Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting
- pre-application protocol
To persuade more couples to use mediation to resolve their disputes, Court Rules have changed and from 6 April 2011 anyone wishing to issue particular specified family proceedings must attend a “Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting” with a suitably qualified Family Mediator. This system is similar to a process that has been required of parties wishing to obtain public funding for some time.
At the meeting the mediator will:
- explain the mediation process and the role of a mediator
- if appropriate, make an assessment for public funding for mediation
- Assess suitability of the issues for mediation.
An applicant can set up a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting with or without the help of a solicitor.
Apart from some specified circumstances, the court will expect both parties to have attended a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting prior to their making a relevant application, and if this isn’t done the judge may suspend proceedings while it is.
Raworths Family Mediation Service is the longest established Family Mediation service in the Harrogate area and has been operating for over ten years. We have two ‘Category A’ Family Mediators, approved by the Legal Services Commission, Zoe Robinson and Eric Clarkson; both are qualified to conduct Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings.
The cost of a MIAM meeting, limited to 45 minutes, is £80 + VAT per party (£96) payable in advance of the appointment. In the event that a party is eligible for public funding we will refund his/her payment and instead accept payment from the Legal Services Commission (LSC)
TO REQUEST A MEDIATION INFORMATION AND ASSESSMENT MEETING WITH ONE OF OUR FAMILY MEDIATORS please either:
- Complete and our ONLINE REFERRAL FORM, or
- Download the form from the link in the margin, complete it and either email it to familymediation@raworths.co.uk, or post it to us.
See the Practice Direction 3A ‘Pre-action Protocol for Mediation Information and Assessment’ for more information about the requirements.
If you have any queries please contact zoe.robinson@raworths.co.uk or jo.broadhead@raworths.co.uk
