THE Family Mediation Centre at the Children’s Centre has closed its doors over the weekend for the final time.

The centre ceased operating on Saturday with the official statement from the Children’s Centre stating the reason as “lack of sustainable funding”.

The service has been operating on charitable funding for the last 18 months and it was hoped that it could have been retained with financial support from government.

However, it is now clear that the Government is developing other options for the provision of mediation in the Isle of Man and the charity feels it can “no longer support the service from its own charitable funds.”

“The Children’s Centre wholeheartedly recognises and supports the need for a Mediation Service in the Isle of Man, and welcomes the Government’s intention to establish a governance structure,” said John Knight, chief executive of The Children’s Centre.

“As a charity we have long held the belief that stimulating service provision is an important part of our remit. Whilst ending our own service is regrettable we remain interested in the future developments around mediation on Island and will monitor the situation with a keen eye. Mediation is an invaluable service and should be available to anyone going through a divorce or separation.

“The Children’s Centre’s mission to place children and families first is the foundation upon which the Family Mediation Service was first established and we are very proud of what this service has achieved throughout the 18 months.”

He added, “We want to continue to enable parents to understand more fully the impact that divorce and separation can have on their children.  “Through the Eyes of a Child” is a course offered by our Parent Power Team, which aims to address these issues and is offered free of charge to all parents on the island should they believe that they could benefit from taking part in the course.”