The government has extended the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme — which provides up to £500 per eligible family towards the cost of mediation — to cover all private law children disputes that require a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM). Previously, the scheme applied only to cases about child arrangements under s.8 of the Children Act 1989. From October 2026, it also covers disputes about prohibited steps orders, specific issue orders, and parental responsibility agreements.
The MIAM is a meeting with an accredited mediator that both parties must attend (subject to limited exemptions) before making most applications to the family court under the Children and Families Act 2014, s.10. Mediators can apply for the voucher on behalf of eligible families. The scheme is administered by the Family Mediation Council, which maintains a register of accredited mediators. Eligibility: either party must be eligible for legal aid (assessed on income), and the case must not have been through mediation in the previous 12 months.
Courts are increasingly critical of parties who refuse to engage with mediation without good reason — failure to attend a MIAM without an exemption can be taken into account when awarding costs. See the child arrangements order guide and the mediation or court article for the wider context.