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+ details >>Mediate UK is the strongest all-round choice in the North West, with appointment locations in Manchester and Liverpool and online sessions across the region. Children First Family Mediation, registered charity 1137385, is the established Greater Manchester charity and holds a legal aid contract. Winstanley Mediation covers Merseyside and west Cheshire, and Red Rose Mediation covers East Lancashire. This guide is for people across the North West choosing a mediator.
The region is well served across Greater Manchester and Merseyside and thinner into Cumbria, where no provider here holds a location and online mediation is usually the only option.
| Provider | Locations | Structure | Legal aid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediate UK | Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton | Family Legal Ltd, company 16431127 | Yes | City-centre offices in Manchester and Liverpool, plus online |
| Children First Family Mediation | Manchester, Bury, Salford | Charity 1137385 | Yes | Charity provider, legal aid across Greater Manchester |
| National Family Mediation | Member services across the region | Charity 1074796 | Yes | Charity provider |
| Winstanley Mediation | Liverpool, Wirral, Chester | Company 11444570 | Stated on its own site | Merseyside and west Cheshire |
| Manchester and Cheshire Mediation | Stockport, Manchester, Cheshire | Independent | No, voucher scheme | Published prices |
| Red Rose Mediation | Blackburn, East Lancashire, Fylde Coast | Independent | Stated on its own site | Lancashire |
Mediate UK is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, and has operated since 2011. It states that its mediators are registered with the Family Mediation Council, a mediator-level registration rather than a business registration.
Mediate UK works from 30 locations across 18 counties. Its North West locations follow, and the address and opening hours for each should be confirmed against its published branch list.
Mediate UK charges £115 plus VAT for an online MIAM and £150 plus VAT face to face. Online joint sessions cost £120 per person per hour plus VAT and run 90 minutes. Child-inclusive mediation costs £199 per parent plus VAT and an urgent MIAM £185 plus VAT, booked within 48 hours with the court form signed and sent within 24 hours of the appointment.
Mediate UK holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and applies for the £500 voucher on the client's behalf where a case qualifies. It holds over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 on reviews.co.uk, according to its published review profile checked in August 2026, and states that it has helped more than 23,000 people since 2011.
Mediate UK offers shuttle mediation in person and online, which matters where couples live on opposite sides of the region.
Children First Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1137385, covering Manchester, Bury and Salford, with online appointments across England and Wales. Its company was incorporated in November 2009 and it registered as a charity in 2010.
Children First Family Mediation employs mediators accredited by the Family Mediation Council, holds a legal aid contract and offers shuttle and child-inclusive mediation. For anyone in Greater Manchester wanting a charity provider rooted locally, this is the strongest option.
National Family Mediation is a registered charity, number 1074796, based in Exeter and working through local member services. It states on its own website that it works from more than 500 locations and handles roughly 16,000 mediations a year; both figures are self-reported. It dates its founding to 1982, the founding of a predecessor charity, while the current entity was incorporated in February 1999.
National Family Mediation holds a Legal Aid Agency contract, and North West prices vary by member service.
Winstanley Mediation is a private limited company, number 11444570, based in Liverpool with a further venue in Chester. It states on its own website that its lead mediator, Tracy Winstanley, holds Family Mediation Council accreditation and qualified as a family solicitor, and that it holds a legal aid contract and offers child-inclusive mediation, shuttle mediation and online appointments. Those are its own published claims, and no prices appear. For Merseyside, the Wirral and west Cheshire, this is the strongest option.
Manchester and Cheshire Mediation is based in Heaton Moor, Stockport, and states that it covers Manchester, Stockport, Cheshire and Warrington. It publishes a MIAM at £125 per person, reduced to £50 on Universal Credit, and a two-hour joint session at £250 per person. It holds no legal aid contract but takes part in the £500 voucher scheme. The £50 rate is not legal aid, but for anyone narrowly missing the capital test it is the cheapest MIAM in this comparison.
Red Rose Mediation is based in Blackburn and covers East Lancashire, including Burnley and Accrington, and the Fylde Coast at Blackpool and Lytham. It states on its own website that its mediator, Tony Wood, holds Family Mediation Council accreditation and is qualified to sign court forms, and that it holds a legal aid contract and offers online mediation. Lancashire is thinly served, and this is the main established option there.
Under the Ministry of Justice fee order SI 2026/642, in force since 13 July 2026, the court fee on form C100 is £270, on form A £321, on a divorce application £628 and on a financial consent order £62. A MIAM certificate must normally accompany a C100 or form A application, and under Family Procedure Rules rule 3.8(1)(d) the MIAM must have taken place within the four months before it is made.
Among the providers named here, MIAM prices run from the £50 Universal Credit rate published by Manchester and Cheshire Mediation, through its standard £125, to £150 plus VAT face to face with Mediate UK, which also publishes the cheapest online MIAM here at £115 plus VAT.
According to gov.uk and the Legal Aid Agency Family Mediation Guidance Manual version 6, legal aid for family mediation is means tested only, with no domestic abuse requirement. Keycard 62, effective 6 April 2026, sets limits of £2,657 gross monthly income, £733 disposable income and £8,000 disposable capital. Where one person qualifies and the other does not, gov.uk states that the person who does not qualify gets a MIAM and the first joint session free, funded under the Family Mediation category of the Legal Aid Agency Standard Civil Contract. The £500 voucher can then be applied to joint sessions in a child arrangements case: up to £500 per family, once only, applied for by the mediator and limited in number.
The Family Mediation Council publishes a public register, and three checks settle most questions.
A provider whose mediator is not on the register cannot issue a MIAM certificate, whatever its homepage says.
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.