If you are considering making any sort of court application about a family matter – be that about the time your children spend with each parent, or about financial issues following on from separation/divorce then you MUST now attend a MIAM.
By the way, this isn’t a new thing, it has been in place now for almost 10 years!!
So why do you have to attend a mediation, information and assessment meeting (MIAM) Well it is not just about getting a court form that you need, and mediators aren’t allowed to just give you out a form without first understanding the situation you are looking to resolve, and the challenges, as well as explaining the different options available to you to make the best possible choice for your family.
The reason for the MIAM is to make sure as many people as possible are diverted away from the courts as possible, as it is widely know that courts are not the best place for families to resolve disputes about there children or their finances. We know that things often get worse before they get better and rarely anyone is happy with what a Court orders them to do. There are long delays in the court, in some cases taking over a year, this is stressful and very expensive for families!
The MIAM meeting must be with an Accredited Family Mediator and should last a minimum of 45 mins save for exceptional circumstances. There are now very few reasons that you can apply for an exemption from attending.
A court won’t accept your application now unless you have attend a MIAM meeting, and it can now cause delays for you and your family if you do not attend a MIAM before making the application to court. A court will now also want you to fill in another form to explain why you have not tried to sort things out between you. If they are not happy with your reasoning then you are likely to be delayed even further and be directed back to a Non Court Dispute Resolution – Mediation; Collaborative law; early neutral evaluation (finances).
The MIAM is a confidential meeting, in which you can tell the Mediator about your situation that you are in, explain any concerns or fears that you may have, and give you information about mediation and other ways in which you can solve the dispute outside of court (Non Court Dispute Resolution).
At the MIAM, we will give you the information you will need to understand what you need to do next and how to make sure you know your options to enable you to make an informed decision. At Children 1st Mediation we deal with Children and Financial issues. We are specialist Family Mediators which means we are focussed purely on helping families to achieve the best possible outcomes for them and any children that they may have. You can be assured that we provide a high quality service to all our clients, at the least possible cause and with the least possible stress.
In the MIAM we can explain the latest government initiatives to support people coming to mediation that could help you, whether that is Legal Aid or the £500 Voucher Scheme .
Our Mediators are trained and experienced and are accredited by the Family Mediation Council (FMC). Only FMCA mediators can sign court forms. We also have 5 Mediators who are trained to meet with Children as part of the process.
Most mediation now takes place from the comfort of your own home, on a virtual platform, and with the financial support to attend for this on low income, and for those talking about Child arrangements what have you got to loose.
Contact us for more information and to find outlaw we can help 0800 061 4905
