Yes. We offer MIAMs and family mediation by video conference. This means that in divorce or separation you can still use our expert mediation services to help make settlements over parenting, property and money. You can mediate without leaving home to visit one of our family mediation centres, which people are finding especially helpful given Coronavirus restrictions. Book an appointment using this link.
Yes. Soon after the first lockdown, we moved quickly to offer family mediation by video conference. This is proving popular with clients, who can look to make vital settlements over parenting, property and money without leaving home, and without sitting in a room with their ex.
To see if you can get legal aid for family mediation, follow these steps.
The mediator will complete a form called a CIVMEANS7 at your initial MIAM meeting. You then sign and date it. That’s because this helps us calculate your income and outgoings. You need to provide documents confirming your income either at or before your meeting, copies are attached to the form.
As a guide, you may be eligible if:
- Receive Income Support, Universal Credit, income based JSA, incomebased ESA, Pension Guarantee Credit
- Live on your own and your household income is less than £1,000 per calendar month.
- Have a household income less than £1,400 per calendar month, and you live with a partner and/or dependent children
We usually require pre-payment for all our meetings. For more about fees use this link.
Once your Legal Aid assessment is complete, and you are confirmed as eligible we will refund your fee.
In most cases this is the full amount you paid prior to your assessment.
We make no up-front charges if you receive one of the income-based benefits set out above. Simply send the income evidence required for your assessment to FREEPOST, NATIONAL FAMILY MEDIATION or email a copy to mediation@nfm.org.uk
If you currently have a partner and you live together, we will need information about their income too.
You may be eligible for legal aid for mediation if you are on a low income or not working, including if your financial circumstances have changed because of Covid19. We can help you start the assessment process before you book an appointment.
Call our mediation team on 0300 400 0636, or email mediation@nfm.org.uk
If you are ready to book an appointment you can go straight to our online booking page.
Legal aid for mediation cases helps families agree on arrangements where:
- You’re getting divorced and therefore need to sort out financial arrangements
- Child arrangements have broken down, and so you are not seeing your children
- Any dispute following a family breakdown may end up in court.
At your initial family mediation appointment (the MIAM) you can ask about legal aid for mediation.
The mediator will discuss what issues need resolving. Some family mediation cases are eligible for but others are not.
You can find more information here
Legal Aid is provided by the government to cover the cost of family mediation services for families in dispute.
It is means-tested. So you have to provide evidence of your current financial circumstances to prove you’re entitled to receive it.
If you are eligible, Legal Aid will cover all your individual mediation costs. It will also cover costs of the initial appointment and first mediation meeting for the other person, if they’re not eligible in their own right.
Eligibility for Legal Aid also enables you to get legal aid for legal costs, up to a cost limit.
At your initial family mediation appointment (the MIAM) you can ask about legal aid for mediation.
They mediator will discuss what issues need resolving. Some family mediation cases are eligible for Legal Aid. But others are not. Examples of cases the Legal Aid Agency would consider eligible are:
- You are getting divorced and need to sort out money.
- Child arrangements have broken down and you are not seeing your children.
- Any dispute following family breakdown that may end up in court.
If you separate from your partner there are a number of things to be considered and decided. For example:
- where you are going to live from now on, and where your partner will live
- if you have children where will they live and what arrangements will there be for them to see the other parent
- what to do about money and possessions you have obtained together – this includes savings and debts
There is no simple ‘one-size-fits-all answer’ because everyone’s situation is different. However, if you need separation advice our expert family mediators can help you settle on all issues relating to money, property and parenting. You can book an appointment here.
It is important to ensure you include consideration of pensions when you face the end of your marriage or civil partnership. Even though you may be some years away from an age where you can access pension funds, these count as assets, just like money you might have in a bank or savings account.
It sometimes feels tricky to get the correct up-to-date information about the value of your pension, but unless you do, you won’t be able to provide the correct financial information that you need.
