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Family mediation in London

To find family mediation in London, search the Family Mediation Council register by postcode and tick "qualified to sign court forms"[1]: only those mediators can hold a MIAM and sign the court confirmation[2]. A MIAM typically costs £120–£150 each[3]. If you go on to court, the London family courts include the Central Family Court in Holborn[4].

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Typical MIAM, each[3]
Mediation, per person per hour[5]
Mediation voucher[6]
C100 court fee[7]

01/ Mediators

Authorised mediators in London

We list a mediator here only after checking their entry on the Family Mediation Council register, and we have not finished that check for London. Until we have, search the register yourself by postcode, and tick “qualified to sign court forms” to see the mediators who can run a MIAM and sign the confirmation.[1]

Search the FMC register

02/ Searching London

How to search the register across London

The Family Mediation Council register takes a full postcode and a distance, and lets you filter for mediators qualified to sign court forms, those who offer legal-aid-funded mediation and those who mediate online[1]. You can change the distance from your postcode to widen the search[11].

If a friend or solicitor has suggested a mediator, you can look them up on the register by first name, last name or registration number[12]. It is worth checking: "family mediator" is not a protected title and registration with the FMC is voluntary[13], but only an FMC-accredited mediator can sign the court form to say you went to a MIAM[14].

If you think you may get legal aid, the government's "Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator" service searches by postcode for providers with a legal aid contract[15]. More ways to search are on find a mediator.

This page is about family mediation after separation, which is not relationship counselling[16]. Workplace mediation is a different service, described by Acas[17], and the Civil Mediation Council covers civil, commercial and other non-family mediation[18].

03/ Step by step

From the register to a London court, or an agreement

See the steps below, from the register to a court or an agreement.

  1. Search the FMC register from your postcode and tick "qualified to sign court forms"[1]. If money is tight, the government's legal aid finder lists mediators with a legal aid contract near you[15].

04/ Get ready

Before your London MIAM

Tick things off as you go; the list stays on this device.

Before your MIAM in London

0 of 8 ready

Your ticks stay in this browser only.

05/ By video

You do not have to travel across London

The FMC requires MIAMs to be held in person or by online video, with telephone only as a last resort[34]. Mediation sessions can also be held remotely, and you do not have to be in the same room or on the same call as the other parent[23].

You can filter the register for mediators who offer online mediation[1]; see online MIAM for setting up safely at home.

06/ Comparing fees

How much mediation costs in London

There is no set London price: the FMC says MIAM costs vary with the provider and where they are based[31]. A MIAM typically costs £120–£150 per person, and each of you pays for your own[3]. The FMC's guide for mediation sessions after the MIAM is £130–£170 per person per hour, including drafting documents[5].

The FMC says costs vary with the provider, where they are based and the issues you need to discuss, so ask for the price when you first contact a mediator; at the first meeting they can estimate the total from the number of sessions likely to be needed[31]. Before any issues are discussed, you sign an agreement with the mediator that sets out their fees[35].

For the whole process, the FMC's 2025 report says the voucher often covers all the sessions about children, and puts the average cost of mediating finances at £500–£1,500[36]. The cost of the MIAM is separate from the cost of mediation, and the two of you decide how mediation costs are shared[16].

  • Ask what the MIAM costs. Completing the court confirmation is part of the MIAM, not a separate charge[37].
  • Ask the hourly or per-session rate for mediation, and what drafting the written summary of any agreement costs.
  • Ask whether they can check whether you qualify for legal aid, and whether they take part in the voucher scheme: the mediator helps you work out whether you can get legal aid, and only FMC-authorised mediators can take part in the scheme[38][39].

Court fee · fee 2.1(d)

£270

in force from 13 July 2026

Court fees from the Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008 as amended[7][40][25]. Help with Fees can reduce them if you are on a low income or benefits[41].

Estimate only. Beta service. Always check with official government websites. Check Help with Fees on GOV.UK.

