A MIAM is the first step in the Family Mediation process, it is a meeting with the mediator who will be working with you
Family Mediation Council (FMC) Mediators
Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAM)
When you and your ex-partner can’t reach an agreement, the first step is to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) to explore constructive ways forward—no matter how long you've been separated or your prior relationship status.
A MIAM is the first step in the Family Mediation process, it is a meeting with the mediator who will be working with you. If you are to going to take your case to court it is a legal requirement in most cases to have attended a MIAM. The other person named in the divorce is also expected to attend, but this won’t be the same meeting as you.
A MIAM must be conducted by a mediator who is accredited by the Family Mediation Council (FMC). All of our mediators have many years’ experience, and all have the necessary professional memberships and qualifications to sign the required forms for court should mediation not be suitable or breakdown.
The Mediation Process: Step-by-Step
Initial Consultation (MIAM)
Meet with your mediator 1-1 to discuss your situation and understand the mediation process. Assess suitability in your case.
Joint Financial Mediation Session
You both participate in joint sessions to communicate about your needs and concerns.
Sharing undesirable financial information and documentation (Disclosure)
Outline priorities and concerns
Explore different options in detail
2nd. (Or more) Joint Session Developing a plan for a way forward
Continue with discussions towards finding a solution
Develop discussions to reach consensus
Clarify details of terms of settlement
Clarify next steps to enable you to have your settlement made legally binding if/when
appropriate
Following on from successful mediation
Assuming that you are in the 87% of clients who manage to reached a mutually agreeable way forward
Your Mediator can prepare a document setting out your proposed settlement
Your Mediator finalises the Open Financial Statement (if married) – sends to you both to sign
Next Steps
You should consider taking legal advice to check settlement is legally fair
Solicitor/Legal Advisor can prepare legal documents.
Apply to court submitting the documentation to court for a judge to approve the consent order, and enable you to finalise
What happens at the MIAM?
The aim of the MIAM meeting is to see whether your family situation is suitable for mediation. The Mediator will task you questions to try to understand about the situation that you are in, what your looking to resolve and they will tell you more about how Family Mediation might work in your circumstance.
The mediator will explore the possibility of you both mediating and tell you about the other options that may be able to resolve the problem you are facing, including going to Court, Arbitration and early neutral evaluation.
Remember you must attend a MIAM if you are having problems any of the following:
- Child arrangements sometimes called custody or contact
- Financial issues in preparation for divorce or civil partnership dissolution before you can consider applying court, save for exceptional circumstances.
The MIAM is a meeting that you attend online (in some circumstances we may offer face to face), it is completely confidential and your ex-partner won’t know what has been talked about. You do not need the permission of your ex-partner to book a MIAM.
Your ex-partner is also expected to attend a MIAM, and this has to be proven to the court, who now take a view that Mediation must be considered before any court application, and parents are now facing having to pay their ex-partners costs in court, which in a recent case cost over £10,000.
How much does a MIAM cost ?
A MIAM Meeting costs £120 inc vat per person.
We conduct most MIAM meetings online, typically by Zoom, although Whatsapp and Facetime are also available in some cases. There are still some options for face to face MIAMs where the need arises.
The initial meeting would normally last up to 1hr and in advance of the meeting the administration team will do a financial assessment to find out if you are your ex-partner are eligible for legal aid.
Why Choose Mediation ?
Cost
Effective
Mediation is significantly less expensive than ongoing litigation through solicitors and the courts
Faster
Resolutions
Agreements can be reached in weeks, not months or years.
Confidential and Private
Discussions in mediation remain private, unlike court proceedings.
Empowering
Decisions
You control the outcome rather than leaving it to a judge.
Child-Focused Solutions
Prioritizes the financial stability and well-being of your children.
Starting the Mediation Process
We know that it can feel daunting considering doing something new, that’s why we make it as easy as possible for you to start the mediation process.
The first steps is to set up an initial mediation information assessment meeting (MIAM) with one of our expert mediators. You can easily book this by contacting us