Family Mediation Accreditation

Our Family Mediation Accreditation is a recognised quality standard for practitioners who carry out mediation.

It covers all issues arising from family relationship breakdown where mediation is appropriate.Accredited: Family mediation, mint green badge logo | The Law Society

Membership qualifies you to hold mediation information and assessment meetings (MIAMs) and conduct publicly funded and private client mediation.

The Law Society is a member organisation of the Family Mediation Council (FMC).

We require our accredited members to meet and work to the standards set by the FMC.

Members of our Family Mediation Accreditation are also members of the FMC and hold Family Mediation Accredited (FMCA) status.

Eligibility

To apply for the Family Mediation Accreditation, you must be a:

  • solicitor
  • legal executive
  • trainee solicitor
  • case worker

The accreditation subscribes to the FMC’s Professional Standards and Self-Regulatory Framework (PDF 987 KB).

You must:

  • be a member of another FMC organisation
  • be in good standing with your FMC member organisation
  • be under the supervision of a professional practice consultant (PPC)
  • have had at least 10 hours of one-to-one, principally face-to-face support from your PPC
  • have a post-training review with your PPC
  • observe or co-mediate a mediation session conducted by a Family Mediation Council accredited (FMCA) mediator
  • have at least one mediation session observed by your PPC
  • take a minimum of three cases (including an AIM case) or four cases (without an AIM case) to completion in the last two years
  • have undertaken at least 10 hours of family mediation-related continuing professional development
  • have undertaken four hours of time with a PPC in each year and complete a further 10 hours’ time with your PPC before submitting your portfolio

All Family Mediation Accreditation members are bound by the FMC’s Code of Practice (PDF 98 KB).

How to apply

There are two routes to apply for the Family Mediation Accreditation:

  • passporting route
  • portfolio route

To apply for the passporting route, you’ll need to be a family mediator who has been competence assessed or accredited under one of the following schemes:

  • Legal Services Commission (LSC) scheme
  • LSC scheme as previously run by the former UK College of Family Mediators
  • LSC scheme as previously run by the Family Mediation Council
  • Family Mediation Council’s Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) scheme
  • FMA or Resolution accreditation routes and awarded FMCA status as of 1 January 2015
  • Family Mediation Council Accreditation from 1 January 2015

To apply for the portfolio route, you’ll need to:

  • complete a training course
  • submit a detailed application

The accreditation process takes around six to eight weeks.

It can take longer if we receive high volumes of applications or if you do not give us all the information we need.

Find out how to apply

Re-accreditation

Membership of the Family Mediation Accreditation lasts for three years.

You can apply to be re-accredited up to three months before your accreditation expires.

Find out about re-accreditation

Cost

You’ll need to pay for an application and a membership fee to be accredited.

You must not pay when you submit your application. We’ll send you an invoice when we receive your application.

Application fees are not-refundable.

Application Application fee Membership fee Total (including VAT)
Initial accreditation £250 £0 £300
Re-accreditation £250 £0 £300

 

Other fees Cost Total (including VAT)
 Late application  £103 £123.60
 Certificate re-issue £10 £12
 Appeal against decision to refuse accreditation £258 £309.60

 

Promoting your accreditation

We have a range of free materials such as logos, certificates and window stickers for you to use. 

Order promotional materials

Current members

Download a list of Family Mediation Accreditation members (PDF 416 KB)

This list is updated monthly.

Contact us

Call: 020 7320 5797

Email: accreditation@lawsociety.org.uk

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

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