A pension can be a valuable asset (sometimes the most valuable asset) which has been built up during your time together. Depending upon the length of your marriage and your ages, you will need to consider your income in retirement.
You will hear the term Cash Equivalent (CE) of your pension. This is the figure that your pension provider will produce when looking at the value of the fund. It is the amount that the pension provider would need to produce if the fund was being transferred from one fund to another. Some pension schemes provide the CE figure when producing their annual statements. It may be necessary to contact your pension provider for the figure. Unless the pension is in payment, the provider has to produce one CE calculation per year free of charge.
The not-for-profit website Advicenow provides a useful free ‘survival guide to pensions’ on divorce here.
The end of a relationship can be a stressful and emotionally challenging time, and pensions may be the last thing on your mind. Gerontology expert and Professor of Sociology at The University of Manchester, Debora Price, together with Dr Hayley James of UCD, have created an informative video, giving free and factual information on how to reach a fair financial settlement – which can be viewed here.
You can get divorced if you have been married for one year. The Divorce Dissolution and Separation Act April 2022 introduces “no-fault” divorce which means the only ground for divorce is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. You will need to provide a statement to that effect.
Most applications for divorce will now be made online although in some circumstances there is still the ability to file a paper application. Click here to access the divorce application process.
You will need to decide if you want to make a joint application with your ex-husband or wife or if you want to apply on your own.
It will take around 6 months to get a divorce and the cost of applying for a divorce is £593.
Once your application has been accepted by the court you can apply for a conditional order after 20 weeks. The purpose of this break period is to allow couples to put in place arrangements for the children and to make financial arrangements following separation. You may need support discussing how you are going to work together as parents and how you will separate your finances. Mediation can help you to do this.
To book an appointment complete our application form or call us on 0300 4000 636
At the end of 20 weeks, you can then apply for a final order. The court will grant the final order after 6 weeks.
Usually, you do not need to appear in court personally to get a divorce and you would not have to appear in court if you have reached an agreement about your children and your finances.
The formal divorce process is supposed to take six months before it becomes legally finalised.
However, a number of factors can influence the length, including the complexity of any issues you need to sort out between you regarding parenting, money or property. You are more likely to avoid delays in finalising your divorce if you are able to agree what will happen for the children, your property and finances. Family mediation will help you settle these important issues so you can move on with your life.
To make an appointment with a mediator complete our booking form or call us on 0300 4000 636
Agreements reached in mediation can be used to form the basis of any court order you might need, including a financial order that will provide certainty for the future.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on the speed at which family courts have been able to operate. This means there are significant delays getting your case into court, if you cannot agree a way forward with your ex and need the court to intervene.
You can get divorced if you have been married for one year. The only “ground” for divorce is that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.
You can apply for a divorce singly, in which case you will be known as the applicant, and your ex-partner known as the respondent, or you can apply for divorce jointly in which case you will both be known as applicants.
In a sole application, the respondent is not able to dispute that the marriage has broken down and can only dispute the application because:
- They dispute the jurisdiction of the court in England and Wales to conduct the proceedings. For example, where neither party lives in or has any other connection with England and Wales;
- They dispute the validity of the marriage or civil partnership. For example, if the parties have not entered into a legally valid marriage;
- The marriage or civil partnership has already been legally ended. For example, if the marriage has already been brought to an end in proceedings outside of England and Wales.
- It will also be possible to challenge proceedings for reasons such as fraud and procedural
Usually, you do not need to appear in court personally to get a divorce.
You can apply for your divorce online at https://www.gov.uk/divorce/file-for-divorce
Or the office at your local County Court who will have the necessary forms to complete.
NFM family mediation services can help you work out arrangements for the children and/or finance and property. Book an appointment with a family mediator here.
There is no such thing as ‘automatic’ divorce. You will need to go through the legal divorce process to achieve divorce.
