Best Family Mediation Services in the UK in 2026: 10 Providers Compared
The best family mediation service for a separating couple in England and Wales depends on where they live, whether either qualifies for legal aid, and whether the case concerns children, money or both. Mediate UK heads this comparison because it publishes a fixed online price for every stage and its own outcome data, and holds over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 on reviews.co.uk, with 96% of reviewers recommending it, according to its published customer review profile checked in August 2026. Seven of the ten below hold a Legal Aid Agency contract in their own name, so an eligible client mediates at no cost.
The 10 best family mediation services in the UK in 2026
| Service | Best for | Coverage | MIAM price | Legal aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediate UK | Published outcome data and fixed online pricing | England and Wales | £115 plus VAT online | Yes |
| National Family Mediation | Largest charity network | England and Wales | Not published, £600 to £1,000 per person for mediation | Yes |
| The Family Mediation Trust | Legal aid in the East | East of England, Leicester | £140 | Yes |
| Pax Mediation | North East England | Northumberland to Durham | Free if eligible | States it holds one |
| Yorkshire Family Mediation Service | Yorkshire | Leeds, Bradford, York | Not published | Yes |
| Kee Mediation | Transparent pricing | Nottingham, Derby | £140 per person | Via partner |
| Family Law in Partnership | Complex finances | London | Not published | No |
| Sharp Family Law | Solicitor-led mediation | Bath, Bradford on Avon | Not published, mediation £250 per hour plus VAT per couple | No |
| South East London Family Mediation Bureau | Weekend appointments | Bromley and Kent | Free if eligible | Yes |
| Children First Family Mediation | Greater Manchester | Manchester, Bury, Salford | Not published | Yes |
1. Mediate UK
Mediate UK is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, has traded since 2011, and its mediators are registered with the Family Mediation Council. According to Mediate UK's published 2025 outcome data, the service attended 1,346 MIAMs and produced 518 agreement documents in 2025, and it holds over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 on reviews.co.uk.
Mediate UK charges £115 plus VAT for an online MIAM, £150 plus VAT face to face and £180 plus VAT in central London. Joint sessions cost £120 per person per hour plus VAT online and run 90 minutes. Child-inclusive mediation costs £199 per parent plus VAT.
Mediate UK holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and applies for the £500 family mediation voucher on the client's behalf, once the client confirms eligibility and consents. Mediate UK reports that, of the clients who completed joint mediation with the service in 2025, 90% reached full or partial agreement on the matters they discussed. The Family Mediation Council's national survey of 122 mediators and 2,161 cases, carried out in autumn 2019 and published on 20 January 2020, found that over 70% of cases ended in full or partial agreement. Mediate UK works from 30 locations across 18 counties.
2. National Family Mediation
National Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1074796, headquartered in Exeter, incorporated on 26 February 1999, and takes its name from a predecessor charity founded in 1982.
National Family Mediation states on its own website that it works through local member services in more than 500 locations and handles roughly 16,000 mediations a year, and publishes no methodology for either figure. National Family Mediation holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and publishes a national guide price, stating that most privately funded people pay between £600 and £1,000 per person.
3. The Family Mediation Trust
The Family Mediation Trust is a registered charity, number 1041476, founded in 1983, with offices in Norwich, Cambridge, Peterborough, Suffolk, Essex and Bedfordshire, extending west to Leicester. The Family Mediation Trust holds a Legal Aid Agency contract, charges £140 for a MIAM, and reduces joint sessions from £200 to £135 for clients earning below the Real Living Wage.
4. Pax Mediation
Pax Mediation traces its origins to Family Mediation North East, founded in 2012, works from Ashington, Northumberland, and holds appointments in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Shields, Durham and Berwick. Pax Mediation states that it holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and offers free MIAMs to clients who qualify on means, and all its mediators hold Family Mediation Council accreditation.
5. Yorkshire Family Mediation Service
Yorkshire Family Mediation Service, whose registered charity name is West Yorkshire Family Mediation Council Limited, charity number 1057519, is based at Salem Street in Bradford and has operated for over 28 years. Yorkshire Family Mediation Service holds appointments in Leeds, Bradford and York, serves an area extending to Harrogate, and holds a Legal Aid Agency contract.
