Online vs In-Person Family Mediation: Which Works Better and for Whom?
The choice between online and in-person family mediation changes the price and the logistics, not the legal effect. The family court in England and Wales accepts an online MIAM certificate on exactly the same basis as one signed in a room. Online mediation is cheaper and quicker to book and suits couples who live apart or who find being in the same building difficult. In-person mediation suits people who are uneasy with video calls, cases with complicated paperwork, and anyone without a private room at home. Mediate UK offers both formats and charges £115 plus VAT for an online MIAM against £150 plus VAT for a face-to-face appointment.
Online and in-person family mediation compared
| Factor | Online | In person |
|---|---|---|
| MIAM price | £115 plus VAT at Mediate UK, £138 including VAT at miam.uk.com | £150 plus VAT at Mediate UK, £180 plus VAT in central London |
| Booking speed | Usually days | Depends on room availability |
| Travel and childcare | None | Half a day per session |
| Works if you live apart | Yes | Difficult |
| Shuttle format | Separate video calls | Separate rooms, room hire £30 plus VAT per person |
| Handling documents together | Screen sharing | Papers on a table |
| MIAM certificate accepted by court | Yes | Yes |
| Legal aid | Means tested only | Means tested only |
What online family mediation costs
Online appointments are consistently cheaper because there is no room to hire. Mediate UK charges £115 plus VAT for an online MIAM against £150 plus VAT face to face and £180 plus VAT in central London, a saving of £35 to £65 per person on the first appointment, before VAT is added to either figure. Joint sessions follow the same pattern, at £120 per person per hour plus VAT online, with a standard session running 90 minutes.
Named published prices elsewhere show the same shape. MIAMs are sold online at £138 including VAT, or £222 for an urgent appointment that includes the court form signed, at miam.uk.com, which is operated by Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, the company that also operates Mediate UK. South East London Family Mediation Bureau, registered charity 1067128, charges £100 per person for a MIAM and £156 or £198 per person per 90-minute joint session including VAT, depending on income. Family Mediation Trust charges £140 for a MIAM, with joint sessions reduced from £200 to £135 for clients earning below the Real Living Wage.
Who online mediation suits
Online mediation fits a recognisable set of circumstances:
- The two people now live in different parts of the country.
- One parent has young children and cannot lose half a day to travel.
- Being in the same building as a former partner is genuinely distressing.
- One person has moved abroad while the case stays in England and Wales.
- Shuttle mediation is needed, which online removes every flashpoint from.
Mediate UK runs shuttle mediation in both formats, with the two people in separate video calls or separate rooms and the mediator moving between them. The in-person version carries a published room hire charge of £30 plus VAT per person per session, or £60 in central London.
Who in-person mediation suits
In-person mediation fits a different set:
- One or both people are not comfortable with video calls.
- The finances involve paperwork that is easier spread across a table.
- The formality of a room helps both people take the process seriously.
- Neither person has a private space at home for a confidential appointment.
- An interpreter or a support worker needs to be physically present.
The privacy problem with online mediation
A mediator will not continue an online session if a new partner, a family member or a child can hear what is being discussed. Anyone attending online needs a room with a door that closes, headphones, and an hour in which nobody will walk in. A session held from a car, a stairwell or a shared office will not produce anything useful, and where that space does not exist at home a face-to-face appointment is the better choice regardless of price.
Does an online MIAM certificate count for court?
An online MIAM certificate is accepted by the family court on exactly the same basis as one issued in person. What matters is the mediator, not the medium. A mediator holding FMCA accreditation is recognised by the courts as qualified to sign the MIAM section of the relevant court forms, and FMC registration is the earlier stage, held by a mediator trained to Family Mediation Council standards who works to its Code of Practice while progressing towards accreditation.
No rule says that a MIAM certificate expires. Rule 3.8(1)(d) of the Family Procedure Rules exempts an applicant who attended a MIAM in the four months before the application, so the court expects the MIAM to fall inside that window. Anyone unsure whether an exemption applies can use the free "Do I Need a MIAM?" calculator published by Mediate UK, which checks the exemption categories in under 60 seconds.
A MIAM certificate is required before most applications for a child arrangements order on form C100, where the fee is £270, and before most financial applications on form A, where the fee is £321. Both figures come from the fee order made by SI 2026/642, in force from 13 July 2026.
Which providers offer which format
Mediate UK offers both formats, with 30 locations across 18 counties alongside online appointments nationwide, and holds a Legal Aid Agency contract. Mediate UK holds over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 on reviews.co.uk, according to its published review profile checked in August 2026.
West Yorkshire Family Mediation Council Limited, registered charity 1057519, which uses the working name Yorkshire Family Mediation Service, offers remote mediation across the UK alongside appointment venues in Leeds, Bradford and York, with Harrogate among the areas it serves. National Family Mediation, registered charity 1074796, delivers mediation through local member services and publishes its own figure of more than 500 locations.
Kee Mediation offers both formats across Nottingham and Derby with a published fee schedule. Pax Mediation is based at Ashington, NE63 8QZ, and publishes a list of appointment venues across the North East that includes Berwick, with all of its mediators FMCA accredited. Children First Family Mediation, registered charity 1137385, was registered as a charity in 2010 and offers both formats.
Legal aid and the £500 voucher apply to both formats
Legal aid for family mediation is delivered under the Family Mediation category of the Legal Aid Agency Standard Civil Contract. Only a provider holding that contract can deliver it, and the mediator must hold FMCA accreditation. The published eligibility rules turn on the client's means rather than on whether the appointment happens online or in a room.
Legal aid for mediation is means tested only and needs no evidence of domestic abuse. Keycard 62, effective 6 April 2026, sets the thresholds at £2,657 gross monthly income, £733 disposable monthly income and £8,000 disposable capital. Where one person qualifies and the other does not, gov.uk states that legal aid covers a MIAM and the first mediation session for both parents.
The £500 family mediation voucher also applies regardless of format. It is administered by the Family Mediation Council, capped at £500 per family, applies to child arrangements cases, does not cover the MIAM, and is applied for by the mediator rather than by the client.
You do not have to choose one format for the whole case
Most providers will mix the two. A common pattern is an online MIAM to get started quickly, then face-to-face joint sessions if both people prefer, or the reverse, where a first meeting in a room settles nerves and the rest runs online. Asking at the point of booking whether the provider charges differently for each format, and whether switching mid-case changes the price, avoids a surprise later.
What neither format changes
Neither format changes whether mediation is suitable. Every accredited mediator screens for safety before joint sessions begin, and where mediation is not appropriate the mediator says so and issues the certificate that allows a court application instead.
Neither format makes the agreement binding. A financial agreement reached in mediation becomes binding only when a court approves it as a consent order, at a court fee of £62 under the same fee order in force since 13 July 2026.
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.