An application can be made online here : https://www.gov.uk/divorce/file-for-divorce
If you are unable to complete the online process, you can visit your local county court to obtain the relevant forms.
There is only one ground for the dissolution of the marriage. ie. that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.
It generally doesn’t matter who starts the divorce process, and you’re able to make a joint application if that is what you would prefer.
If one of you makes the application the other is notified and has to respond to the application. You will still need to start making arrangements for your children and finances, but the fact that a single or joint application should not make a difference to the court decision providing what you are proposing is fair and the children’s needs are met.
There are other options. You may come across a decree of judicial separation. This can be obtained on the proof of the same five facts as divorce but the decree of judicial separation
does not end the marriage – it just states that you can live separate and apart from each other.
It is sometimes used for religious reasons or where someone does not want a divorce yet they want access to the financial relief claims available.
The marriage could also be annulled. Nullity petitions bring an end to the marriage and the marriage can be treated as void or voidable. Financial relief is also open to the parties to nullity
petitions.
If you do not intend to issue proceedings at this stage then it is possible to incorporate your proposals into a Deed of Separation. As long as there has been full disclosure and you have
received legal advice it is likely that any agreement you record will be upheld by the court at the time when the divorce goes through. If you are not married then your proposals can also be
incorporated into a Deed of Separation.
This is amongst the questions that are most frequently asked when a couple begins divorce planning. It very much depends on your circumstances, and so is not simple to answer.
All sorts of factors will influence the decision about who gets the house, including decisions you make about where the children will live, whether there is a mortgage involved, each person’s financial situation, and so on. Very often it is difficult for a divorcing couple to agree these things.
Whatever the issue, NFM’s family dispute resolution experts can help you settle. So if you need divorce planning help, get in touch. You can book an appointment here.
If you are seeking to dissolve a civil partnership, the process is is the same as for divorce proceedings. The proceedings are started by an application that can be made individually or jointly
There is the conditional and final order, and the grounds are the same – the irretrievable breakdown of the partnership.
Financial matters tie in with the divorce. If you want your proposals to be incorporated in a consent order for the court the divorce must have reached the conditional order stage. The court only
has jurisdiction to make financial orders on or after the conditional order stage, and they are usually brought into effect on final order. With a pension sharing order it is necessary for there to be a final order.
Family mediation can help any family in the process of divorcing or separating.
For people who are divorcing or separating discussions can include:
- How assets will be divided
- What happens to the family home
- Where and how often the children will spend time with each parent
- Their future schooling and social activities, so that you as parents can put in place a full parenting plan now you have separated
- Support payments to be made
- And how children will keep in touch with their extended family and grandparents.
With the help of a mediator, the agenda can be anything you both agree to discuss and mediate.
It is common that you will have different issues that you consider to be the priority, but the mediator will make sure that everyone has the opportunity to discuss their concerns, and that a fair and proper amount of time is given to each person’s priorities.
In this way you will be able to work through all the issues that are affecting your life now you have separated and find common and agreed solutions to the problems.
It may seem like an impossible task to reach any agreement with your ex, but in mediation we have a very high level of success and mediators are familiar and trained to help you address each issue in turn.
Family mediators help you to focus on the future, so discussions will involve looking for practical actions to be taken to help you achieve settlement.
We understand it is an emotional time for all concerned, but by helping you focus on the future and working towards agreed outcomes we will see you through what seems like an impossible task.
The mediator won’t dwell on past issues. And they won’t try to allocate blame or guilt or pass judgement.
For grandparents, mediation can help restore contact to grandchildren and improve relationships with your ex in laws so that the children can continue to benefit from those cherished relationships.
If you are in dispute with your ex, or are having difficulties settling your separation, you may be thinking about court proceedings, and may have heard you need to attend a MIAM.
MIAM stands for Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, and is sometimes known as a MIAM meeting, or MIAM programme.