07/ London family court

Which London family court handles your case

You apply about children on Form C100, online or on paper[42]. You do not pick the building: the online service starts with the children's postcode (your own if you do not know where they live)[26], and a paper C100 goes to the child's local family court[43]. The court fee is £270[7].

The GOV.UK court finder lists the Central Family Court, East London Family Court and West London Family Court, and county and family courts elsewhere in London that also deal with childcare arrangements[4][44][45]. The table shows what it lists for each venue we checked; it lists others too. For any court, the finder gives the address, contact details and the areas of law it covers[46]. What happens once you apply is on what happens after a C100.

London family court venues, as the GOV.UK court finder lists them
CourtAddressFamily work listed
Central Family CourtFirst Avenue House, 42-49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP[4]Childcare arrangements, divorce, financial remedy, domestic abuse, adoption
East London Family Court6th and 7th Floor, 11 Westferry Circus, London E14 4HD[44]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse, adoption
West London Family CourtGloucester House, 4 Dukes Green Avenue, Feltham TW14 0LR[45]Childcare arrangements, domestic abuse, adoption
Barnet Civil and Family Courts CentreSt Marys Court, Regents Park Road, Finchley Central, London N3 1BQ[47]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse, adoption
Bromley County Court and Family CourtCourt House, College Road, Bromley BR1 3PX[48]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse, adoption
Croydon County Court and Family CourtThe Law Courts, Altyre Road, Croydon CR9 5AB[49]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse, adoption
Kingston upon Thames County Court and Family CourtHearing Centre, St James Road, Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 2AD[50]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse
Romford County Court and Family Court2a Oaklands Avenue, Romford RM1 4DP[51]Childcare arrangements, divorce, domestic abuse, adoption

The court finder also lists opening times and contact details for each court; we do not repeat them here because they change.

08/ Mediation and the court

When a London case is already in court

Mediation can still happen once you apply: the court can adjourn or timetable a case to encourage non-court dispute resolution, and does not need both of you to agree to do so[52]. In financial cases, and children cases progressing online, each of you files Form FM5 before the first hearing, setting out your view on non-court options, unless the domestic abuse exemption was claimed or a Form C1A has been filed[53].

If the gatekeeper finds a MIAM exemption was not validly claimed, they can direct you to attend a MIAM before the first hearing[27]. Where parents cannot agree, the court may also refer them to a mediation assessment or order a parenting course[28]. The court does not hold the mediation itself: an authorised mediator does[2].

09/ The meeting

What happens at a MIAM in London

MIAMs are held with each person separately[19]. The mediator explains mediation and other ways to settle things without court, and assesses whether there has been, or is a risk of, domestic abuse or harm to a child[33].

Give the mediator the other parent's contact details so they can be invited; if the other parent will not come, you should still attend[20], and you can still apply to court[9]. The FMC reports that about a third of potential mediation cases cannot go ahead because the second person does not attend a MIAM[54]. If mediation is not going ahead, the mediator ticks the reason on the court form, such as the other party not attending[55]. See what happens at a MIAM.

10/ Safety

If you are worried about your safety

The mediator must take domestic abuse of all kinds into account, including coercive and controlling, emotional and financial abuse, and must not mediate where they assess it is not safe or not suitable[56]. They also consider whether you could disagree with the other parent without fear of intimidation during or after a session[57].

Where mediation goes ahead, safeguards can include separate arrival and departure times and separate rooms, but shuttle mediation does not necessarily make it safe[57]. If you are unsafe at home, see domestic abuse support and when mediation is not suitable.

11/ If you cannot attend

If you cannot attend in person or by video

The access exemptions apply only if you cannot attend online or by video, and then only in narrow cases, such as no authorised mediator having an office within 15 miles of home[58]. The court decides whether an exemption was validly claimed and can send you to a MIAM[59]. See MIAM exemptions.

