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Sally Mortimore
Managing Director & Registered Social Worker
"Over 25 years ago, Aidhour proudly became one of the first social enterprises to be established in the UK. Then, and to this day, our primary goal is to deliver positive outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.
We pride ourselves on providing an affordable service that doesn’t compromise on quality. We achieve this with our wonderful team of independent social workers who provide continuity and a flexible, responsive, and quality-assured service nationwide."
“We have used Aidhour as a provider of supervised contact for our clients for some years. We experience them as child-focused professionals who provide a discreet and sensitive service and we regularly recommend them to other colleagues”
Solicitor
Child and Family Mediation Services
Aidhour provides completely independent mediators to help sort out the arrangements for children, such as where the children will live and how much time they will spend with each parent. And more importantly, Aidhour Mediators can help establish means of communicating, so parents can resolve the matters that will continue to arise as their children get older. Aidhour Mediators are accredited members of the Family Mediation Council. Parents may already have Solicitors sorting out their finances, but they also need help with sorting out arrangements for their children. They may not trust the mediators in the child’s other parent’s legal firm, and vice versa, to resolve these matters. Many people find that mediation is less stressful, less time-consuming, and much less expensive than going through the family courts. It is for these reasons that in most cases, the court will expect parents to consider mediation seriously before going to court. A mediator helps parents or carers without taking anyone’s ‘side’. Research shows that family mediation can cost less than a quarter of the price and take a quarter of the time of going to court and, more importantly, it can ensure better results. National Audit Office figures on legally-aided mediation show that the average time for a mediated case to be completed is 110 days, compared to 435 days for court cases on similar issues. According to the Ministry of Justice, in 2013 “nearly two thirds of couples who attended a single mediation session for a child dispute reached a full agreement. Almost seven out of every ten couples who opted for mediation reached an agreement.” (Ministry of Justice Press Release published 20 August 2014)
Child Contact Supervision
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Aidhour regularly supervises contact for the top ten Family Law Firms in London
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Aidhour is regularly used by 22 of the top 26 top law firms in the UK.
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Aidhour has Contact Supervisors across the country with a concentration in London and the Home Counties.
In complicated family situations, the only way that clients may be able to have contact with their children is when supervised by a child protection professional. Solicitors in family law handling mediation, divorce, adoption, child arrangements and care proceedings rely on us to provide fast access to highly-experienced supervisors from backgrounds in social work, mediation, children’s advocacy and CAFCASS. Aidhour offers a range of discreet professionals who can ensure the physical safety and emotional well-being of a child. Our supervised contact service is available seven days a week and outside standard office hours. For court appearances where agreements have been secured, we can provide a fast turnaround, responding immediately to requests, even for next-day arrangements. Solicitors will also note that using Aidhour can take much of the stress out of the whole legal process. Our suite of services can accompany your client throughout any or all parts of their journey through Mediation, Contact Supervision to Section 7 Reporting, as necessary.
Section 7 Reports
Independent Social Work assessments for court in accordance with The Children Act 1989
Suitably qualified and highly experienced Aidhour Social Workers are available at short notice to provide independent report writing services for legal firms. Parents, family law firms, courts, and local authorities recognise the authority of an independent assessment made by a child-centred practitioner.
In divorce and separation, the court may need to decide where a child will live, and where and when they will have contact with a parent. Aidhour independent social workers provide an impartial assessment of the situation, taking into account the child’s wishes and feelings. Our social workers compile concise and analytical reports detailing all available evidence. The advice given to the court will always be in the best interest of the child.
Social Work Assessments
(including Section 37 Reports, Parenting assessments and other reports for Court)
When, during any private law proceedings under the Children Act 1989, a question arises about the welfare of the child, and it seems to the court that it might be appropriate for a Care Order or Supervision Order to be made, the court will direct a local authority to undertake an investigation of the child's circumstances and report to the Court its findings.
Aidhour undertakes Section 37 reports, Public Law Outline (PLO) assessments, Parenting Assessments, Special Guardianship Assessments, Fostering (Form F) Assessments, Regulation 24 Connected Person (Form C) Assessments, Risk Assessments, Together-and-Apart assessments and many other assessments for local authorities. Aidhour Independent Social Workers are impartial, sensitive and discreet. Their reports are concise and based on evidence gained through interviews with parents and professionals and direct work with children. Within 24 hours we can supply you with a choice of Independent Social Workers available to undertake assessments.
