A MIAM is a short, individual meeting with an accredited mediator, usually lasting around 45 minutes to an hour — the first thing most people book once they’ve searched for miam mediation near me. Your mediator will talk through your situation in confidence, explain how mediation works, and check whether it’s a suitable option for you before anything else goes ahead.
It’s also an opportunity for your mediator to ask, privately, whether there are any safety concerns — such as domestic abuse — that might make mediation unsuitable, which is one reason MIAMs are always held one-to-one rather than together.
Since April 2014, anyone applying to court for most family matters — such as child arrangements or financial orders — has needed to attend a MIAM first, unless a valid exemption applies. This is usually the point people start searching for miam mediation near me: it’s only required once, before your first mediation session, not repeated at every stage.
A few exemptions apply, most commonly involving domestic abuse, urgency, or situations where the other party can’t reasonably be located. Your mediator, wherever you found them through a family mediation council near me search or otherwise, can talk you through whether one might apply to your circumstances.
Every mediator we work with is registered with the Family Mediation Council, the body that sets standards for family mediation across England and Wales. If you’ve been searching for a family mediation council near me, that accreditation is really what you’re checking for — not a physical Council office, but a mediator who’s properly qualified and authorised to sign your MIAM certificate.
You don’t have to be right on our doorstep to use us, either. Alongside our Staffordshire office, we offer online family mediation by video call, so if you searched for miam mediation near me hoping for something local, an accredited, convenient option is still available wherever you happen to be based.
Typical MIAM fees across the sector sit around £120 per person where legal aid doesn’t apply, though this varies by provider and location — one of the practical things worth comparing when you search miam mediation near me. Many clients are also eligible for up to £500 towards mediation costs through the Government’s voucher scheme — see our Costs page for our current, exact pricing.
The full mediation process your MIAM is the first step into.
For couples specifically working through a divorce.
Giving children a safe way to be heard once mediation is under way.
The same accredited service by secure video call.
Our local office in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
familymediation.co.uk is the trading name of Staffordshire Mediation Limited
Get In Touch 01782 360028 or
info@familymediation.co.uk
familymediation.co.uk is the trading name of Staffordshire Mediation Limited