This Guidance is issued by the Ministry of Justice and comes into effect immediately to provide improved access to mediation services and prevent court delays.

The pre-application protocol for family Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAM) came into effect on 6 April 2011.

There will be instances where self-funding individuals will attend court and be unaware of the need to have MIAM. Or they may be referred to a MIAM at the first hearing.  It has been agreed by the Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly MP that mediators ought to be able to charge those that are self-funded for the MIAM or Mediation Sessions within the court precinct.