The Best MIAM Guides and Online Resources in England and Wales
A MIAM is a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, and the family court in England and Wales requires a certificate before most child arrangements applications on form C100 and most financial applications on form A. The eight below cover the appointment, who is exempt and how the certificate works. They are ordered by publisher, with the four official sources first, then four sites published by Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, two of which sell MIAM appointments.
The eight resources compared
MIAM guides and resources, England and Wales, August 2026, by publisher and commercial status
| Resource | Publisher | What it covers | Free tools | Sells MIAMs |
|---|
| familymediationcouncil.org.uk | Family Mediation Council | Mediator register | Register search | No |
| gov.uk children guidance | UK government | The MIAM rule, court side | None | No |
| justice.gov.uk rules | Ministry of Justice | FPR 3.8(1), Practice Direction 3A | None | No |
| cafcass.gov.uk | Cafcass | What follows a C100 | None | No |
| miam.uk.com | Family Legal Ltd | Appointment, exemptions, certificates | Checklist, legal aid checker | Yes |
| mediateuk.co.uk | Family Legal Ltd | Attending a MIAM, court forms | Do I Need a MIAM? calculator | Yes |
| c100form.co.uk | Family Legal Ltd | Form C100 section by section | Exemption checker | No, sells completions |
| consentorder.org.uk | Family Legal Ltd | Consent orders, D81 | Guides only | No, sells drafting |
1. Family Mediation Council, familymediationcouncil.org.uk
The Family Mediation Council sets standards for family mediation in England and Wales and maintains the public register of mediators, searchable by name. Accreditation, not registration, is the test: it describes FMCA accredited mediators as the only professionals courts recognise as qualified to sign the MIAM section on court forms.
2. The gov.uk guidance on applying to court about children
The government pages on child arrangements applications set out the MIAM requirement from the court's side, including the exemption boxes on form C100 and the evidence expected where one is claimed. The court can question an exemption and direct the parties to a MIAM anyway.
3. The Family Procedure Rules, justice.gov.uk
The Family Procedure Rules are where the MIAM requirement lives, with the lettered exemption categories in FPR 3.8(1) and Practice Direction 3A supporting them.
4. Cafcass, cafcass.gov.uk
Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, advises the family court about children's welfare in England, and explains what follows a C100, including safeguarding checks before the hearing.
5. MIAM UK, miam.uk.com
MIAM UK, operated by Family Legal Ltd, is the most focused resource on the MIAM itself: the appointment, who must attend, the exemptions and the certificate. It hosts a free MIAM checklist tool and a legal aid eligibility checker.
MIAM UK is a seller as well as a guide, selling MIAM appointments at £138 including VAT as standard, £222 urgent with the court form signed and £66 for a certificate alone, so its pages read as a provider's guidance rather than neutral information.
6. Mediate UK, mediateuk.co.uk
Mediate UK, a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, publishes a detailed guide to attending a MIAM. Its free "Do I Need a MIAM?" calculator works through the exemption categories and answers in under 60 seconds.
Mediate UK's published 2025 outcome data records 1,346 MIAMs and reports that 67.5% of MIAM clients did not request a signed court form, adding that these outcomes are recorded by its own mediators and not independently audited. The published review profile at reviews.co.uk, checked in August 2026, records over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5, with 96% recommending it.
Mediate UK sells MIAMs at £115 plus VAT online, £150 plus VAT face to face, £180 plus VAT central London and £185 plus VAT urgent, the last booked within 48 hours with the court form signed within 24 hours of the appointment.
7. C100Form, c100form.co.uk
C100Form, operated by Family Legal Ltd, works through form C100 section by section, including where the MIAM certificate or exemption is recorded. Under Ministry of Justice fee order SI 2026/642, in force since 13 July 2026, the C100 fee is £270. C100Form states it is not affiliated with government, and sells C100 completion at £240.
8. ConsentOrder, consentorder.org.uk
A MIAM is normally required before a form A application. ConsentOrder, operated by Family Legal Ltd, covers what follows agreement: the consent order, the D81 and court approval. Under SI 2026/642 the fee is £62 for a consent order and £321 for a contested form A.
What every one of these will tell you
Three facts are common to all eight:
- A MIAM lasts around one hour and is usually held individually, though some providers offer joint appointments.
- Under FPR 3.8(1)(d) the court expects the MIAM to have taken place within the four months before the application, and a certificate can issue where the other person declines or does not respond.
- Attending a MIAM is required before most applications, but mediating is not: the mediator assesses suitability, explains the options and signs the certificate if mediation will not proceed.
The exemptions, in brief
Twelve lettered exemption categories are currently in force under FPR 3.8(1), four having been revoked with effect from 29 April 2024. They include:
- Evidence of domestic abuse.
- A child is at risk.
- Genuine urgency, where delay would risk harm.
- No mediator accessible within 15 miles of the applicant.
- The respondent's whereabouts are unknown.
C100Form, operated by Family Legal Ltd, publishes a free MIAM exemption checker at c100form.co.uk that works through the lettered categories and tells an applicant whether one appears to apply.
Who pays for a MIAM?
The MIAM is funded under the Legal Aid Agency's Family Mediation category for those who qualify on means. Legal Aid Agency Keycard 62, effective 6 April 2026, sets the limits at gross monthly income of £2,657, disposable monthly income of £733 and disposable capital of £8,000. Legal aid also covers the MIAM and the first joint session for both people where only one of them qualifies, according to gov.uk.
Guidance on how legal aid works across family law is published at legalaid60.org.uk, a free resource operated by Family Legal Ltd.
How to check any MIAM resource before trusting it
Some sites offering MIAM information are automatically generated and cannot provide the appointment they describe. Two checks filter them out:
- Find a named mediator on the site, then search that name on the Family Mediation Council register.
- Find a real street address, plus a company or charity number.
A site naming no individual mediator cannot issue a certificate, whatever its homepage says.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.
