * Pocket money, getting a job * Clothes, piercing etc. How can mediation help? * If there have been a lot of family arguments the mediator can help you talk and really listen to each other. * Meeting together to look at how you want to handle things in the future can help you deal with problems. * Mediation can help you put in place real changes for the future. We will not: * Judge you * Take sides * Tell you what to do How mediation works: * You are invited to come to a first meeting. You can come on your own, with a friend or together. * You will have the opportunity to find out more about mediation and discuss any concerns. * The mediator will always have some separate confidential time with each of you. * If you and the other family member agree, we will arrange a joint meeting - maybe more than one. All meetings are free. If you would like more information about this service, please contact us using the information on the left.

Case Study - Sally's story

Sally had moved out of the family home and was staying in a hostel. She had been asked to leave home because of her level of aggression and anger to everyone in the house. The police had been called when some damage had been caused.

Re-Connect met with Mum and Sally to get their individual views. Each felt unloved by the other. Mum was concerned about the changes in her daughter’s behaviour and was worried about the friends she was keeping and her secretiveness and lies. Sally felt she was being pushed out of the family and her sister, Mandy, was being favoured. Sally felt she was being given grown-up responsibilities (eg babysitting) but being treated unfairly, expected to go to her bedroom at the same time as her younger sister. The mediator helped them talk about the other people in the household and the losses there had been for them both in recent years. Sally and her Mum both agreed they wanted a relationship and the mediator helped them come up with some arrangements to spend some one-to-one time together away from home. Sally and her Mum both felt Mandy might like to come to a meeting. She was invited and a meeting arranged between her and Sally. The mediator helped them talk together and find common ground and look at ways to get on. Another meeting was arranged but Sally contacted the service to say that things had improved and had been home for a visit which had gone well.

Parent Coaching

More information on practical parenting solutions.