Before an application can be made to court, you are required to attend a MIAM. The aim of a MIAM is to see if mediation could be used to resolve your difficulties, rather than going to court.
The MIAM is a meeting between you and a mediator to find out if there are alternative ways to find solutions to your problems.
In the MIAM the mediator will explain to you:
- what your options might be.
- what mediation is, and how it works.
- the benefits of mediation and other appropriate forms of resolving disputes.
- the likely costs of using mediation.
- if you are eligible for free mediation and Legal Aid.
The MIAM can be between the mediator and just you, or with your ex-partner too.
To begin family mediation, the first step is to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM).
This gives you an opportunity to find out what family mediation is about. And it helps you find out if it is suitable for you and your circumstances.
It also lets you consider the issues you will need discuss to achieve divorce or separation before you take part in family mediation.
If you and the mediator decide to continue with mediation, you will both organise a further meeting. The mediator will make sure you know what you need to do to achieve a legal separation. The mediator will also help you to gather the information, facilitate the discussions and help you develop options and solutions.
Mediators cannot give advice or act as a lawyer for either party.
Mediation is both confidential and “privileged”.
This means you are free to exchange information and ideas without the constraints of fearing these ideas may be used against you at a later date.
Because both people are working with the same base of information, it takes far less time to negotiate a resolution that makes sense to you both of them.
There are no set rules when it comes to decisions about homes and ownership.
You can make whatever arrangement you like with your partner, but it’s wise to bear in mind the legal position and what a court might decide. And the situation varies depending on whether you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting
There are very few circumstances where your partner can make you leave your home and both partners have the right to remain in the family home, but courts will give priority to making sure children have a secure home.
If you have day-to-day care of the children, the courts can, for example, order the transfer of a joint lease to your sole name if you rent, or, if you’re a homeowner, state that you can stay in your present home until the kids reach the age of 18
Although your home will probably be the biggest financial concern, decisions about housing will be made in the context of the whole divorce settlement. So, for example, child maintenance payments may include mortgage payments.
Will I need to go to court to stay in my house?
In some circumstances you may need to go to court to protect your rights if you fear losing your home now that you have separated and if you can’t reach an agreement with your ex about housing.
There is no set way of dividing your assets now that you have separated and your housing is likely to be one of the largest assets so it is important that you look at the whole picture before deciding on a single decision about housing. The best way to look at your situation in its entirety is to go to mediation. The mediator will help you draw together all the information you both need to make an informed decision about what to do with your possessions, assets and liabilities and how to divide them. Family mediators will be able to help you reach agreement that will ensure that any agreement you reach is equitable and fair; satisfy the legal requirements for divorce or separation; provide for your individual needs now you are separated; and above all ensure that the children’s needs can be met.
It can be daunting and feel counter intuitive to think sitting in a room with your ex sorting out your once shared life will be possible, but mediation works. The mediators are highly trained and skilled at helping you navigate through the decisions you will need to make even if you are no longer on the best of terms
The benefits of mediation are that you will be able to discuss everything that is of concern to you from the smallest detail such as who gets the silver teaspoons to the biggest things like the house, pension, boat, bike, car etc. It means you will be able to tailor your agreements and decisions to meet your unique needs and those of your family whereas going to court often results in decisions being made that don’t really suit anyone’s needs.
Remember also that legal aid is still available for family mediation. You will have to find a mediator who has a legal aid contact and be means tested for eligibility. If you are eligible then mediation is free of charge.
In the unlikely event mediation does not help you come to an agreement, you may need to go to court. The court might order that:
- Ownership stays the same, but one of you is given the right to stay in the property until a fixed point (for example, when your youngest child reaches 18)
- Ownership of the home is transferred to one of you, with perhaps a lesser share of other possessions
- The home is transferred to one of you but with a charge secured on the property, so that the other party receives a set percentage when the home is sold
- The home is sold and the proceeds split between you, in whatever proportions seem fair, for you both to start afresh
- Ownership is transferred to your child.
