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 held their most recent board meeting on the 6th of October 2025, and the following appointments were made:
Anna Vollans continues in her role as chair, but thanks to the recent majority vote from our members on the Article changes, we now have a new co-chair position filled by Sally Clark.
Our newest appointments include Claire Webb as vice-chair, and Rebekah Gershuny as secretary.
Philippa Johnson continues in her position as treasurer.
Neil Robinson and Beverley Sayers are also continuing in their Board roles for another term.
Finally, we would like to welcome Thomas Brownrigg as our newest board member. Thomas is an accredited mediator, collaborative lawyer, and family solicitor. He specialises in dealing with issues arising from family separations, children matters and domestic abuse cases.
We were delighted to deliver Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM) Foundation Training to a committed group of mediators eager to develop their skills in this important area of practice. The training focused on the knowledge, principles and practical skills required to meet FMC standards for Child Inclusive Mediation, and to enable children and young people to share their views safely and meaningfully within the mediation process.
At FMA, we’re deeply committed to supporting mediators to work confidently and ethically with children and young people, ensuring that their voices are heard when decisions are being made that affect them.
If you’re interested in undertaking this training, please keep an eye out for next year’s dates, which will be announced soon.
The Family Mediation Council’s 10th Anniversary Conference was a fantastic event, bringing together practitioners from across the mediation field to share insights, expertise, and innovation. The day began with our own Beverley Sayers introducing three inspirational speakers on the current “State of Mediation”. The official report of ‘The State of Family Mediation 2025‘ is available now on the FMC website. The day was packed with though-provoking panel discussions, and interactive workshops that highlighted the importance of mediation in supporting families.
The attendees praised not only the high calibre of content but also the warm, collaborative atmosphere that encourages open dialogue and networking. The conference emphasised the Council’s commitment to advancing best practice, raising standards, and ensuring families have access to constructive, compassionate support. It was an enjoyable day for all that left me inspired, better connected, and motivated to continue driving positive change in the field of family mediation.
Claire Webb
We’re pleased to invite you to the FMA Professional Practice Consultant (PPC) Forum, which will take place online on Monday 24th November between 12.30 and 1.45pm.
We know that PPCs play a vital role in supporting mediators in practice. The forum will provide a dedicated space for PPCs to:
Our first session will focus on the new PPC requirements introduced by the Family Mediation Standards Board (FMSB). Together, we’ll explore what these changes mean in practice and how we can best support mediators and one another in meeting them.
The forum will also act as a platform for PPCs to identify and shape future areas of discussion.
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.
The Family Justice Council will hold its 18th Annual Debate and panel discussion on Wednesday 3 December 2025, from 5-7pm. For in-person attendees, registration and refreshments will be from 5-5.20pm. The debate will start at 5.30pm.
The event will take place at a venue in central London in-person and will be live streamed via MS Teams.
The motion for this year’s debate is: Does the term ‘permanence’ help or hinder outcomes for children?
The event will be chaired by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division and Chair of the Family Justice Council. The panel speakers will be announced shortly.
Registration for the event will close on Friday 21 November 2025 for in-person attendees, and Friday 28 November for online attendees.
For more information and to register to attend please follow the link: Upcoming events – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
📅 4th November
🕒 10am – 12pm
👤 Heather Rutherford
This workshop focuses on the challenges and inherent practical and emotional complexities faced by parents as they navigate separation and divorce. In this session, we delve into specific strategies to help parents understand and address the emotional and practical needs of their children. Our goal is to equip parents with the tools that help each individual child process change, manage transitions, adjust, and flourish.
Register now 👉 Parenting Strategies That Help Separating Parents Meet Their Children’s Needs – The Family Mediators Association
📅 5th November
🕒 10am – 12pm
👤 Simon Shattock
This course delves into positioning theory and social constructionism, exploring how the language used in mediation shapes meaning and impacts interactions. Participants will consider the role of language in influencing perceptions, relationships, and outcomes in mediation.
Register now 👉 Positioning Theory and Social Constructionism in Mediation Practice – The Family Mediators Association
📅 11th November
🕒 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. It 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 Making Their Conversation Count – The Family Mediators Association
📅 12th November
🕒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.
Register now👉 Helping parents focus on the needs of their children – The Family Mediators Association
📅 13th November
🕒 10am – 4:30pm
👤 Adrienne Cox
This course will provide participants with skills to carry out more effective screening for domestic abuse, ensuring, as far as possible, that assessment is made so that only clients that are suited to the mediation process proceed to mediation and that the mediator feels more confident with the assessment of whether it is safe to mediate for the client.
Register now 👉Effective Screening for Domestic Abuse in Mediation – The Family Mediators Association
📅 24th November
🕒 10am – 12pm
👤 Mabel Edge
As Mediators we experience resistance at many parts of the process. This course will focus on dealing with resistance in MIAM’s to contacting Party B and reaching agreement.
Register now 👉Breaking Through: Strategies for Overcoming Resistance to the Process – The Family Mediators Association
📅 28th November
🕒10am – 4pm
👤 Beverley Sayers
This Course will provide updates on current mediation practice including online working, from supporting the mediator’s journey to FMCA through to screening processes and complaints, CIM, the LAA and the PPC Code of Practice.
Register Now 👉 PPC Update of Theory and Practice – The Family Mediators Association
📅 3rd December
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Simon Shattock
This workshop is designed to equip mediators with tools and techniques to break through communication barriers and manage impasses in mediation sessions. By focusing on practical strategies, participants will learn how to re-engage dialogue, foster understanding, and create pathways for progress in even the most challenging situations.
Register Now 👉 Improving Communication in Stuck Situations in Mediation – The Family Mediators Association
📅 5th December
🕒10am – 12pm
👤 Claire Webb
This course offers 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.