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!
Family Mediation Week has just come to a close after a successful week of activity focused on raising awareness of family mediation!
The Family Mediation Council did a fantastic job at bringing together mediators, legal professionals, and members of the public through a programme of free online webinars and local events across the UK. Key themes explored in the sessions included children’s voices in family separation, best practice in complex cases, and how mediation can work alongside legal processes to reduce conflict and improve outcomes for families.
The FMA were proud to have our very own FMA board members taking part in the discussion, with Philippa Johnson chairing a discussion with ‘This Morning’ Agony Aunt Deidre Sanders on family separation, and FMA Vice Chair Claire Webb speaking at a session on kinship mediation and mediation in social care.
With strong engagement throughout the week, Family Mediation Week once again highlighted mediation as a cost-effective, child-focused and forward-looking option for families navigating change, while reinforcing the importance of early signposting and collaboration across the family justice sector.
We hope everyone who attended had a great experience!
The promised draft Guidance is on its way. In the meantime, don’t forget to book for the Conference in Northampton – the Early Bird Rate will soon expire. If the FMA is to continue to meet the needs of its members, it’s so important that we come together on occasions such as this, not least to support the hard voluntary work of the people who set the conferences up. The first timetable is just about to appear, and more guests and speakers are soon to be announced.
The FMA’s 2026 Conference ‘AI – Authentic Intelligence for Family Mediators and for Children and Families in Conflict’ will take place on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th April 2026 at the Mercure Hotel, Northampton.
This is NOT a conference about Artificial Intelligence!
Through group work, authoritative presentations, and workshops, our ambition will be to:
We are excited to announce that our new Vice President, Professor Bryan Clark, will deliver the 2026 John Cornwell Lecture on ‘Authenticity in Mediation’, raising questions and stimulating our conversations and debate.
Register Here: FMA Annual Conference – The Family Mediators Association
Check out the programme here: 2026 Programme at a glance
Matt joined the Mediation First team in 2024. He trained as a family mediator in 2022, as a natural progression from a career working in youth justice over the past 25 years. Through his varied work with young offenders, community mentoring programmes, schools support and charity leadership, Matt’s empathic, relational and calm approach has been tested and developed. He has seen and experienced the necessity and transformation of a mediator holding space for difficult conversations and is excited to be able to assist clients to navigate these challenges. Matt wholeheartedly believes that every voice is important, and brings his values, motivation and experience into his family mediation work. He also enjoys discussion, group learning and encouraging others, so is excited to be on the YFMA team supporting those on their mediation journey.
I’m a WTA family mediator and former BBC radio presenter, now serving on the FMA Board. I run Way Forward Mediation, care about helping families have calmer conversations and avoid unnecessary conflict, and really enjoy supporting new mediators as they find their feet.
Isabel OakleyIsabel Oakley Chapman MBE is an FMA trained Family Mediator WTA. Isabel joined the Young Family Mediators Association Board in February 2025. Isabel has worked with Children and Families for over a decade in a range of complex settings, including as a Designated Safeguarding Officer. Isabel has worked with many couples and families during crisis situations and separation, supporting around conflict, childcare arrangements, child protection and complex safeguarding. Isabel is a Safe Lives trained YPVA (Young Person’s IDVA) and an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor. Isabel re-trained as a Family Mediator to better support families with a more practical, structured approach.
I am a WTA having passed Stage One of the pilot portfolio scheme. I am currently trying to get the right cases for completion of Stage 2. I used to work within hospitality before starting as a trainee mediator and completing an LLB with the University of Law. I was drawn to family mediation as I am passionate about people being able to work together to make the best decisions for their lives.
I am an accredited family mediator living in Newcastle. Ever since I first had experience of it I have been passionate about family justice and frontline service; both of which I have been fortunate to explore and deliver studying my undergraduate degree at Durham University and then whilst volunteering for, and eventually being employed by, the Citizen Advice Bureau. Following my graduation, I had the opportunity to observe my now colleagues and supervisors; and I have been an ardent advocate for mediation ever since.
Summera KauserI’m currently working towards accreditation at Vollans Mediation. With the wider need in my community alongside protracted costly litigation, I was inspired to become a mediator which led to mediating in civil and SEND disputes. Through various forms of education, training, experience and employment I have worked with conflict and resolution. I enjoy working with clients using a collaborative approach and it has been rewarding to support families in finding lasting resolution. I was instrumental in getting Young Family Mediators Association off the ground with the hope of engaging professional new mediators as well for mediation to become more accessible for everyone. I enjoy meeting new YFMA members, conversing with our YFMA members at the monthly online YFMA forums and on the YFMA WhatsApp group.