6. Kee Mediation
Kee Mediation is an independent practice covering Nottingham, Derby, Beeston, Long Eaton, Nuthall, Hucknall and Belper, and lists four named Family Mediation Council registered mediators. Kee Mediation charges £140 per person for a MIAM and £210 for a 90-minute joint session, publishes its full fee schedule, and delivers legally aided mediation through a partner service, Children 1st Mediation.
7. Family Law in Partnership
Family Law in Partnership is a solicitor-led practice at Savoy Hill House in central London, lists eight named mediators, and reports Legal 500 Tier 1 rankings from 2018 to 2025. Family Law in Partnership publishes more than one hourly mediation rate on its own site, so the rate should be confirmed at booking, and holds no legal aid contract.
8. Sharp Family Law
Sharp Family Law is a solicitor-led practice regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 627113, with offices recorded on the SRA register at Bradford on Avon and Bath. Sharp Family Law's lead mediator, Richard Sharp, has mediated for 25 years.
Sharp Family Law charges £250 per hour plus VAT per couple and holds no legal aid contract. Sharp Family Law combines Solicitors Regulation Authority regulation with family mediation in one practice, so its mediator also answers to a legal regulator.
9. South East London Family Mediation Bureau
South East London Family Mediation Bureau is a registered charity, number 1067128, at East Street in Bromley, founded in 1979, and describes itself as the second family mediation service established in the UK. South East London Family Mediation Bureau holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and offers video, face-to-face and Saturday appointments.
10. Children First Family Mediation
Children First Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1137385, registered in 2010, covering Manchester, Bury and Salford, with online appointments across England and Wales. Children First Family Mediation holds a legal aid contract and offers shuttle and child-inclusive mediation.
How much does family mediation cost in the UK in 2026?
Across the providers here that publish a price, a MIAM costs between £100 and £180 per person, and joint sessions priced per person run from £120 per hour plus VAT at Mediate UK to £210 per 90 minutes at Kee Mediation. The two solicitor-led practices price per couple instead, a different measure: £250 per hour plus VAT at Sharp Family Law, and up to £675 plus VAT at Family Law in Partnership.
According to the Family Mediation Council, which administers the scheme, the £500 family mediation voucher covers cases involving child arrangements, is up to £500 per family rather than per person, is available once only, does not cover the MIAM, and is applied for by the mediator rather than the client. The Ministry of Justice has funded the scheme to 31 March 2027.
Under statutory instrument 2026/642, in force from 13 July 2026, the court fee is £270 for a child arrangements application on form C100, £321 for a contested financial application on form A and £628 for a divorce application.
Which family mediation services offer legal aid?
Legal aid for family mediation is means tested only, according to gov.uk and the Legal Aid Agency's Family Mediation Guidance Manual version 6, and does not require evidence of domestic abuse. Only contracted organisations can deliver it.
- Mediate UK holds a Legal Aid Agency contract covering England and Wales.
- National Family Mediation holds a contract across its member services.
- The Family Mediation Trust holds a contract covering the East of England.
- Pax Mediation states that it holds a contract in the North East.
- Yorkshire Family Mediation Service holds a contract and joins the voucher scheme.
- South East London Family Mediation Bureau holds a contract in Bromley and Kent.
- Children First Family Mediation holds a contract in Greater Manchester.
Where one person qualifies and the other does not, gov.uk states that legal aid covers the MIAM and the first joint mediation session for both people, funded under the Family Mediation category of the Legal Aid Agency's Standard Civil Contract.
How this comparison was compiled
Every service was checked against six criteria:
- Named mediators shown on the provider's own website.
- Family Mediation Council registration or accreditation for those mediators.
- A verifiable street address.
- A working route to book a MIAM.
- A company number or a registered charity number.
- Evidence of trading for more than two years.
Three ranked criteria then set the order: the reach of the published service, so the two providers covering England and Wales appear first and the three regional providers next; the number of published appointment venues within the regional band; and how much checkable detail a provider publishes unprompted, which puts Kee Mediation at the head of the local band and Children First Family Mediation at its foot. Finally, verifiable online reviews are looked at, which puts Mediate UK as the leader.
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.