Family mediation in Surrey

Finding an authorised mediator in Surrey

The Family Mediation Council register searches by full postcode within a distance you choose, and filters for mediators qualified to sign court forms, legal-aid-funded mediation and online mediation^[1]. It can also show mediators qualified to see children in mediation^[11].

If you already have a name, look it up on the register by first name, last name or registration number^[12]. "Family mediator" is not a protected title and FMC registration is voluntary^[13]; only an FMC-accredited mediator can sign the court form to say you went to a MIAM^[14]. More on find a mediator.

From a Surrey postcode to an agreement or a court

Open a step to read it. Mediation is voluntary, and either of you can withdraw at any point^[19].

Legal aid and the voucher in Surrey

Legal aid for mediation is means-tested^[37]. If either of you qualifies, the MIAM is free, and if only one of you does, legal aid covers the MIAM and first session for both^[4]. The government's legal aid finder searches by postcode for mediators with a legal aid contract^[33].

Without legal aid, the voucher scheme pays up to £500 towards mediation about children (or about money alongside a children dispute) with an FMC-authorised mediator^[6][38]. It does not cover the MIAM^[39]. Sessions after the MIAM are a guide £130–£170 per person per hour^[40]. See legal aid mediation.

Is mediation worth it rather than going straight to court?

For most applications about children or money you cannot go straight to court anyway: you need a MIAM or a valid exemption first^[44]. Beyond that, GOV.UK says mediation is usually cheaper and quicker than court^[32], and a guide for judges says reaching full agreement in mediation usually takes considerably less time than the full court process^[45].

Court takes time. GOV.UK says it usually takes around 10 months to get a child arrangements order^[46], and in April to June 2026 private law children cases took 33 weeks on average from start to finish^[47]. Of the first families to use the voucher scheme, 69% reached agreement on some or all issues and did not go to court, or went only for a consent order^[8].

In money cases, the court can take a failure to attend a MIAM without good reason into account when deciding costs^[48]. Mediation is not right for everyone, though: the mediator must not mediate if it is not safe^[49]. The court fees, if you do apply^[43][50][24]:

If you cannot attend in person or by video

An access exemption needs you to be unable to attend online or by video; one of them applies where no authorised mediator has an office within 15 miles of home^[54]. The court decides whether it was validly claimed^[55]. See MIAM exemptions and, if you are unsafe, domestic abuse support.

How to compare mediators' qualifications in Surrey

Start with accreditation. FMC Accredited status (FMCA) is the fully qualified status for family mediators in England and Wales, reached through one of two parallel portfolio assessments, run by the FMC or the Law Society^[30]. It lasts 3 years before it must be renewed, and an FMCA mediator is authorised to run MIAMs^[59].

Every mediator following the FMC's Code of Practice must be accredited or registered as working towards it, belong to an FMC member organisation, hold professional indemnity insurance and follow the FMC's complaints procedures; only FMCA mediators can do legal aid work^[60]. A mediator who wants to talk to your children directly must be registered with the FMC for child-inclusive mediation^[34].

Then compare the practical things: price (ask up front, as it varies^[31]), whether they offer online sessions^[1], and what happens if something goes wrong. The Family Mediation Standards Board handles complaints about registered mediators once the mediator's own process has been used^[61].

When children see the mediator

The FMC says a child aged 10 or over will be asked whether they would like to see a mediator, and both parents have to agree too^[63]. The meeting is usually by video or at the mediator's office, can last up to an hour, and parents are not there; the child decides what is passed on, unless there is a safety concern, and the parents still make the decisions^[63].

Not every mediator does this work, so check the register's filter for mediators qualified to see children^[11]. See children in mediation.

Divorce mediation in Surrey

Divorce itself is an application to the court: GOV.UK says you can divorce if you have been married for over a year and the relationship has permanently broken down, and it normally takes at least 7 months^[66]. The divorce application fee is £628^[43]. Mediation deals with what goes alongside it: the children, the home, pensions, maintenance and debts^[19].

The mediator tells you what financial disclosure is needed, does not check it, and advises you to take independent legal advice before any final agreement^[67]. A financial consent order cannot be approved before the conditional order and takes effect only after the final order^[68]. If you cannot agree, you apply on Form A to your local financial remedy court after a meeting about mediation, unless an exception such as domestic abuse applies^[69]. See divorce mediation and family mediation in Guildford.