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Walker, Janet and Hayes, Sherrill (2006). Policy, Practice, and Politics: Bargaining in the Shadow of Whitehall In, Harrman, Margaret S., editor, Handbook of Mediation: Bridging Theory, Research, and Practice. Blackwell Publishing pp. 99-125

In this chapter we reflect on the opportunities available to, and the challenges and dilemmas faced by, family mediators in the UK. We also consider the extent to which the model proposed in chapter 2 and the assumptions underlying it can provide a contextual framework for understanding mediation processes, the factors which influence mediation, and the outcomes mediation achieves. We draw heavily on our recent research relating to family mediation to illustrate the complexities inherent in what may initially have seemed, to the early pioneers of mediation, to be a straightforward concept and a deceptively simple process. It is a story of conceptual confusion and policy expediency. (excerpt)

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