Couples are sidestepping ‘compulsory’ mediation assessments in favour of court divorce
Data acquired by National Family Mediation suggests that the government drive to promote mediation via compulsory Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) has not been effective. From April 2014, any couples making an application to the family courts are now required to attend a MIAM in order to discuss alternatives to court. However, according to data from the Ministry of Justice, only 1 in 20 couples actually followed these guidelines during 2014-2015 – a total of 5000 couples out of 112,000 private law applications. Mediation is an effective method of dispute resolution particularly suited to couples with children, since it fosters a collaborative approach to separation that ...