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Family Mediation Program

This program is intended to empower couples to work together directly to resolve their differences, rather than relying on more costly (and adversarial) legal services. Mediations provide a safe, structured setting facilitated by a neutral third party, which gives couples in dispute a chance to reach agreements that take their children's best interests to heart. Studies have shown that children who grow up with regular contact with both parents are happier, achieve more at school and develop better emotional and social skills.

How It Works

  • Clients may call the office to request a mediation. Often they have heard of the service from a friend.
  • The 18th Judicial District Court may refer parties to the CMC.
  • We send an initial packet that usually includes the parenting plan and information about what mediation can and can't do for them.
  • We ask for volunteers from our pool of Family Trained mediators. A lawyer is welcome to come, but does not need to be present.

Resolution

After an agreement is reached, both parties sign the agreement. The papers need to be filed with the court in order to make the agreement binding. This will be the responsibility of the one of the participants or their lawyer.
 

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"It was a good experience to get the help to put on paper and discuss our differences. It was helpful to all involved. "

— Mediation Participant
 

Program Cost

Each incoming mediation case takes a minimum of 10 hours of staff and volunteer time to prepare and coordinate between the parties and the mediators. The actual mediation usually takes three hours. We estimate the cost per mediation of providing these services to be $400 for our organization in-house, and a minimum of $180 of in-kind services per volunteer mediator.

There is a sliding scale fee based on the amount of income of each party. The fee ranges from a minimum of $35 per person per session up to $125 per person per session. We prefer to use our resources for those who are not able to afford a private mediator. This minimizes any negative impact on self-employed mediators in the area.

Program Funding

Our funding partners are the Gilhousen Family Foundation, Greater Gallatin United Way, the Montana Supreme Court, and the Montana Justice Foundation.

The effectiveness of CMC's Family Mediations is evaluated by:

  • Parties in dispute complete an evaluation upon completion of their mediation
  • Tracking of the number and outcome of low-income Family mediations
  • Documentation and record keeping on all cases, even if they do not go to mediation

The Family Mediation Program promotes mediation as a natural way to resolve conflict. The basic principles of mediation support individuals' abilities to hear, express and accept diverse viewpoints. Mediation provides a safe space for people to work through conflicts peacefully and be tolerant of each other.