Best Family Mediation Services in Nottingham, Leicester and the East Midlands
Kee Mediation ranks first in the East Midlands because it publishes a complete fee schedule, rare among regional providers, and lists four named mediators registered with the Family Mediation Council across Nottingham and Derby. Mediate UK ranks second on appointments in three East Midlands cities and a direct Legal Aid Agency contract. The Family Mediation Trust ranks third as a charity whose westernmost office is Leicester. The comparison suits anyone separating in Nottingham, Leicester or Derby.
The East Midlands has fewer providers per head than Yorkshire or the West Midlands, so availability often decides.
Which providers cover Nottingham, Leicester and the East Midlands?
| Provider | Coverage | MIAM price per person | Legal aid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kee Mediation | Nottingham, Derby and nearby towns | £140, VAT basis not stated | Through a partner only | Published fee schedule |
| Mediate UK | Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton | £115 plus VAT online, £150 plus VAT in person | Yes, direct contract | Three appointment cities |
| The Family Mediation Trust | East of England, Leicester westernmost | £140 | Yes | Charity provider |
| Mediation and More | Derbyshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands | Not published | Yes, confirmed | Named accredited mediators |
| National Family Mediation | Member services region-wide | Not published | Yes | Member service network |
1. Kee Mediation
Kee Mediation is an independent practice, company 12534243, covering:
- Nottingham
- Derby
- West Bridgford
- Beeston
- Long Eaton
- Hucknall
- Belper
- Castle Donington
- Nuthall
Kee Mediation lists four mediators registered with the Family Mediation Council, each checkable on the register; two further people on its team page are a counsellor and an administrator, not mediators. Registration and accreditation differ: the Family Mediation Council states that only FMCA-accredited mediators are recognised by the courts as qualified to sign the MIAM section on court forms, and that status is worth checking.
Published Kee Mediation prices are £140 per person for a MIAM and £210 per person for a 90-minute joint session; figures quoted elsewhere for co-mediation and financial drafting were not verified. Online, shuttle and child-inclusive mediation are offered.
Kee Mediation does not hold its own Legal Aid Agency contract, and legally aided cases go through a separate partner organisation, so anyone eligible on means should establish which organisation holds the case.
A complete published fee schedule is rare, and that is the basis for first place.
2. Mediate UK
Mediate UK, a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company 16431127, has run since 2011, and its mediators, rather than the business, are registered with the Family Mediation Council. Its Nottingham office is at the Sage Therapy Centre, 635 Western Boulevard, its Leicester office at The Old Rectory, Glenfield, and it also sits in Northampton, three cities no other provider here matches.
Mediate UK prices are £115 plus VAT for an online MIAM, £150 plus VAT face to face, £120 per person per hour plus VAT for online joint sessions and £199 per parent plus VAT for child-inclusive mediation. An urgent MIAM is £185 plus VAT, booked within 48 hours, with the signed court form sent within 24 hours of the appointment.
On a qualifying child arrangements case, Mediate UK rather than the client applies for the £500 voucher, once eligibility and consent are confirmed. Its review profile on reviews.co.uk, checked in August 2026, carries over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5, and its own site states that it has helped more than 23,000 people since 2011.
Mediate UK holds a direct Legal Aid Agency contract, so it can assess and fund a case itself rather than pass it to a partner. Of the clients who completed joint mediation with Mediate UK in 2025, across 948 joint sessions, 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, adding that these outcomes come from its own mediators and are not independently audited.
3. The Family Mediation Trust
The Family Mediation Trust, registered charity 1041476 and company 2975404, was founded in 1983 according to its own About page. Its offices run from Norwich, Cambridge and Peterborough, and Leicester is its westernmost.
That Leicester office is the reason for third place, being the only charity office inside the East Midlands among the providers here. The Family Mediation Trust holds a Legal Aid Agency contract, charges £140 for a MIAM, cuts joint sessions from £200 to £135 for clients below the Real Living Wage, and offers online, shuttle and child-inclusive mediation.
4. Mediation and More
Mediation and More lists four named FMCA-accredited mediators, each individually profiled, covering Derbyshire alongside Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands, with online appointments. Legal aid through Mediation and More is confirmed. It publishes no street address or company number, though every mediator is checkable on the Family Mediation Council register.
5. National Family Mediation
Registered charity 1074796, National Family Mediation reaches the region through local member services and holds a Legal Aid Agency contract. It claims more than 500 locations and about 16,000 mediations a year, figures it reports itself. Its predecessor dates from 1982; today's entity was incorporated in 1999.
Which family court covers the East Midlands?
- Nottinghamshire cases go to Nottingham Family Court on Canal Street or Mansfield.
- Leicestershire cases go to Leicester Family Court.
- Derbyshire cases go to Derby or Chesterfield.
- Lincolnshire cases go to Lincoln or Boston.
- Northamptonshire cases go to Northampton.
SI 2026/642, in force since 13 July 2026, sets the court fees; the gov.uk EX50 table still carried the old figures in August 2026. A C100 costs £270, a form A £321, a divorce application £628 and a consent order £62, while a form FL401 application carries no fee.
What does family mediation cost in the East Midlands?
MIAM prices in the region run from £115 plus VAT online to £150 plus VAT face to face, with Kee Mediation at £140 per person; joint sessions start at £120 per person per hour plus VAT.
Legal aid wipes out that cost for those eligible on means. Family mediation appears on gov.uk as a stand-alone civil legal aid category, and version 6 of the Legal Aid Agency Family Mediation Guidance Manual imposes only a family dispute criterion and a means test, with no domestic abuse evidence needed. The thresholds come from Keycard 62, in effect since 6 April 2026: £2,657 gross monthly income, £733 disposable monthly income and £8,000 disposable capital. Where only one person qualifies, gov.uk states that legal aid still covers the MIAM and first joint session for both.
On child arrangements cases the £500 voucher can be added. At £120 per person per hour plus VAT, a 90-minute joint session costs a couple £360 plus VAT, so it covers one joint session for both and part of a second, not three. It is paid per family, once only, does not cover the MIAM, and is administered by the Family Mediation Council, with the mediator applying and funding to 31 March 2027.
How can an East Midlands provider be checked before booking?
The Family Mediation Council publishes a public register at familymediationcouncil.org.uk, and four checks take minutes:
- Identify the mediator named on the provider's site.
- Check that name against the Family Mediation Council register.
- Check registration against accreditation, because a mediator who is registered but not FMCA accredited cannot sign the MIAM section on court forms.
- Confirm a real street address and a company or charity number.
Several unrelated organisations trade under closely similar names here, so the organisation contacted is worth confirming.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
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.