Making mediation more accessible, one step at a time
AMS Mediation Services Ltd (AMS) was incorporated in February 2021 and is now the parent company behind the group’s mediation activities and brands. Founded by Kerry Dover, what started from a desire to make professional mediation easier for people to find and access has developed into a wider business with three connected areas of work:
- Mediation Advertising – developing and operating specialist websites that connect people looking for mediation with professional mediators.
- Mediation Services & Support – providing accessible mediation services through our own mediation brands and a network of professional mediators.
- Mediation Training & Development – helping newly trained mediators make the difficult transition from completing their foundation training to becoming confident, practicing and fully accredited professionals.
At the heart of AMS is a simple belief: mediation should be easier to find, easier to access and easier to understand – for clients and for mediators.
Our story
AMS was founded by Kerry Dover, who remains a practicing family mediator today.
Kerry’s own journey into mediation began with a desire to help people resolve conflict without immediately resorting to expensive and adversarial court proceedings. She developed her experience across different areas of mediation, and went on to become an FMC Accredited Family Mediator, achieving accreditation in 2021. She is also qualified as a Professional Practice Consultant, supporting mediators working towards accreditation.
The mediation profession, however, presented a problem that went beyond the mediation room.
People often struggle to find the right mediator in the first place, often being limited to local searches or restricted funding opportunities. At the same time, newly trained mediators can find it difficult to establish themselves, gain practical experience, and obtain the cases they need to build a portfolio.
AMS developed around solving both sides of that problem.The business has grown from a single mediation practice into a national mediation operation combining technology, marketing, administration, client support, professional mediation and mediator development.
Today, the business supports clients, mediators and aspiring mediators through different stages of the mediation journey.
Our mission
To make mediation work better for everyone
Our mission is not simply to provide mediation. We want to help build a mediation sector where:
- People in conflict can find appropriate professional help quickly.
- Mediation funding is available and accessible to all who need it.
- Mediators can build sustainable practices and spend more time doing the work they are trained to do.
- New mediators have a realistic route from training into professional practice.
- Technology and good administration make mediation more accessible rather than more complicated.
We believe that good mediation depends on good people, but good people also need good systems around them. That is why AMS brings together marketing, technology, administration, mediation and professional development under one organisation.
Mediation Advertising
Connecting people who need mediation with people who provide it
Finding a mediator should not be the hardest part of resolving a dispute.
AMS owns and operates a portfolio of specialist mediation websites designed to help people searching for mediation find relevant information and professional assistance quickly. Rather than relying on a single website to serve every type of client, our websites are developed around particular mediation needs, search behaviours and areas of dispute, allowing us to build specialist audiences rather than treating every mediation inquiry in exactly the same way.
Our digital marketing operation uses search engine optimisation(SEO), paid advertising, social media, content marketing and specialist websites to reach people at the point at which they are actively looking for help.
The advertising side of AMS is therefore more than simply selling advertising space. We build and operate the digital infrastructure that generates inquiries, handles initial contact and helps direct people towards an appropriate, funded, mediation service.
This also allows independent mediators and mediation professionals to benefit from a professional marketing and administrative infrastructure without necessarily having to build and maintain all of it themselves.
Mediation Services
Professional mediation, delivered through Amity Mediation Services
AMS operates mediation services through its established mediation brand Amity Mediation Services (Amity). Amity offers family mediation online across England and Wales and in person at their Milton Keynes office.
Amity provides help for a range of disputes, including:
- Child arrangements
- Parenting plans
- Financial separation
- Divorce and separation
- Property and financial disputes
- Child Inclusive Mediation
Kerry remains personally involved in mediation and continues to practice as a family mediator at Amity Mediation Services alongside her wider role within AMS. She is accredited for all issues mediation, provides Legal Aid funding for mediation, is qualified to work with children in mediation, and is qualified as a PPC. Kerry also works personally with mediators working towards accreditation and dedicates several days per week to their development.
Mediation Support
Just launched: our flagship mediation support service Help 2 Mediate
More than just a directory, Help 2 Mediate provides a full-service entry point into mediation, supporting people who may not know where to begin or what support they are entitled to. It assesses each client’s circumstances and matches them with the most suitable mediator within its network based on dispute type, funding, urgency, complexity and specific needs. The service covers family, civil, workplace, community, wills and probate, and other disputes, and supports clients from first inquiry to resolution.
Family mediation is delivered by mediators who are either FMC Accredited (FMCA) or registered with the FMC and working towards accreditation (WTA), with the appropriate professional supervision and professional standards in place. Civil mediators are registered with the Civil Mediation Council (CMC).
Help 2 Mediate ensures that clients are not prevented from accessing mediation due to cost or lack of information. It supports clients in obtaining funding, including Legal Aid where eligible and the Government Mediation Voucher scheme. For those not eligible for such funding, it also offers flexible payment options, including Klarna, to make mediation more financially manageable.
Beyond client support, Help 2 Mediate provides administrative and operational support to mediators, assisting with case coordination, onboarding, scheduling and ongoing case management. This allows mediators to benefit from our professional marketing and administrative infrastructure whilst focusing on delivering mediation.
In addition, Help 2 Mediate works collaboratively with a range of charities, support organisations and specialist services, ensuring that clients can be signposted to appropriate emotional, legal or practical support where needed alongside mediation.
Our aim is to remove unnecessary barriers, reduce complexity and create a more joined-up mediation experience for both clients and professionals.
Mediator Training & Development
Helping newly trained mediators make the transition into practice
Completing a mediation foundation course is an important achievement. It is not, however, the end of the journey.
For family mediators in England and Wales, the next step – building their portfolio – is often the hardest part. It involves supervised practice, observation and the submission of evidence for assessment.
This is where AMS can make a difference.
We provide a structured route into professional practice. We work with newly trained mediators who are working towards professional accreditation, providing opportunities to develop their practical experience and confidence. Our approach is based around Observation, Co-working, Practical experience, Reflection and development and Portfolio support.
We are not simply interested in helping someone become qualified. We want to help develop good mediators. That means encouraging newly trained practitioners to learn from experienced mediators, reflect on their practice, understand professional standards and gradually develop the confidence needed to work independently.
For us, the relationship does not have to end when a mediator receives their accreditation. We want to build a professional community in which experienced mediators can support newer practitioners, and those newer practitioners can eventually do the same for the people who follow them.
A business built around mediation
AMS Mediation Services Ltd sits at the intersection of mediation, technology, marketing and professional development.
Our three areas of work are closely connected.
Our advertising websites help people find mediation.
Our mediation services provide professional support to people experiencing conflict.
Our mediator development work helps create the next generation of professional mediators.
Together, they form one wider purpose:
Making mediation more accessible – for the people who need it and the professionals who provide it.
We are continuing to develop our websites, technology, mediator network and professional services as the mediation sector evolves. But the principle remains the same as it was when Kerry first began building the business:
Good mediation can change the way people deal with conflict. Our job is to help more people find it.