Whether you’re new to the profession, or you’ve been mediating for some time, sharing experiences with peers can lead to new connections, supportive networks, and opportunities for development. The FMA is proud of its history connecting members of the mediation profession together, as well as its work broadening the horizons of our industry. Our Young FMA forum is an inclusive group set up to do just this. Open to everyone, whether newly trained, new to mediation or with experience of mediating – all are welcome!
The Young FMA meets virtually once a month to discuss a variety of topics that are important to its members. To give everyone a chance to meet each other, we spend time together as one group as well as time in smaller breakout rooms. Since founding, the group has held forums to explore building property and finance experience, MIAMs, working towards accreditation, and has hosted many guests, including Lisa Parkinson and FMA Chair, Anna Vollans.
Collaboration is at the heart of the group, and we also maintain an active WhatsApp group, where members share news, materials of interest and other opportunities.
The Young FMA is open to all FMA members, to get involved contact info@thefma.co.uk
We are pleased to announce that there will be a further FMA PPC Forum at 12.30pm – 1.30pm on Tuesday 17 March. The main topic will be the redrafting of PPC Contracts – which we are indeed currently finalising, so that we have a template to share with you!
We know that PPCs play a vital role in supporting mediators in practice. The forum will provide a dedicated space for PPCs to:
This forum is only available to FMA members. If you are a PPC and would like to join this session, an email with details on how to register will be sent to all FMA members, so please check your inbox. Once you have registered, you will receive joining instructions. If you have not received this email, please contact info@thefma.co.uk
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.
Last time we asked you to let us know if you had any experience to share, and we repeat that request here: 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 are in the throes of putting together a paper for senior judiciary about the place of mediation in the process and would still love to hear from you – the feedback from mediators is very mixed!
We’d be most grateful if you could send any brief reflections to the FMA Office at info@thefma.co.uk
Online mediation using video conferencing technology is becoming increasingly common in family law, particularly since the covid-19 pandemic. We are conducting a research study to better understand how and when online family mediation is used in England and Wales, how suitability is assessed, the benefits and challenges involved, and whether current training and guidance could be improved. If you are a family mediator in England and Wales, we would greatly value your input in our research project. The first phase of the study is an online survey, which should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete. Your input will help shape future practice and support improvements in training and guidance. You can find out more about the research study and complete the survey using this link: Online Family Mediation
We would like to thank you in advance for taking the time and effort to complete the survey. If you have any questions about the survey or research study, please do not hesitate to contact the lead research, Dr Amy Sixsmith at amy.sixsmith@sunderland.ac.uk
Anticipating a surge of interest after Family Mediation Week, we are going to pilot a different model at the next IAFM course, in Stafford on Wednesday 18 March. This will be a one-day course but with the expectation there will be a non-obligatory second practice day to follow at a later stage if it proves viable. So if you have been put off the Integrated Training because of the need to spend consecutive days out of the office, we hope this option will appeal more. We look forward to seeing you there or at other courses later in the year:
📅 18th March 2026
🕒10am – 4:30pm
👤 Neil Robinson & Philippa Johnson
📌Stafford
This course is FMA’s flagship Advanced Training Course, for mediators who want to adopt a holistic and flexible approach, drawing on a variety of skills, strategies and resources. It is suitable for those interested in inviting other professionals or family members into the mediation space and in making use of strategies used by non-family mediators and others, in a principled and professional way.
On this occasion we are piloting a first independent day of FMA’s course focusing primarily on theoretical underpinnings and the practice of integrated mediation and lawyer-assisted mediation.
We will then offer to attendees an optional second day primarily offering practice through role play and case study and deeper discussion of issues such as confidentiality, both within and outside the process.
Register Now 👉 Family Mediators Association
The court upheld a return order to Romania for a young child removed to England by her mother following allegations of serious domestic abuse. It confirmed that confused or informal negotiations, even when facilitated by community elders, will not amount to parental consent or acquiescence without clear and unequivocal agreement, and expressed strong doubt that a foreign court can ever be said to acquiesce in a child’s wrongful retention. While treating threats of violence as grave, the Court of Appeal endorsed the use of robust, enforceable protective measures to mitigate risk rather than refusing return. The judgment is important reading for practitioners dealing with Hague Convention defences and the interaction between domestic abuse allegations and international child abduction law.
Read the full headnote here.
