Family Mediation for Grandparents: MIAMs, Exemptions and What to Expect

Why Grandparents Must Attend a MIAM Before Applying to Court

Before you can file a C100 application for a child arrangements order in England or Wales, the law requires you to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting — a MIAM. This is a short, individual session with an accredited family mediator who assesses whether mediation could resolve the dispute without a court hearing.

The requirement comes from the Children and Families Act 2014. If you submit a C100 without a signed MIAM certificate or a valid exemption, the HMCTS gatekeeping team will reject your application.

For grandparents, the MIAM can feel like an unnecessary barrier — particularly when you are already caring for a child full-time and simply need the court to formalise an arrangement that is already happening. But the session itself is typically 30 to 45 minutes, and the mediator's role is to explain your options, not to pressure you into mediation.

What Happens at a MIAM

The mediator will ask about your relationship with the child, the circumstances that brought the child into your care, and whether both sides might be open to reaching an agreement outside of court. They will also check whether legal aid or the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme could cover the cost of mediation sessions.

If the mediator decides mediation is not suitable — for example, because the parent has no contact with the child or there is a domestic abuse history — they will sign the MIAM certification section of your C100 form. That signature is all you need to proceed with your application.

If the mediator thinks mediation could work, you are not obliged to go through with it. Attending the MIAM satisfies the legal requirement. Whether you then choose mediation or proceed straight to court is your decision.

MIAM Exemptions for Grandparents

Several situations allow you to skip the MIAM entirely by self-certifying an exemption on Form C100:

• Domestic abuse evidence — police caution or conviction records, a protective injunction, a letter from a domestic abuse support service, or medical evidence of abuse-related injuries
• Child protection concerns — the child is subject to a local authority child protection plan or active Section 47 enquiries
• Urgency — there is immediate risk to the child's safety, or a real threat the child will be removed from the country
• Previous MIAM attendance — you attended a MIAM about the same dispute within the past four months
• No accessible mediator — no accredited mediator within 15 miles and remote mediation cannot be arranged

If you claim an exemption without valid evidence, the court may pause your case and order you to attend a MIAM before proceedings continue.

How to Find an Accredited Mediator

Only mediators registered with the Family Mediation Council (FMC) have the authority to sign the MIAM section of your C100. You can search the FMC's directory by postcode. Many mediators offer sessions by video call, which is useful if you are in a rural area or have mobility difficulties.

Funding the MIAM and Mediation

A MIAM typically costs between £90 and £150. Legal Aid can help eligible applicants, and the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme offered additional support through its extension to March 2026; check whether it has since been extended:

Legal Aid for Mediation covers the full MIAM cost for people on low incomes who pass the Legal Aid Agency means test. If one party qualifies, the other party's MIAM is also covered.

The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme offered up to £500 per family toward joint mediation sessions following the MIAM and was extended through March 2026. Check GOV.UK or ask a mediator whether it has since been extended. The voucher did not cover the initial MIAM assessment fee — only the sessions that came after it.

When Mediation Actually Helps

Mediation works best when both sides are willing to talk and the disagreement is about the details of an arrangement — how often contact happens, handover logistics, holiday schedules. A consent order agreed through mediation still needs court approval, but it avoids contested hearings, saving months and significant stress.

Mediation is less likely to work when a parent is absent, incarcerated, dealing with active addiction, or has a history of abuse. In those situations, the MIAM exists to confirm that mediation is not appropriate and clear the path to a court application.

What Comes After the MIAM

Once the mediator has signed your C100 or you have documented a valid exemption, you can submit your application to the Family Court. The £270 court fee applies, though you may qualify for a full or partial waiver through the Help with Fees scheme using Form EX160.

Our Child Arrangements Order Process Guide walks through every step from the MIAM to the final hearing, including the permission requirement that grandparents face and the forms you need to file.

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