Court Mediation

AXIS Family Mediation Inc. provides court mediation services at the Family Courts we serve. This type of mediation is for parties who have a matter scheduled in family court, and they wish to have a mediator help them settle it.

You may have heard this type of mediation referred to as “on-site” or “same-day” or “court-referred” mediation.

To qualify for this type of mediation, the issues to be mediated must be narrow enough to be mediated in a short period of time (usually no more than one session) and be completed on or around the day they are scheduled to be in court. If not, the parties may be referred to off-site mediation.

Examples of issues which may be appropriate for court mediation include (but are not limited to) parenting issues such as the determination of and changes to decision-making responsibility (custody) and parent time (access), holidays and mobility; child support issues such as the determination of, and changes to payments and extraordinary expenses. In rare instances, narrow spousal support and property issues may also be appropriate for court mediation.

Although court mediations are quickly executed, all cases are vetted for appropriateness and are thoroughly screened for power imbalances. All AXIS mediators adhere to the Ontario Association for Family Mediation’s Standards of Practice and Family Mediation Canada’s Code of Professional Conduct.

The court mediators work closely with lawyers and/or Duty Counsel to ensure that all parties receive independent legal advice. Court mediation agreements may result in the issuance of immediate court orders, as our reports are submitted directly to the Court.

The court mediator can also provide information on and take referrals for off-site mediation services that require more extensive sessions.

All court mediation is “closed,” meaning only the outcome is reported to the court. Further, all court mediation takes place on a first-come, first-served basis, and there are no fees for this specific type of mediation.

If you would like more information about whether or not you qualify for court mediation, please contact an Information and Referral Coordinator for the court your matter is in via our Contact Us page.