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Family Mediation Cymru ranks first for family mediation in Wales, but only for part of it: the charity, number 1166947, covers seven south east Wales local authority areas and confirms that mediation is free for clients eligible on means. National Family Mediation ranks second as the only provider here with venues in mid and north Wales. Mediate UK ranks third on its Cardiff office plus online and shuttle mediation by video nationwide. Anyone separating in north or west Wales should read the coverage section below first.
Family law in Wales is the same as in England. Wales sits inside the single England and Wales jurisdiction, so the MIAM requirement, court forms, fees and legal aid rules are identical across the border.
| Provider | Coverage | Structure | Legal aid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Mediation Cymru | Seven south east Wales authorities | Charity 1166947 | Yes, free for eligible clients | South east Wales |
| National Family Mediation | Bangor to Swansea | Charity 1074796 | Yes | North and mid Wales |
| Mediate UK | Cardiff plus online Wales-wide | Family Legal Ltd 16431127 | Yes | Online and shuttle reach |
Family Mediation Cymru is a registered charity, number 1166947, constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation, covering seven south east Wales local authority areas:
Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire fall outside that coverage. Family Mediation Cymru works from offices in Cardiff, Newport, Cwmbran, Caerphilly, Blackwood, Bridgend, Abergavenny and Monmouth, and is listed as a service by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Turn2Us.
Legal aid through Family Mediation Cymru is confirmed: the charity states that mediation is free for clients eligible on means, and that where only one person qualifies, the first joint session is free for both.
Its mediator numbers and published fees were not verified here and should be confirmed with the charity. Across Cardiff, Newport and the Gwent valleys, Family Mediation Cymru is the strongest local option.
National Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1074796, holding a Legal Aid Agency contract, so mediation is free to anyone eligible on means. Its predecessor dates from 1982, today's entity was incorporated in 1999, and its claims of more than 500 locations and 16,000 mediations a year are self-reported.
National Family Mediation publishes the widest Welsh venue list here. Its own site names:
National Family Mediation alone here has physical venues in both mid and north Wales.
Mediate UK has traded since 2011 as part of Family Legal Ltd, company 16431127, and registration with the Family Mediation Council sits with its mediators rather than the company. Its Cardiff office is at 28b Cathedral Road, CF11 9LJ, in Pontcanna.
An online MIAM through Mediate UK is £115 plus VAT, a face-to-face MIAM £150 plus VAT, online joint sessions £120 per person per hour plus VAT and child-inclusive work £199 per parent plus VAT. Its urgent MIAM is £185 plus VAT, booked within 48 hours, with the signed court form sent within 24 hours of the appointment.
A Legal Aid Agency contract is held by Mediate UK, which, not the client, makes the £500 voucher application on qualifying child arrangements cases once eligibility and consent are confirmed. Its reviews.co.uk profile, checked in August 2026, carries over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5, and its own site records more than 23,000 people helped since 2011.
Of the clients who completed joint mediation with Mediate UK in 2025, the service reports that 90% reached full or partial agreement on the matters they discussed, 77% of that group in full and 13% in part, across 1,346 MIAMs and 948 joint sessions. Mediate UK states these outcomes come from its own mediators and are not independently audited. The Family Mediation Council's autumn 2019 survey of 122 mediators and 2,161 cases, published on 20 January 2020, put the national figure at over 70%.
Mediate UK delivers shuttle mediation by video across Wales, so a couple who cannot sit in the same room need not travel to be kept apart.
Fees come from SI 2026/642 of 13 July 2026; the gov.uk EX50 table had not been updated by August 2026. A form C100 application costs £270, a form A £321, a divorce £628 and a consent order £62, and a form FL401 carries no fee.
According to HM Courts and Tribunals Service guidance, court forms and hearings are available in Welsh, and a party can ask for proceedings to be held in Welsh.
According to gov.uk and the Legal Aid Agency Family Mediation Guidance Manual version 6, family mediation is a stand-alone civil legal aid category carrying only a family dispute criterion and a means test, with no domestic abuse evidence required. Keycard 62, from 6 April 2026, sets gross monthly income at £2,657, disposable monthly income at £733 and disposable capital at £8,000. Where eligibility falls on one side of a couple only, gov.uk states that legal aid covers both people's MIAM and first joint session.
The £500 voucher covers England and Wales and applies on top for child arrangements cases. Online joint sessions at £120 per person per hour plus VAT put 90 minutes for a couple at £360 plus VAT, so £500 covers one session and part of a second, not three. It is paid per family, once only, excludes the MIAM, and is claimed by the mediator. The Family Mediation Council administers the scheme, funded by the Ministry of Justice to 31 March 2027.
Face-to-face provision is concentrated in the south east and along the south coast into Swansea, thinning in Powys, Gwynedd and Ceredigion, where the National Family Mediation venues listed above are the main documented answer.
A provider named Family Mediation North Wales also operates in the north, and at least one independent provider covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Neither was verified here, so structure, legal aid and prices should be checked directly. Mediate UK works online across Wales, including shuttle mediation by video, which is the practical answer for many rural clients.
Rule 3.8(1) of the Family Procedure Rules sets out the MIAM exemptions, including one where no authorised mediator is available within a reasonable distance, usually put at 15 miles from home. Twelve lettered categories remain in force after SI 2023/1324 revoked four on 29 April 2024, though an online appointment is often quicker than claiming one.
The Family Mediation Council publishes a public register for England and Wales at familymediationcouncil.org.uk. Four checks take minutes:
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.
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