Relate NI and Family Mediation NI to merge amid 'challenging funding landscape'
Two top organisations involved in mediation between couples and families are to merge amid ‘a challenging funding landscape’.
Relate NI and Family Mediation NI will merge next year – a move they say will provide a seamless service between counselling, therapy and family mediation, ‘ensuring the right relationship support service is available to people at the right time’.
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A spokesperson said demand for services continues to grow and ‘needs become more diverse’.
"In this last year, Relate NI has helped more than 3000 people with relationship, therapeutic and educational support. Family Mediation NI provided 1140 funded, early-intervention mediation sessions to 280 separated families,” said the spokesperson.
"The merger has not impacted service users or staff. Both charities will continue to offer services separately for the coming months. Relate NI’s centres throughout NI, including Portadown, will continue to operate as normal whilst Family Mediation NI services can also be accessed as normal at its existing locations and online.”
Chair of Relate NI, Natalie Dowey, said: “This is a significant milestone. This merger will ensure resilience for both organisations and represents a shared commitment to doing all we can to deliver quality, accessible services in the face of a challenging funding landscape.
"Need for relationship support remains high and joining forces will allow us to offer the right support to our clients and ultimately have a greater impact on communities.”
Joan Davis, who was CEO at Family Mediation NI, is now head of the merged organisation. She said: “The vision, mission and values of Relate NI and Family Mediation NI are entirely aligned.
"This merger brings together the expertise of Relate NI’s relationship counselling and Family Mediation NI’s mediation services. It emphasises how important it is to place healthy relationships and family wellbeing at the core of a thriving society.
“Those seeking counselling and or family mediation services may be experiencing difficulties accessing services, with waiting lists a barrier. By combining resources, we can better address the public’s need and improve access to professional, joined up services.
"I am delighted, as the new Chief Executive, to lead these vital services and look forward to continuing to champion the benefits that expert interventions bring to children, individuals, couples and wider families.”
To access independent, confidential and impartial information and to explore services visit relateni.org or familymediationni.org.uk