Guidance

Legal aid: family mediation

Find specific information and funding guidance so you can run your mediation service according to Legal Aid Agency (LAA) contracts.

Applies to England and Wales

Mediation for family cases

As family mediators, you’re trained to help separating couples reach money, property and childcare agreements without going to court.

Clients may qualify for legal aid to help with mediation costs should a dispute arise from a family relationship.

Clients applying to the family court to resolve disputes over children or finances legally need to prove they’ve considered mediation first.

However, if this doesn’t work, your clients can go to the family court to resolve their dispute. But only:

  • if they can prove to the judge that they’ve been to a ‘mediation information and assessment meeting’ with a family mediator but the mediation was unsuitable
  • if they’re exempt from considering mediation, e.g. if domestic violence is involved

Key documents

Family mediation guidance manual v6 (September 2024) (PDF, 404 KB, 32 pages)

Mediation claims

Submit a claim you’ve done on mediation cases

Use the claim forms to report work you’ve carried out as a provider of family mediation. But first read the above guidance and also the 2018 Standard Civil Contract

Updates to this page

Published 1 June 2014
Last updated 5 September 2018 + show all updates
  1. Updated with version 5 of family mediation guidance manual

  2. Updated link for submitting mediation claims

  3. Guidance manual updated for November 2014

  4. Family mediation guidance manual draft 2014 published.

  5. First published.

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