Mediation information and assessment meetings

A Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting helps assess whether mediation or another option is suitable before certain family applications. In England and Wales, a valid exemption may apply, including relevant urgency or domestic abuse circumstances under the current requirements. ^[1]

Understand what the assessment meeting decides A MIAM helps assess whether mediation or another suitable process may assist. It is not a promise to mediate jointly, reach agreement or abandon court proceedings. Explain the actual dispute, existing orders and relevant safety or urgency concerns to the mediator or adviser.

Before a relevant application, check whether attendance or an exemption applies under the current requirements. An exemption should be based on the real circumstances and required information, not selected as a convenient way to avoid discussion. Equally, a person should not be pressured into unsafe joint negotiation.

Keep the meeting evidence and next steps clear Ask what record or form is needed for the proposed court application and how long the relevant information remains suitable for use. Identify any missing evidence for an exemption and who will address it. Do not assume a general counselling appointment is the same as a MIAM.

Use Preparing for a child arrangements application for preparing the application. Through Child arrangements support enquiry, state the proposed order, whether a MIAM has occurred and any urgent safeguarding issue. Request advice on the appropriate preliminary steps while keeping urgent protection separate. Completing a meeting requirement should not become a reason to delay action where an applicable urgent route needs assessment.

Understand the assessment before deciding what to prepare

A Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting is an opportunity to discuss whether mediation or another suitable process may help with the particular dispute. It is not the full mediation of every issue and does not require an agreement with the other parent at that meeting. Ask the mediator what information they need and how the appointment will be conducted. The current GOV.UK child-arrangements guidance explains the MIAM's role before relevant court applications and identifies circumstances where an exemption may apply. ^[1]

Describe the unresolved issue clearly: ordinary arrangements, a specific decision or a proposed change. Provide the existence and broad effect of any order, together with genuine timing concerns. You do not need to prepare a trial bundle simply to explain why a school deadline or safety issue matters. Give enough information for the mediator to assess suitability and the next route, without assuming the meeting will produce legal advice about the merits of an application.

Raise participation and safety concerns privately

Explain any coercion, fear, communication restriction or difficulty participating freely. Ask how the mediator handles separate contact, interpretation and confidentiality. Do not minimise a concern because you believe attending a MIAM requires willingness to sit in the same room as the other person. Suitability is part of the assessment. A mediator needs an accurate picture of the circumstances rather than an account adjusted to make the process appear more cooperative.

If a court or protective order limits contact, provide the relevant information before any invitation or joint arrangement is made. Discuss whether a contact method could reveal a confidential address or phone number. The purpose is to allow an appropriate assessment and avoid an administrative step creating a new risk. If there is immediate danger, use the relevant emergency or safeguarding route rather than waiting for a scheduled assessment meeting to address it.

Check exemptions against the actual application and evidence

An exemption should be based on the current rules and facts, not selected because it appears to save time. Ask what evidence or explanation is required for the particular ground and who will check it. Urgency, domestic abuse and other circumstances may be relevant, but their application needs assessment. A previous meeting may also have timing and documentation requirements. Keep the dates and records rather than assuming attendance at any point in the past always satisfies the current position.

For example, a parent with an imminent, evidenced risk may need advice about an urgent application rather than an ordinary appointment timetable. Another parent may simply prefer not to mediate. Those circumstances should not be treated as the same exemption. If the other person does not attend or declines mediation, ask the mediator what record can properly be provided. Their non-participation does not mean you should sign a statement claiming an assessment or attempt that never occurred.

Leave with a clear next step and the correct record

Ask whether mediation is suitable, what further information would be needed and what alternatives have been discussed. If you intend to apply to court, confirm which document or form section records attendance or the relevant outcome. Check names and dates, and keep the record with the application papers. Do not assume a booking confirmation or payment receipt provides the same evidence as the required mediator certification.

If mediation proceeds, clarify its scope, cost and how proposals will be considered with independent advice. If it does not, identify the legal or practical step now required. Keep the assessment separate from the merits of the dispute: a conclusion that mediation is unsuitable does not determine which parenting proposal is right. The meeting's value is in identifying an appropriate resolution route and providing an accurate procedural record, not forcing an agreement or awarding either parent an advantage in future proceedings.