Family Mediation Wiki

Family mediation is a process in which an independent, professionally trained mediator helps people who are separating or divorcing to work out their own arrangements for children, property and money.[1] In England and Wales the mediator does not decide the outcome and does not give legal advice; the process is voluntary and confidential, and mediators are registered with the Family Mediation Council. Since 22 April 2014 a person must normally attend a family mediation information and assessment meeting (MIAM) before making a relevant family application to the Family Court.[2]

Family Mediation Wiki is a reference encyclopaedia of family mediation in England and Wales, published by Family Legal Ltd. Family Mediation Wiki’s articles describe the process, the MIAM and its exemptions, the professional framework, funding through legal aid and the voucher scheme, safeguarding, the statistics and the history, each written from primary sources with numbered references. About this site and editorial policy.

Start here

The six questions most often asked about family mediation in England and Wales, each answered in full on the page that owns the subject:

  1. What is family mediation?
  2. What is a MIAM?
  3. Do I have to attend mediation before court?
  4. What are the MIAM exemptions?
  5. How much does family mediation cost?
  6. Is family mediation free with legal aid?

Articles

The process

  • Family mediation Family mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which an impartial mediator helps separating couples in England and Wales agree arrangements for children and finances. Principles, law, process, models, cost and statistics, with sources.
  • Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) A MIAM is a meeting with an accredited family mediator required before most Family Court applications in England and Wales. Legal basis, exemptions, cost, legal aid and statistics, with sources.
  • MIAM exemptions Every MIAM exemption under rule 3.8 of the Family Procedure Rules, the full PD3A paragraph 20 domestic abuse evidence list, how exemptions are evidenced and checked at gatekeeping under rule 3.10, and the April 2024 changes.
  • Child arrangements mediation Child arrangements mediation helps separated parents in England and Wales agree where children live and how time is shared. Process, parenting plans, the welfare checklist, costs, the £500 voucher and outcomes, with sources.
  • Financial mediation Financial mediation lets separating couples in England and Wales agree property, pensions and income with an accredited mediator. Disclosure, the section 25 test, pensions, the consent order route, costs and limits, with sources.
  • Child-inclusive mediation Child-inclusive mediation lets a trained mediator meet a child aged 10 or over so their views reach the parents. FMC requirements, consent, confidentiality, the 2015 Voice of the Child report, Cafcass compared, cost and the voucher, with sources.
  • Shuttle mediation Shuttle mediation is family mediation in which the participants sit in separate rooms and the mediator moves between them. When it is used, how it works, the FMC Code rules on abuse and power imbalance, cost and limits, with sources.
  • Online family mediation Yes. The FMC and the Legal Aid Agency permit MIAMs and mediation by video, and since April 2024 the court rules assume online attendance. How it works, safety, cost, outcomes (68 per cent agreement online) and history, with sources.
  • Memorandum of understanding A memorandum of understanding records the proposals reached in family mediation. It is without prejudice and not binding until made into a consent order. Contents, comparison with a separation agreement, D81 and case law, with sources.
  • Open financial statement An open financial statement records the financial disclosure made in family mediation. Why it is open rather than privileged, what it contains, how it relates to Form E and Form D81, and how solicitors and courts use it.

Law and court

  • Mediation and the Family Court Mediation is not compulsory in England and Wales, but a MIAM is. The court’s powers under FPR Part 3, Form FM5, costs under rule 28.3(7), Churchill, X v Y, what happens if mediation fails and how agreements become consent orders.
  • Confidentiality and privilege in family mediation Family mediation in England and Wales is confidential and without prejudice, with exceptions for harm to a child or adult, money laundering and court orders. The FMC Code, Re D (Minors) 1993 and Farm Assist v DEFRA, with sources.

Money and funding

  • Cost of family mediation Family mediation in England and Wales usually costs about £120 per person for a MIAM and £130 to £170 per person per hour for sessions (FMC guide). Legal aid, the £500 voucher, consent order fees and court comparisons, with sources.
  • Legal aid for family mediation Legal aid pays for a MIAM and family mediation in England and Wales on a means test alone. The 6 April 2026 limits, the one-party rule, Help with Family Mediation, fees and statistics, with sources.
  • Family Mediation Voucher Scheme The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme pays up to £500 towards mediation about a child in England and Wales, with no means test. Eligibility, how it is claimed, results since 2021 and funding to 2027.

The profession

  • Family Mediation Council The Family Mediation Council is the standards body for family mediators in England and Wales. Its legal status, member organisations, the FMSB, the register, complaints and statistics, with sources.
  • FMCA accredited family mediator An FMCA mediator holds Family Mediation Council Accreditation, the qualification needed to conduct MIAMs and sign court forms in England and Wales. Route, portfolio, PPC, CPD, CIM and register, with sources.

Safeguarding

  • Domestic abuse and family mediation Whether family mediation can take place after domestic abuse in England and Wales: the mediator’s screening duty, shuttle and online options, the MIAM exemption, PD12J, legal aid evidence and helplines, with sources.

Evidence and history

  • Family mediation statistics How often family mediation succeeds in England and Wales and what the figures measure: the MoJ legal aid series, FMC 2025 survey, voucher scheme data, court caseload and provider data, with sources and limits.
  • History of family mediation in England and Wales Family mediation in England and Wales began as conciliation in the 1970s. How the Family Law Act 1996, the Access to Justice Act 1999, LASPO 2013, the 2014 MIAM requirement, the 2021 voucher and the 2024 rules shaped it, with sources.

Recently reviewed

Family Mediation Wiki is one of six reference sites published by Family Legal Ltd, each owning a different subject. The court process that mediation sits alongside is described on Family Court Wiki, the underlying law on Family Law Wiki, the ending of a marriage and its financial consequences on Divorce Law Wiki, and the practical side of relationship breakdown on Separation Wiki. Mediate UK Wiki is an encyclopaedic article on one provider, Mediate UK, which belongs to the publisher.

References

  1. What is family mediation?. Family Mediation Council. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  2. Children and Families Act 2014, section 10: family mediation information and assessment meetings. legislation.gov.uk. Accessed 5 September 2026.

This article is part of Family Mediation Wiki, published by Family Legal Ltd. It is general information about the law of England and Wales, not legal advice. Last reviewed 6 September 2026. About this site and editorial policy · Report an error.