Official Definition Protocol: Mediation Information & Assessment Meeting (MIAM) · Family Procedure Rules Part 3
Mediation Information & Assessment Meetings · England & Wales
The MIAM, explained by the people who conduct them
A MIAM is a private meeting with an accredited family mediator, required before most applications to the family court in England and Wales. It lasts around an hour, is always held separately from your ex-partner, and ends with a clear view of your next steps.
If court is still the right route, only a mediator accredited by the Family Mediation Council can sign the form that lets your application proceed. Your signed MIAM certificate is issued by the accredited mediator who conducted your MIAM. Every MIAM here is conducted by one of our named, FMC-accredited mediators.
Last reviewed · 12 June 2026 · Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy
Required by s.10 Children and Families Act 2014 · Conducted to the FMC MIAM Standards · Court forms signed under FPR r.3.9(1)
Is a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) a legal requirement?
Yes, attending a MIAM is a mandatory statutory first step under Section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 before making an application to the family court. The court will refuse to issue formal proceedings on Form C100, Form A, or Forms C1/C2 unless an FMC-accredited mediator signs the designated MIAM compliance block or the applicant provides legitimate evidentiary validation for one of the 15 official regulatory exemptions outlined under Family Procedure Rules Practice Direction 3A.
Watch · a short explainer
What is a MIAM, in a couple of minutes
If you would rather hear it than read it, Jess Knauf, our Director of Client Strategy, explains what a MIAM is, why the court asks for one, and what to expect, in plain English.
- Why a MIAM is required before family court
- What the meeting itself actually involves
- What happens once your MIAM is done
Presented by Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy, who reviews the guidance on this site.
The part many guides get wrong
Which court applications need a MIAM?
Most websites tell you a MIAM is needed for a C100. That is true, but incomplete. The requirement also covers financial applications and a specific set of children applications made on forms C1 and C2.
| Page Parameters | What it covers | MIAM confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Form C100 | Child arrangements, prohibited steps and specific issue orders under s.8 Children Act 1989.For example: when a child sees each parent, overnight stays, grandparent contact, a parent moving away or relocating abroad with a child, which school a child attends, or varying an existing order. | Confirmed within the C100 itself, signed by an FMC-accredited mediator. |
| Form A | A financial order on divorce or dissolution, including property, pensions and maintenance.For example: dividing up assets, allocating debts and liabilities, who pays which bills, pension sharing, spousal maintenance, emergency or interim finances, and who keeps or sells the family home. | Confirmed within Form A, signed by an FMC-accredited mediator. |
| Forms C1 / C2 | Parental responsibility orders and their termination (ss.4(1)(c), 4ZA(1)(c), 4A(1)(b)); appointing or ending a guardian’s appointment (ss.5(1), 6(7)); permission to change a child’s surname or remove a child from the UK (ss.13(1), 14C); special guardianship orders (s.14D).For example: changing a child’s surname, gaining or ending parental responsibility, or a grandparent seeking the court’s permission to apply. | Confirmed on a separate FM1 form, filed alongside the C1 or C2. |
The FM1 is not an application form for a court order. It is the mediator’s confirmation of your MIAM attendance or exemption, and it travels with your C1 or C2. Around fourteen years ago the FM1 accompanied all relevant applications, which is why older guides still describe it as the general “MIAM certificate”. Read the full guide to which forms need a MIAM.
Conducted to the FMC Standards
What happens at a MIAM
A MIAM follows a structure set by the Family Mediation Council’s MIAM Standards and Good Practice Guidance. This is the running order our mediators work to, with each stage explained properly on the day.
It is an assessment as well as an information meeting. Your mediator must be satisfied that mediation is safe and suitable before it can go ahead, and if it is not, you leave with your court form signed and a clear picture of the alternatives.
Read the full guide, stage by stage
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Confidentiality and the mediation principles
What stays private, the exceptions, and the voluntary nature of mediation.
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Information exchange
How mediation works, realistic costs and timescales, and the other ways to resolve things out of court.
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Safety and wellbeing assessment
Sensitive, structured questions covering domestic abuse, coercive control and safeguarding.
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Suitability decision
You, your ex-partner and the mediator each have a say in whether mediation goes ahead.
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Next steps, in writing
Mediation dates, a signed court form, or signposting to the right support, depending on the outcome.
Clear pricing, VAT included
What a MIAM costs here
One price per person, with VAT included. We are not the cheapest MIAM provider in England and Wales, and we do not aim to be. The price reflects a full hour with a named, accredited mediator, conducted properly to the FMC Standards. The only optional extra is the signed certificate, if you need it for court, set out just below.
- Around one hour by video call
- Named FMC-accredited mediator
- Signed certificate £66 inc VAT if you need it for court
- Clear next steps, whatever you decide
- Same or next working day
- For court deadlines and urgent applications
- Same hour, same standards, same mediators
- Signed certificate included
- We hold a Legal Aid Agency contract
- Eligibility checked in about two minutes
- Covers your MIAM and certificate
- Can extend to mediation sessions too
On a standard MIAM the signed certificate, often called the MIAM certificate, is charged separately at £66 inc VAT (£55 + VAT), so you only pay for it if you need it to apply to court. It is included with an urgent MIAM, and free with legal aid. More on the MIAM certificate.