12/ Free mediation

Free family mediation in London

A MIAM is free if either you or the other parent qualifies for legal aid[30]. If only one of you qualifies, legal aid covers the MIAM and the first mediation session for both of you[30]. If you both qualify, it also covers any further mediation sessions and applying for a consent order[60].

Legal aid is means-tested; the free GOV.UK checker asks about your income and savings, and a mediator or legal adviser tells you whether you can get it[61]. Only a mediator with a legal aid contract can provide it: search the government's legal aid finder[15] or tick "legal-aid-funded mediation" on the FMC register[1]. The FMC reports that mediators who provide legal aid offer a MIAM within about two weeks on average, and that it can take up to four weeks[62].

If you do not qualify, the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme pays up to £500 towards mediation about children with an FMC-authorised mediator, and is not means-tested[6][39]. It does not pay for the MIAM itself[63], there is one voucher per family, and the mediator claims it, so you pay nothing up front for the sessions it covers[64]. More on legal aid mediation.

13/ Children in mediation

Child mediation services in London

Mediators must pay particular regard to the children's welfare, and children aged 10 and above should be offered the chance to have their voices heard directly in mediation if they wish[65]. That only happens if both parents and the mediator agree and the child consents, and only with a mediator specially trained to do it[65].

What a child tells the mediator stays confidential, except for safeguarding, and no report goes to the court; the mediator passes on to the parents only what the child wants shared, and the adults still make the decisions[66]. The FMC register can show mediators qualified to see children[11]. See children in mediation.

14/ How long it takes

How many mediation sessions you might need

It depends on how many issues there are and how far apart you are[67][68]. National Family Mediation gives a rough guide of one to two sessions for arrangements for children, more for a financial settlement, and four to seven to cover children, money and property, each lasting about an hour and a half[67]. Advicenow says most people need between 2 and 4 sessions on children and between 4 and 6 on finances[68].

In the Ministry of Justice's study of families using the voucher, mediation took an average of 3 hours over an average of 2 sessions[69]. For money, gather bank statements, mortgage statements and pension valuations early: pension information can take months to arrive[68]. See how long mediation takes.

15/ The regulator

What the Family Mediation Council does

The Family Mediation Council is made up of four national family mediation organisations: the College of Mediators, the Family Mediators Association, National Family Mediation and Resolution[70]. Its standards body, the Family Mediation Standards Board, keeps the public register of accredited mediators and of those working towards accreditation[71]; the FMC says 67% of mediators on the register are FMC Accredited[13].

If something goes wrong, the Standards Board considers complaints about registered mediators once the mediator's own complaints process has been used, and there is no fee[72]. The FMC does not arrange mediation or MIAMs itself: you choose a mediator from its register[1].

16/ Lawyers and mediators

Family mediation lawyers and solicitors in London

A solicitor and a mediator do different jobs: a solicitor gives you legal advice, can negotiate with your ex for you and represents only you; a mediator works with both of you, can give general legal information and does not advise either of you[73]. Advicenow says it is wise to get a solicitor's advice before reaching a final agreement[73].

GOV.UK says you can find a solicitor through the Law Society, may get free or lower-cost help through legal aid or a LawWorks law clinic, and that Support Through Court and RCJ Advice give free help in the family courts[74]. Some mediators offer "hybrid" mediation, where lawyers attend the sessions; the FMC notes the costs can be high[22]. Whoever you use, only an FMC-accredited mediator can sign the MIAM section of the court form[14].

17/ Borough help

Help from London borough councils

Alongside mediation, several London borough councils run free courses for parents who are separating or struggling with conflict, as part of the government's Reducing Parental Conflict programme[75]. These are four we checked; your own council's website lists what it offers where you live.

Waltham Forest's Stronger Relationships programme is for co-parents or carers of children under 18[76]. It helps you see things from your co-parent's perspective, communicate more clearly and spot when conflict becomes harmful[76].

