Every month, we will be sharing all the exciting things occurring within the FMA. This is the best place to find out what is happening in the FMA community, and a great opportunity for us to share relevant information and connect with our FMA members.
We hope you enjoy!
The FMA is the only member of the FMC dedicated to representing the interests of professional family mediators, whatever their background, together with the interests of the families who need help from those professionals. With a wider membership it is easier for us and our members to continue to challenge and support the FMC and the Government to promote family mediation of the highest standard – a strong FMA means a strong profession.
Check your inbox for details on how to renew, or renew through the member’s area of our website:
Renew your membership – Members Area – The Family Mediators Association
Family Mediation Week will be returning next month with a range of events and webinars aimed at raising awareness for the family mediation profession- and the FMA is a sponsor!
‘Family Mediation Week is an opportunity to raise awareness of family mediation and of the benefits it can bring to separating families. Our aim is to let more people know about the benefits of family mediation and encourage separating couples to think about family mediation as a way of helping them take control, make decisions together and build a positive future for their family.’ (FMC)
If you would like to get involved in Family Mediation Week, you can check out the finalised timetables below:
You can find more details on Family Mediation Week on the FMC website here: https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/fmw/
The FMC have announced the new Portfolio Template and Guidance for achieving accreditation. The thoughtful improvements have been developed based on assessor feedback to make it easier for mediators to demonstrate required competencies. No new standards have been introduced, just clearer structure and explanations.
Both the new template and guidance are available on the FMC website, along with existing resources for portfolio preparation. There is a transition period, so mediators already working on their portfolio can continue using the old template until December 2026 without needing approval of FMC.
Find out more here: FMCA Portfolio Guidance and Template – Family Mediation Council
Family Solutions Group Meeting
On Monday 17 November, the Family Solutions Group (FSG) marked a significant milestone, bringing together colleagues, partners, and supporters to call for a Commissioner for Separated Families and to reflect on five years of work dedicated to improving the experience of separating families.
Formed in 2020 by the then Mr Justice Cobb, the FSG is a voluntary collective of multi-disciplinary professionals. Its mission remains clear: highlight the voice of the child and champion better-managed separation so children’s needs are recognised, protected, and prioritised.
It was announced that FMA Board Member Carlie Norris will be the new chair of the FSG, taking over from Helen Adam who did a great deal of important work for separating families and mediation, especially for children.
Many of you will have attended the FSG celebration last month, but for those who did not, you can find a summary of the event attached here:
We are all intrigued and perplexed, if not a little scared, by the advent of AI and its potential benefits and challenges for ourselves and for families. An FMA sub-group, led by Board Member Joanna Gosling, is finalising some initial guidelines for FMA members, which will hopefully accompany the next Newsletter in January 2026. The Family Mediation Council is also actively working on initial Guidance, and we will make sure we continue to liaise.
Once we have Guidance in place, we will continue the task of working with the FMC and the other Member Organisations to make sure that there is, if at all possible, common Guidance across the profession.
As you all know by now, the 2026 FMA Conference in Northampton 14-15 April is on the topic of both Authentic and Artificial Intelligence, and there will be plenty of opportunity there to discuss the Guidance and how we move forward.
Find out more about the conference, and register here: FMA Annual Conference – The Family Mediators Association
Pathfinder Courts have been piloted in some areas for three years now, but the roll-out is increasing, and there is now a likelihood there will be a national roll-out. Both the President of the Family Division and the Government clearly see this is the way forward – to clear backlogs, provide safety for those who are abused, and to put children first.
Whilst the process is still under review, the FMA is aware that this is a crucial time to take the opportunity to influence the potentially game-changing impact on children and parents of the Pathfinder roll-out, and this is something the Standards Group will be working on at a number of levels.
Can those of you with Pathfinder in your area help us by letting us have any experiences you have so far of the pilots and their impact on mediation, and of any attempts you may have made to engage with those running the pilots? We’d be most grateful if you could send any brief reflections to the FMA Office at info@forgiving-black-bear.45-157-41-64.cpanel.site – if possible before you break for the festive season.
The new Fifth Edition of Lisa Parkinson’s “Family Mediation” has just been published by Lexis Nexis, described in his Foreword by Sir Andrew McFarlane as “as comprehensive and authoritative as any work on this important topic could be.” Edited by FMA Board members Neil Robinson and Philippa Johnson, it’s the first thorough updating for many years, and remains the ‘bible’ for FMA, if not all family mediators – whether you’re new to the profession or you’ve mediated for ever!
FMA Foundation Course trainees get a copy as part of their course fee, but we suggest that all mediators and services review whether their edition is as up to date as it could be, and get themselves the new edition if they can – even if it’s to share between a few of you.
FMA members get a 15% discount if you apply the following coupon code on checkout: 604885
Get your copy here: https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/store/special-offers/family-mediators-association-discount.html
The FMC Domestic Abuse Toolbox is expected imminently. There have been significant indications this autumn of a change of attitude by Government, Courts and others towards abuse, the impact on children, “parental involvement,” and on alienating behaviours. These key documents are all essential reading as the background to the Toolbox:
See also a few interesting examples of all this in practice:
We would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who attended the FMA courses this year!
Our courses are essential in nurturing the mediation community and ensuring the continued advance of the profession through sharing ideas and developing new skills.
Our 2026 course are now live on the FMA website, check them out here:
Already a family mediator? – Training Hub – The Family Mediators Association