MIAM
The MIAM: what it is and how it works
This guide explains the MIAM, the meeting most people must attend before applying to the family court in England and Wales, and links to detailed pages on every part of the process.
Key facts
- A MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) is a private meeting with an accredited family mediator, usually lasting 45 to 60 minutes.
- Section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes it a legal requirement before most applications about children or finances, unless an exemption applies.
- The mediator explains your options, checks whether mediation is safe and suitable, and can sign your court form if it is not.
- A MIAM typically costs £100 to £150 per person, and is free if you qualify for legal aid.
- Since April 2024, the courts have taken the requirement more seriously, with tighter exemptions and possible costs consequences for ignoring mediation.
What a MIAM is
A MIAM stands for Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting. It is a one-to-one meeting between you and a family mediator, held before any joint mediation and before most family court applications. Despite the formal name, it is simply a conversation: the mediator explains how family mediation works, what it costs, what the alternatives are, and whether it could suit your situation.
The meeting is not mediation itself. Your ex is not in the room, nothing is decided, and you are not committing to anything by attending. Many people arrive expecting to be pushed into mediation and find instead that the meeting is mostly about listening to their situation and setting out choices.
Only a mediator authorised by the Family Mediation Council (FMC) can conduct a MIAM. That matters because the court will only accept a MIAM confirmation signed by an authorised mediator. You can read more about what qualifies a mediator on our mediator accreditation page.
Who has to attend one
The requirement sits in section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014, in force since April 2014. Before making a “relevant family application”, the applicant must attend a MIAM unless an exemption applies. In practice that covers most applications about children under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 (made on form C100) and most financial remedy applications on divorce or dissolution (made on Form A). Our page on section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 looks at the statute in detail.
The legal duty falls on the person applying to court. The rules expect the other person (the respondent) to attend a MIAM too, and the court can ask both of you about it, but a respondent cannot be fined or punished simply for not going. If you are unsure whether your situation is caught, start with do you need a MIAM before court.
The law
Section 10(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 says that before making a relevant family application, a person must attend a family mediation information and assessment meeting. Family Procedure Rules Part 3 and Practice Direction 3A set out which applications are covered, the exemptions, and what the court can do if the requirement is not met.
What the meeting covers
A MIAM has two jobs, and the name captures both. The information part means the mediator explains your options: mediation, other forms of non-court dispute resolution (NCDR) such as collaborative law or arbitration, solicitor negotiation, and court. The assessment part means the mediator considers whether mediation would be suitable and safe for your family.
As part of that assessment, every mediator screens for domestic abuse and safeguarding concerns. This is done sensitively and in private, and it is one reason the meeting is held individually rather than as a couple. If mediation is not suitable, or your ex will not take part, the mediator signs the relevant section of your C100 or Form A so you can apply to court. The signature confirms you attended; it does not reveal what you discussed.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the meeting itself, including the questions mediators typically ask, see what happens at a MIAM. Most MIAMs are now offered by video call as well as in person, which we cover in online MIAMs.
When you need one before court
The two applications people most often make are the C100, which asks the court to decide arrangements for children, and Form A, which starts financial remedy proceedings. Both forms have a section where the mediator confirms your MIAM attendance or you claim an exemption. The court fee is separate from any mediation cost: as of 13 July 2026 a C100 application costs £270 and a contested financial order application costs £321.
A divorce application on its own does not require a MIAM; the requirement bites when you ask the court to resolve a dispute about children or money. Timing matters too. The courts treat a MIAM as valid for four months, so if you attend one and then wait longer than that to apply, you will usually need to attend another.
What a MIAM costs
Most mediation services charge between £100 and £150 per person for a MIAM, though prices vary by provider and region. If you qualify for legal aid, your MIAM is free, and your mediation sessions are covered too. The government’s family mediation voucher scheme, worth up to £500 towards mediation in cases involving children, does not cover the MIAM itself.
Our page on how much a MIAM costs breaks down what the fee includes and how to compare providers, and the costs section of this site covers legal aid, the voucher scheme and court fees in full.
Exemptions: who does not need a MIAM
The rules recognise that a MIAM is not right for everyone. The main exemptions include evidence of domestic abuse, child protection concerns, genuine urgency, a previous MIAM within the last four months, applications made by consent, and situations where one person is in prison, overseas or cannot be contacted. Each exemption has specific conditions, and since April 2024 the courts have checked claimed exemptions more carefully at the gatekeeping stage.
The full plain-English list is on our MIAM exemptions page, and there is a dedicated guide to domestic abuse evidence and the MIAM exemption.
What happens after the MIAM
Broadly, one of three things follows. If you both want to try mediation and the mediator considers it suitable, joint sessions are arranged. If your ex declines, or the mediator assesses mediation as unsuitable, the mediator signs your court form and you can apply. Or you may simply take time to decide; nothing obliges you to act straight away, subject to the four-month validity window.
Since 29 April 2024 the Family Procedure Rules have pushed harder on out-of-court resolution. Parties in most children and financial cases must file a short form (the FM5) setting out their views on NCDR before the first hearing, the court can pause proceedings to allow mediation without needing both parties to agree, and in financial cases a party who refuses to engage without good reason can face costs consequences. We explain these changes on costs orders for refusing NCDR.
For the detail of each route, including timescales and paperwork, read what happens after a MIAM.
Every MIAM guide on this site
A step-by-step walkthrough of the meeting, from booking to the questions the mediator asks.
Do you need a MIAM before court?
Which applications trigger the requirement, who it applies to, and what happens if you skip it.
MIAM exemptions: who does not need one
The full list of exemptions in plain English, and how the April 2024 rules tightened them.
Typical prices, what the fee includes, legal aid, and why the £500 voucher does not cover it.
Documents, questions to ask, and how to get the most from the meeting.
The possible outcomes, the four-month validity of your signed form, and moving into mediation.
What if your ex refuses to attend mediation or a MIAM?
Your options when the other person will not engage, and how the court views refusal.
Domestic abuse evidence and the MIAM exemption
The evidence the court accepts, how to claim the exemption, and safe alternatives.
Video MIAMs are standard practice: what to expect and when in person is better.
Quick answers
One question, one page, answered at the top. These short guides cover the specific MIAM questions people ask most.
Sources
- Children and Families Act 2014, section 10, the statutory MIAM requirement before relevant family applications (accessed July 2026).
- Practice Direction 3A, Family Procedure Rules, the detailed MIAM rules and exemptions (accessed July 2026).
- Family Procedure Rules, Part 3, the court’s powers on non-court dispute resolution, including the April 2024 changes (accessed July 2026).
- Family Mediation Council: family mediation, what mediation and the MIAM involve and who can conduct them (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK: family court fees (EX50), the C100 and financial order application fees quoted as of 13 July 2026.
- GOV.UK: family mediation voucher scheme, confirmation that the voucher covers mediation sessions but not the MIAM (accessed July 2026).