Half is a one-hour group discussion on Zoom, in the day or evening, and half is self-study[76]. It is open to people who live in the borough or have a child at a Waltham Forest school[76].

18/ Divorce and money

Divorce mediation in London

A mediator can help you agree how to split money and property, including pensions, savings and investments[80]. The document you get at the end is not legally binding; to make it binding you ask a court to approve a consent order based on it[80].

If you cannot agree and want a court to make a financial order, you must attend a meeting about mediation first, except in certain cases such as domestic abuse; you apply on Form A to your local financial remedy court[81]. The court fee is £321[40]. Of the London venues in the table, the court finder lists financial remedy work at the Central Family Court[4].

The voucher can pay towards mediating money only when you also have a dispute about a child[39]. See divorce mediation and consent orders.

19/ Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do I find family mediation in London?

Search the Family Mediation Council register by full postcode and tick "qualified to sign court forms"[1]. Only those mediators can hold a MIAM and sign the confirmation the court needs[2].

Which is the family court in London?

London has several. The GOV.UK court finder lists the Central Family Court at First Avenue House, 42-49 High Holborn[4], and East London and West London Family Courts too[44][45]. The court that deals with your application depends on where the children live[26].

How much does mediation cost in London?

A MIAM is typically £120–£150 per person[3], and the FMC's guide for sessions is £130–£170 per person per hour[5]. Prices vary by provider and area, so ask each mediator when you first contact them[31].

Is family mediation free in London?

It is free if either of you qualifies for legal aid: if only one does, legal aid pays for the MIAM and first session for both[30]. Otherwise the voucher scheme can pay up to £500 towards mediation about children, but not the MIAM[6][63].

What is the Family Mediation Council?

It is the body made up of four national family mediation organisations[70], whose standards board keeps the public register of accredited mediators[71]. You use its register to find a mediator who can sign court forms[1].

Do I need a family mediation lawyer as well as a mediator?

Not to mediate, but a mediator does not give either of you legal advice, and Advicenow says it is wise to get a solicitor's advice before a final agreement[73].

Can a London family court send us to mediation?

The court can adjourn a case to encourage non-court dispute resolution[52], and can direct you to a MIAM if an exemption was not validly claimed[27].

Do I have to see a mediator in London in person?

No. MIAMs can be held by video[34], and mediation sessions can be remote[23].

