The official register
- Search the Family Mediation Council register The Family Mediation Council (FMC) is the standards body for family mediation in England & Wales; its public register lists every FMCA-accredited mediator by area. Only FMC-registered mediators can sign the MIAM certificates the court accepts.
- Book the MIAM — alone You attend without the other party. It lasts 30–50 minutes (online or in person), costs roughly £80–£150 (many offer free short assessments), and ends in one of three outcomes: mediation offered, unsuitable, or the other side declines to engage. Any of the three gives you what the court needs.
- The certificate travels The mediator signs your C100 (or confirms the other party's non-engagement). Keep it — it also exempts you from further MIAMs for four months.
- If mediation proceeds Sessions are typically £100–£190 per person per session, shared issues discussed with the mediator managing — not deciding. Agreements go to solicitors to be drawn into consent orders (court fee £62).
When mediation is the WRONG tool: ongoing abuse or coercive control (safety of separate rooms is possible — discuss honestly at the MIAM), a party who uses process as a weapon, or urgent orders the court must make now. Exempting out is legitimate; claiming exemptions you can't evidence is not. The full exemptions list.
Questions people ask at Aylesbury Family Court — self-representation guide
Do I have to mediate with her in the same room?
No — shuttle mediation (separate rooms/online slots) and online-only formats are standard. Say what you need at the MIAM; the mediator's risk assessment decides what's workable.
She refuses mediation. Am I stuck?
No — her refusal, evidenced by the mediator's non-engagement note, is a recognised C100 exemption. You proceed to court with your MIAM certificate in hand.
Is mediation cheaper than court?
Vastly, when it works: a handful of sessions versus months of applications and hearings. When it fails, you've spent a MIAM fee and earned your exemption — a cheap test of whether agreement is possible.
Before your hearing
Turning scattered messages, notes and dates into evidence takes structure. walk into the MIAM with your facts already organised — EvidenceCanvas is a guided toolkit that helps you draft a child-focused witness statement, answer a Scott Schedule point by point, and assemble a paginated court bundle. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.