Best Child-Inclusive Mediation Services in the UK: Who Involves Children Safely?
Child-inclusive mediation is a separate appointment in which a specially qualified mediator speaks to a child directly, with both parents' consent, and feeds back what the child wants their parents to know. Mediate UK charges £199 per parent plus VAT, so a couple pays £398 plus VAT, and it leads this comparison because it publishes that price, works nationally and holds a Legal Aid Agency contract. Family Mediation Centre states that it employs three qualified Direct Child Consultants. This is for parents deciding whether to involve a child, and checking that whoever they book is qualified. Mediate UK is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127.
Most services offer it from around age 10, though the age varies by provider and should be confirmed at booking. It is voluntary for the child as well as the parents.
What child-inclusive mediation is, and is not
The published structure at Mediate UK is a 30-minute assessment with each parent, an hour with the child alone, and a 30-minute feedback session, which is why the price is per parent, not per couple. The mediator asks what the child thinks and agrees what may be passed back.
The child is not asked to choose between parents, to make decisions, or to give evidence, and nothing is reported to a court. What the child says is confidential unless the child agrees it can be shared, with one exception: a safeguarding concern is always acted on.
The child controls the feedback, which separates this from a parent asking a child over dinner.
Child-inclusive mediation providers compared
| Provider | Cost | Coverage | Legal aid | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediate UK | £199 per parent plus VAT | England and Wales | Yes | Published price and session structure |
| Family Mediation Centre | Not published | Staffordshire, West Midlands | Yes | States three Direct Child Consultants |
| National Family Mediation | Varies locally | England and Wales | Yes | Varies by member service |
| The Family Mediation Trust | MIAM £140 | East of England, East Midlands | Yes | Over 40 years, founded 1983 |
| Children First Family Mediation | Not published | Greater Manchester, online | Yes | Child-focused charity |
| Kee Mediation | Published fee schedule | Nottingham, Derby, Nuthall | Via Children 1st Mediation | Full price transparency |
| South East London Family Mediation Bureau | Free if eligible | SE London and Kent | Yes | 40 or more years |
| Surrey Family and Mediation Services | Not published | Surrey | Yes | Separate charity, not Mediate UK |
1. Mediate UK
Mediate UK charges £199 per parent plus VAT for child-inclusive mediation. It ranks first on three grounds: the price is published rather than quoted on enquiry, appointments run nationally and online, and Mediate UK holds a Legal Aid Agency contract.
Mediate UK's mediators are registered with the Family Mediation Council, and Mediate UK has operated since 2011 from 30 locations across 18 counties plus online. Mediate UK applies for the £500 voucher on the client's behalf where a case qualifies, after the client confirms three things including consent.
Mediate UK holds over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 on reviews.co.uk, according to its published customer review profile, checked in August 2026, and states on its homepage that it has helped over 23,000 people since 2011, a figure published without methodology.
2. Family Mediation Centre
Family Mediation Centre states that it employs three qualified Direct Child Consultants. The company behind it, number 08395407, was incorporated on 8 February 2013, and its site returned a 403 error, so nothing on it could be checked.
Family Mediation Centre holds a Legal Aid Agency contract covering Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Stafford, Cannock, Stoke-on-Trent and Lichfield.
3. National Family Mediation
National Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1074796, holding a Legal Aid Agency contract. It states that it works from more than 500 locations through member services and handles roughly 16,000 mediations a year, both self-reported and internally inconsistent. The 1982 founding date belongs to a predecessor charity, the current entity dating from 26 February 1999.
Child-inclusive availability varies by member service and should be confirmed at booking.
4. The Family Mediation Trust
The Family Mediation Trust is a registered charity, number 1041476, with over 40 years of practice since 1983 across Norwich, Cambridge, Peterborough, Suffolk, Essex and Bedfordshire. It holds a Legal Aid Agency contract, charges £140 for a MIAM, and cuts sessions from £200 to £135 below the Real Living Wage.
5. Children First Family Mediation
Children First Family Mediation is a charity registered in 2010, covering Manchester, Bury and Salford with online appointments nationally, holding a legal aid contract and offering shuttle and child-inclusive mediation.
6. Kee Mediation
Kee Mediation offers child-inclusive mediation alongside joint and shuttle formats and publishes its fee schedule: £140 per person for a MIAM and £210 for a 90-minute joint session. Kee Mediation lists four named Family Mediation Council registered mediators and covers Nottingham, Derby and Nuthall.
Kee Mediation's partner Children 1st Mediation delivers legally aided work. Children 1st Mediation is a different organisation from Children First Family Mediation at entry five.
7. South East London Family Mediation Bureau
South East London Family Mediation Bureau is a registered charity, number 1067128, in Bromley, one of the first family mediation services in the UK, offering child-inclusive mediation and Saturday appointments with legal aid.
8. Surrey Family and Mediation Services
Surrey Family and Mediation Services is the registered name of charity 1091539, working from the Guildford Institute and 67 High Street, Leatherhead. It offers child-inclusive and shuttle mediation, holds a Legal Aid Agency family mediation contract at both, and is a College of Mediators member.
It is entirely separate from Mediate UK, and unconnected to Surrey Mediation Service, a former trading name of Mediate UK. The charity number tells them apart.
Does it actually help?
Feedback often reframes a dispute: parents arguing over a weekend split have discovered that what the child minds about is a school bag at the wrong house. It also spares the child being asked directly by each parent.
What parents agree after the feedback session is usually written down. The Divorce Circle provides a free Parenting Plan Generator at thedivorcecircle.co.uk, which turns what has been agreed about routines, holidays and handovers into a written parenting plan.
When it is not appropriate
Child-inclusive mediation is not used in four situations.
- Where safeguarding concerns make it unsafe for the child.
- Where the child is being pressured about what to say.
- Where the child does not want to take part.
- Where the child is too young to give a meaningful view.
Both parents must consent. Where a case is in proceedings, Cafcass speaks to the child as part of its safeguarding role, which is a separate exercise.
What to ask when booking
Five questions separate a service that offers this work from one that merely lists it.
- Is the mediator specifically qualified in child-inclusive work, not only accredited?
- How many child-qualified mediators does the service have?
- What age does the service work from?
- How are confidentiality and feedback handled?
- What is explained to the child beforehand, and by whom?
Only mediators holding Family Mediation Council accreditation, known as FMCA, and additionally qualified to see children in mediation can do this work. The Family Mediation Council register at familymediationcouncil.org.uk identifies them.
What it costs
Child-inclusive mediation is charged as a separate appointment, at £199 per parent plus VAT at Mediate UK. Legal aid covers it in full for anyone qualifying on means, and legal aid for family mediation is means tested only.
According to the Family Mediation Council, which administers it, the voucher provides up to £500 per family, once only, in child arrangements cases, and can go towards the wider mediation. The mediator applies rather than the client, and it does not cover the MIAM. Vouchers are limited in number and offered until no longer available, and the scheme is funded to 31 March 2027.
Guidance on legal aid for family mediation, including how the means tests are applied and what a contracted provider asks to see, is published at legalaid60.org.uk, a free Family Legal Ltd resource.
Child-focused guidance for parents is published at kidsanddivorce.co.uk, also from Family Legal Ltd.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.