20/ Sources

Sources we checked

  1. Find your local mediator — Family Mediation Council
  2. FPR Part 3, r3.1 · GOV.UK — child arrangements/mediation
  3. GOV.UK — mediation · FMC State of Family Mediation 2025 (PDF)
  4. Central Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  5. FMC — What does mediation cost?
  6. GOV.UK — Family Mediation Voucher Scheme · GOV.UK news, May 2026
  7. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), Schedule 3 — legislation.gov.uk
  8. FMC MIAM Standards (Aug 2022) PDF
  9. GOV.UK — mediation · FPR r3.9
  10. FPR Part 3, r3.8(1)(d)
  11. Find your local mediator — Family Mediation Council
  12. Find your local mediator — Family Mediation Council
  13. The State of Family Mediation 2025 — Family Mediation Council
  14. What is a MIAM? — Family Mediation Council
  15. Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator — GOV.UK
  16. Make an agreement through mediation (Making child arrangements if you divorce or separate) — GOV.UK
  17. What mediation is and how it can help (Mediation at work) — Acas
  18. What is mediation and how can it help me? — Civil Mediation Council
  19. FMC MIAM Standards (Aug 2022) PDF
  20. Practice Direction 3A — Ministry of Justice
  21. Practice Direction 3A — Ministry of Justice
  22. Mediation sessions — Family Mediation Council
  23. Make an agreement through mediation — GOV.UK
  24. Make an agreement through mediation — GOV.UK
  25. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), Schedule 3 — legislation.gov.uk · Money and property when you divorce or separate: if you agree — GOV.UK
  26. Start or continue an application — Apply to court about child arrangements, GOV.UK
  27. Practice Direction 12B, paras 9.1–9.4 — Child Arrangements Programme, justice.gov.uk
  28. Overview of our involvement as you go through the court process — Cafcass
  29. Form C100 (06.26), section 6 — HMCTS
  30. GOV.UK — mediation
  31. What is a MIAM? — Family Mediation Council · What does mediation cost? — Family Mediation Council
  32. Good Practice Guidance for MIAMs, July 2024 — Family Mediation Council
  33. Family Procedure Rules, Part 3 — Ministry of Justice
  34. GOV.UK — Form C100 page · FMC MIAM Standards (Aug 2022) PDF
  35. Code of Practice for Family Mediators (v1.5, August 2025) — Family Mediation Council
  36. The State of Family Mediation 2025 — Family Mediation Council
  37. GOV.UK — mediation
  38. What is a MIAM? (first meeting, legal aid, next steps) — Family Mediation Council
  39. GOV.UK — voucher scheme guidance · Practice Direction 36V — justice.gov.uk
  40. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), Schedule 3 — legislation.gov.uk
  41. GOV.UK — Get help with court fees
  42. GOV.UK — Form C100
  43. Form C100 publication page — HMCTS, GOV.UK
  44. East London Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  45. West London Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  46. Find a court or tribunal — GOV.UK · Find a Court or Tribunal (service start page) — HMCTS
  47. Barnet Civil and Family Courts Centre — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  48. Bromley County Court and Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  49. Croydon County Court and Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  50. Kingston upon Thames County Court and Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  51. Romford County Court and Family Court — Find a court or tribunal, GOV.UK
  52. FPR Part 3, r3.4
  53. GOV.UK — Form FM5 · Practice Direction 3A — justice.gov.uk
  54. The State of Family Mediation 2025 — Family Mediation Council
  55. Form C100 (06.26), section 4 — HMCTS · Form FM1 (04.24), section 3 — HMCTS
  56. Standards for MIAMs (August 2022) — Family Mediation Council
  57. Good Practice Guidance for MIAMs, July 2024 — Family Mediation Council
  58. Family Procedure Rules 2010, rule 3.8 — legislation.gov.uk · Form FM1 (04.24), PDF — HMCTS
  59. FPR Part 3, r3.10
  60. Make an agreement through mediation — GOV.UK
  61. Check if you can get legal aid — GOV.UK
  62. The State of Family Mediation 2025 — Family Mediation Council
  63. GOV.UK — mediation · FMC — Mediation vouchers
  64. FMC — Mediation vouchers · GOV.UK — mediation
  65. Code of Practice for Family Mediators (v1.5, August 2025), sections 5.3 and 6.6 — Family Mediation Council
  66. Family mediation in England and Wales: a guide for judges, magistrates, legal advisers and court staff (2024) — Family Justice Council and Family Mediation Council
  67. Family mediation FAQ — National Family Mediation
  68. Family mediation — Advicenow
  69. Family Mediation Voucher Scheme analysis (March 2023) — Ministry of Justice, GOV.UK
  70. About us — Family Mediation Council
  71. FMC Registration — Family Mediation Council
  72. Complaints processes and learnings — Family Mediation Council
  73. Family mediation (June 2024) — Advicenow
  74. Find legal advice and information — GOV.UK · Find a Solicitor — The Law Society
  75. Reducing Parental Conflict — DWP, GOV.UK · Reducing Parental Conflict Programme 2018–2022: evaluation of the effects of interventions — DWP, GOV.UK
  76. Parent and carer support programmes — London Borough of Waltham Forest
  77. Specialist programme: Parenting When Separated — Haringey Council
  78. Stronger Relationships — Lambeth Council
  79. Reducing parental conflict — London Borough of Bromley
  80. Get help agreeing (Money and property when you divorce or separate) — GOV.UK
  81. Get the court to decide (Money and property when you divorce or separate) — GOV.UK

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