The £500 Family Mediation Voucher Scheme. If your case involves arrangements for children, the Ministry of Justice contributes up to £500 towards joint mediation sessions. We are registered with the scheme and claim it on your behalf, so there is nothing to apply for. How the voucher scheme works.
Comparing providers? See our honest MIAM cost comparison, which includes services cheaper than ours.
Named, accredited, verifiable
The mediators who will conduct your MIAM
No call-centre assessors and no anonymous “team”. Your MIAM is conducted by one of the family mediators below, and each one can be verified on the Family Mediation Council’s public register.
Rachel Poole
Accredited family and child-inclusive mediator with particular experience of complex financial cases, and a Professional Practice Consultant supervising other mediators.
Kate Miller
Accredited family mediator with a law degree and a master’s in International Human Rights Law, and a qualified Mental Health First Aider. She combines legal insight with real emotional awareness.
Chris Yaffes
Accredited family and child-inclusive mediator practising since 2013, with a focus on expatriate and international families. Originally trained as a lawyer.
Penny Hogan
Accredited family mediator and trained counsellor, bringing a calm, supportive approach to MIAMs where emotions are still raw.
Awards won by our team at Mediate UK
- UK Business Awards · Overall Winner 2022
- UK Business Awards · Best Customer Experience, Gold 2022
- UK Business Awards · Best Business Crisis Initiative 2022
- BizX · Best Service-Based Business 2022
- BizX · Best Company Culture 2025
- World Mediation Forum · Top-Rated Family Mediation Service in the UK 2026
If court is still needed
After your MIAM: help with the paperwork
If mediation is not suitable, or your ex-partner declines to take part, you leave your MIAM with a signed court form and a decision to make. You do not have to complete the application alone.
Our sister service, Family Law Service, completes C100 and Form A applications for a fixed fee, and our partner solicitors at DFA Law can advise where a case needs formal legal representation.
If mediation goes ahead
From MIAM to agreement
Once both of you have attended a MIAM, joint sessions begin. Child arrangements cases typically take two to three sessions, and finance and property cases three to four, with sessions charged from £120 per hour per person.
Agreements can be made legally binding through a consent order, and our mediators explain exactly how that works before you commit to anything.
Who runs this site, openly
MIAM UK is run by Family Legal Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 16431127), Access Business Centre, Bracknell RG12 8FB. We are the same company behind Mediate UK, an award-winning family mediation service operating since 2011, and Family Law Service, our fixed-fee legal paperwork service.
We built this site to answer MIAM questions properly, in one place, from the people who conduct them. Many MIAM websites do not say who owns them or who their mediators are. We think you should be able to check both, which is why every mediator here links to the FMC’s public register and every page names its reviewer.
Quick answers
MIAM questions, answered
Do I need a MIAM before applying to the family court?
In most cases, yes. Under section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014, you must attend a MIAM before applying for a child arrangements order (form C100) or a financial order (Form A), unless an exemption applies. A MIAM is also required before certain C1 and C2 applications, including parental responsibility orders, the appointment or termination of a guardian, permission to change a child’s surname or remove a child from the UK, and special guardianship orders.
How long is a MIAM certificate valid?
A mediator’s signature on a court form is treated as valid for four months, based on custom and practice emerging from the court rules. If you do not apply to court within four months, you will usually need a further MIAM before the court will accept your application.
Will I be in the same room or call as my ex-partner?
No. The FMC Standards require MIAMs to be conducted separately with each participant, so that safety, abuse and suitability can be discussed openly. Your ex-partner is invited to their own separate MIAM. Joint sessions only happen later, if mediation goes ahead and both of you agree.
How much does a MIAM cost?
Our standard online MIAM is £138 including VAT (£115 + VAT) per person. An urgent MIAM, held the same or next working day, is £222 including VAT (£185 + VAT). If you qualify for legal aid, your MIAM is free, and you can check your eligibility online in around two minutes.
What is the FM1 form?
The FM1 is the form a mediator completes to confirm your MIAM attendance or exemption when you apply to court using form C1 or C2, for orders such as parental responsibility, the appointment of a guardian, a change of surname, removal of a child from the UK, or special guardianship. The FM1 is not an application form for a court order. It travels alongside your C1 or C2 application. For C100 and Form A applications, the MIAM confirmation is built into the application form itself.
Who conducts the MIAM?
Every MIAM is conducted by one of our named family mediators, each accredited by the Family Mediation Council. Only FMC-accredited mediators are authorised to sign court forms (Family Procedure Rules, rule 3.9(1)), and you can verify each of our mediators on the FMC’s public register.
Sources and further reading
- Family Mediation Council, Standards for Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings and accompanying Good Practice Guidance
- Children and Families Act 2014, section 10, the statutory MIAM requirement
- Family Procedure Rules, Part 3 and Practice Direction 3A, including rule 3.9(1) on who may sign
- Form FM1 on GOV.UK, filed with C1 and C2 applications
- Ministry of Justice, Family Mediation Voucher Scheme
Citing this page: MIAM UK (Family Legal Ltd), “The MIAM, explained”, miam.uk.com, reviewed by Jess Knauf, 12 June 2026.