Helen Jones llb honoris causa grew up in the Calder Valley. After working in a variety of land based roles across the UK, Helen returned to Calder Valley in 2000 in need of a new job and a divorce! While bringing up three children alone she began work in the charity sector ultimately as CEO in a member-led organisation providing support to marginalised communities, contributing to academic research and challenging public policy. Helen’s work was recognised in 2017 when Dundee University awarded her an honorary doctorate of laws.
Helen says:
“When my Mum died a little while ago I found that she had kept the papers from her own divorce in 1973. It really made me think about how much impact messy divorces have had on the people in our family. I had been thinking that it was time for a change of career and these thoughts helped me to make my mind up to train for family mediation. The training built on negotiation and facilitation skills I had developed in my community work, and has taken them to a deeper level within the context of families.
Our families are the building blocks of our lives. They don’t stop being important, especially for children and young people, when one of the relationships breaks down. Whatever the new version of your family looks like, I’m passionate about helping you to make your decisions that form an effective bedrock for what comes next.”
Inclusion and accessibility matters to us
Helen Jones has developed her professional practice working on behalf of people who are excluded or left out. She is committed to bringing this knowledge and passion into family mediation. Our approach is that everyone can be included and we can make necessary adjustments to ensure that the mediation process works for you.
We work in partnership with a wide range of professionals who can help. This includes legal and financial professionals but also people with expertise in disability, neurodivergence, cultural needs, sign language, or anything else you might need. Make sure to tell us about any needs you have that we may not have thought of, we’ll do what we can to make our family mediation accessible for you.
Antworks Family Mediation 