In conversation with… Nicola Lewis

In this lunchtime talk, we’ll be joined by Nicola Lewis, who has been an Intermediary with the Ministry of Justice since 2014. She was one of the founders of The Intermediary Cooperative, a collective of independent skilled communication specialists who hold a contract with HMCTS to deliver intermediary services.

Nicola works with vulnerable adults who have a range of communication needs, in particular mild to moderate mental health difficulties and mild to moderate learning disabilities, and children from four to 18 who have age-related communication difficulties. She works primarily in the family courts facilitating communication with vulnerable people.

We’ll be talking to Nicola about the challenges parents with learning disabilities or difficulties face when they are involved in care proceedings with their babies. She’ll discuss the support that intermediaries provide, and how this can help parents to more meaningfully engage in proceedings and understand the court process and potential outcomes.

Nicola is motivated by a belief that everyone should be able to participate equally in matters affecting them. She enjoys sharing information about the work of intermediaries and fair access to justice for people who may otherwise be disadvantaged by a communication impairment or age-related communication difficulties. By acting as a communication bridge between justice professionals and the people who find themselves in the family court, the aim is to ensure that meaningful two-way communication can take place.

Before working as an intermediary, Nicola trained and still works part-time as an accredited mediator with a special interest in child-inclusive mediation. She also trained and worked as a solicitor.

Questions from the audience are welcomed before and during the discussion.

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory aims to find and fill knowledge gaps, highlight areas where change will have the biggest impact and foster collaboration to make that change happen. Find out more here.

This ‘In conversation with…’ series will bring you leading thinkers, experts, practitioners and those with lived experience for frank discussions on a variety of themes related to children and families in the family justice system.