Philippa Johnson
The court dismissed a mother’s appeal against wide-ranging fact-finding conclusions that she had alienated the children from their father and made false allegations of abuse. Although she was correctly treated as a vulnerable witness under FPR 2010 Part 3A, the High Court held that fairness does not require rigid or formulaic application of the Advocates’ Toolkit. What matters is whether the trial judge actively considered vulnerability, gave appropriate participation directions, and ensured a fair hearing overall. Here, the judge had done so, allowing breaks, slowing the pace, extending the hearing, and permitting extensive submissions. The judgment underlines that the Toolkit is guidance, not a straitjacket, and confirms the court’s duty to balance protection of vulnerable parties with the fundamental right of advocates to put their client’s case in adversarial family proceedings.
Read the full headnote here.
Philippa Johnson
An Introduction to Tax & Pensions
📅 2nd February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Simon O’Connell & George Uglow
When speaking to your clients in mediation, this webinar is an introduction to tax & pensions around issues that affect clients and their potential settlement decisions. It highlights some of the issues clients might raise or that you should be thinking about to help them come to a fair outcome for each party.
Register Now 👉 Introduction to Tax & Pensions Course
Breaking Through: Strategies for Overcoming Resistance to the Process
📅 3rd February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Mabel Edge
As Mediators we experience resistance at many parts of the process, lets talk about dealing with resistance in MIAM’s to contacting Party B and reaching agreement.
Register Now 👉 Breaking Through Course
CIM Workshop: Making Their Conversation Count
📅 10th February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Adrienne Cox
Whether you meet lots of children as part of the mediation process, just a few or haven’t really got started yet, this is a workshop aimed at increasing your confidence to meet with children.
This course will provide a safe space for discussion and reflection about practice; what works well and what doesn’t work so well; and importantly, time to reflect on how we can get the most out of our conversations with children and young people. When they agree to meet with us, they are agreeing to put their hearts on their sleeves.
Register Now 👉 CIM Workshop
Pension Sharing & Retirement Planning on Divorce
📅 11th February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Gagganpreet Purewal
This session will provide mediators with essential knowledge on how pensions are divided during divorce and the implications of each method. The session will explain the mechanisms of pension sharing orders, the legal and financial process involved, and how the division impacts each party’s retirement outcomes. We will also examine the dangers of osetting pensions against other assets (such as the family home) without proper valuation, and why mediators must identify when expert advice is necessary to protect both parties from long-term financial disadvantage.
Register Now 👉 Pension Sharing and Retirement Planning Course
All You Need to Know About Non Court Dispute Resolution
📅 13th February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Claire Webb
This course will look at the types of NCDR that should be mentioned in your MIAM and how they can help you move pass impasse in mediation itself.
Register Now 👉 Non Court Dispute Resolutions Course
CIM Awareness and Understanding Day
📅 17th February 2026
🕒10am – 4pm
👤 Beverley Sayers
The course will give you experience in understanding how CIM works in practice and how to approach CIM with parents, along with the opportunity to consider its benefits and when it may be inappropriate. You will gain confidence and understanding of the CIM process which will enhance your ability to support parents to consider the use of Child Inclusive Practice within their adult mediation.
Register Now 👉 CIM Awareness Course
CIM Update Day
📅 18th February 2026
🕒10am – 4pm
👤 Beverley Sayers
This course is for CIM Foundation Trained Mediators to complete the Family Mediation Council (FMC) Professional Development requirements to remain on the FMC register as a CIM Mediator. You will know that as a CIM mediator you are required to undertake ongoing professional development specific to your child inclusive mediation practice. In the first FMC re-accreditation cycle post 2018, this was to have been a specific CIM Update Day. During subsequent re-accreditation cycles, ie during each 3 year period of time, you are required to undertake 10 hours of CIM CPD, 5 hours of which should be attendance at a course specifically for CIM professional development.
Register Now 👉 CIM Update Day
Helping Parents Focus on the Needs of their Children
📅 26th February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Adrienne Cox
This workshop will share research on the impact of parental conflict on children. We will consider, in both small and large groups, using case studies and exercises, how we can share this information with parents, so that they can consider options from their child’s perspective, rather than from their own. How do we help parents keep the conversation centred on their child’s wellbeing, rather than the parents’ emotions? We will explore different techniques for achieving a child focused dialogue, sharing our own experiences with each other, to reach a best practice model that we feel comfortable with. The workshop will aim to increase the mediator’s confidence in approaching these topics with parents and improving outcomes for children.
Register Now 👉 Helping Parents Focus Course
The Ripple Effect: Understanding Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Developing a Trauma Informed Mediation Practice
📅 27th February 2026
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Claire Webb
An introduction to trauma and its impact on the body, trauma related diagnoses, adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma related behaviours and triggers in mediation, compassionate curiosity, a trauma informed practice.
Register Now 👉 The Ripple Effect Course