Selling the family home is often seen as the easiest option if you’re splitting up.
But there can be problems: for example, you might have trouble finding a buyer, or be caught in negative equity (when the value of your home is less than the amount you owe on the mortgage). This could make it impossible to sell and split the proceeds.
You might also struggle to get a mortgage on a new property, especially if you have only a small deposit or if your income is low.
You may need to consider other options, such as one of you staying in the property while the other rents, or living together in the family home in the short-term.
Before you make a decision:
- Budget carefully before committing to a housing arrangement. No matter how tempting it may be to stay in your family home, make sure you can afford to continue living there
- Check out mortgage options, what’s available and what you can afford. Some building society and banks offer Fresh Start mortgages for people starting anew
- Find out if you’re eligible for state benefits to help with your housing costs
- Accept that your lifestyle will change, at least for now, and be prepared to compromise.
What happens if my ex won’t go to mediation? You can contact us to discuss things if this is your situation, but the following information may help in the first instance.
If you are considering mediation because of its many benefits, but then think “What happens if my ex won’t go to mediation?”, this can be a challenge. You may think or know that your ex doesn’t want to try mediation to reach a settlement when you’re separating. It’s difficult in the heat of a conflict to think about trying to negotiate together to get things sorted.
It can seem easier to try to trigger a legal battle that is ultimately going to be far more expensive, more stressful and take much, much longer. But mediation can only work when both people agree to attend.
If your ex–partner won’t initially agree to mediate you can try asking them to attend an appointment on their own to start with. This can help avoid the tensions of facing each other. Your ex can then find out how it all works and make an informed decision about if it is right for them because they’ll have more information.
Most people are naturally quite anxious before they start mediation, but the huge majority of those who do go ahead and try it are greatly relieved that they did. They are often also surprised at the way they were able to finally make agreements and decisions on things that had previously felt it would be impossible to sort. Thankfully in these situations, the question “What happens if my ex won’t go to mediation?” disappears. Contact us today if you still require further assistance
Family mediation does not focus on the emotional upset that separation causes, although experience shows that resolving some of the key issues can help ease stress and anxiety surrounding a break-up.
Family mediation is not about trying to keep couples together but helping them move on to the next stages of their lives.
The Separated Parents Information Programme (SPIP) is designed to help you learn more about the challenges of post-separation parenting. The SPIP provides advice and guidance about how best to help yourself and help your children in your situation.
You can read more about the SPIP using this link
You can find your nearest SPIP provider on the Cafcass website
- Family mediation is much quicker and less stressful than heading straight to court.
- It is usually cheaper too.
- It enables you to shape long-term solutions that are in your family’s best interests.
- Family mediation allows families to keep control of their own destinies. It helps shape settlements over parenting, money and property, instead of handing control over to the courts.
You may have heard about the MIAM. Before applying to court for a decision on finances or parenting, the law requires most people to attend a MIAM with an accredited mediator. This is short for Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting.
It is expected that most people experiencing divorce or separation will take responsibility for their post-separation life.
After all, the families are the experts in their own lives. So the family court expects to be the last resort after all other attempts to settle have failed.
The MIAM gives you an opportunity to find out what mediation is about. You can find out if it is suitable for you and your circumstances. In the MIAM you will look at the issues you have to consider to achieve divorce or separation. And you will be able to assess the situation before taking part in full mediation.
However, undertaking full family mediation is voluntary.
Our mediators will help you proceed with mediation in the most comfortable way for you and your circumstances. However, if it goes ahead both people do need to agree to attend. But in some cases it is possible to make an arrangement whereby both people use separate rooms during family mediation.
*The law makes a small number of exceptions to this rule, for example where domestic violence has occurred or in cases of bankruptcy.
Once you have decided to go ahead with family mediation, contact us.
Then we will quickly begin arranging an appointment for you with one of our expert family mediators.