Family Mediation Week 2026: our most successful year yet!
What began as a small awareness‑raising initiative has now grown into a national campaign that is influencing how professionals respond to family breakdown and how the public understands their options.
I have seen first‑hand how attitudes are shifting over the five years that I have chaired Family Mediation Week. Recent changes to the Pre‑Action Protocol have strengthened the role of non‑court dispute resolution (NCDR), placing mediation as an expected alternative to litigation. The message is clearer than ever: court should no longer be the default route for resolving family disputes.
Cost consequences for those who unreasonably refuse NCDR are also prompting a meaningful shift in practice. Lawyers are now expected not only to mention mediation, but to genuinely engage with it and support their clients to do the same.
We have also benefited from strong support at senior levels of the judiciary, including Sir Andrew McFarlane during his time as President of the Family Division. His public endorsement, combined with the government voucher scheme, played a vital role in shifting perceptions and normalising NCDR as a credible and expected pathway.
Encouragingly, the numbers reflect this cultural change. MoJ data published in late 2025 showed a 30% increase in mediations compared with the previous year. Mediation is no longer seen as suitable only for straightforward matters – it is now being used confidently in complex financial cases and high-conflict situations.
This year’s Family Mediation Week built on that momentum and was our most ambitious programme yet. We delivered 19 targeted webinars, with 4,398 engagements, a 17% increase on 2025. Each session was carefully tailored to specific audiences, from lawyers and judges to teachers, mediators, therapists, the military, Sharia councils and members of the public. Attendance continues to rise year on year, with participants consistently praising the practical, accessible nature of the content.
Thanks to our sponsors, we had the funds we needed to run our social media campaign, which made a major impact—reaching 126,062 people compared with 16,529 in January 2025.
Importantly, we’re no longer speaking only to the converted. Our outreach now connects with a much wider network of professionals and services who support separating families – those often best-placed to spot early signs of strain and guide people towards help sooner.
Beyond the remote webinars, our in-person events continue to grow, with January 2026 events held in Manchester, Guildford, Newbury, Bishop’s Stortford, London, Birmingham and Leeds. These regional gatherings help strengthen relationships between mediators and lawyers, building resilient local networks.
Feedback this year has been overwhelmingly positive. Mediators described the programme as “impressive,” “well organised,” and “a total triumph”, noting a real “buzz” throughout the week. Members of the public were equally enthusiastic, one attendee of the Beginners’ guide sessions told us they found it “really useful” and a reassuring introduction to mediation.
All 19 webinars delivered for Family Mediation Week 2026 are available on the Family Mediation Council’s dedicated YouTube channel.
For lawyers, we would particularly highlight the webinars aimed at the general public to share with your clients, including the two‑part Beginners’ guide to mediation (covering children and finances), which offers an overview of what clients can expect when taking part in mediation, as well as Practical tips to manage turbulent emotions in separation or divorce.
We also have several webinars for practitioners which are not to be missed, including Trauma-informed practice 101 – what do I need to know?, Hybrid and integrated mediation, Enhancing the client experience: tools to help participants reflect, engage and make good decisions, and Practical tips for lawyers supporting clients in mediation.
There are many more webinars available, along with recordings from previous Family Mediation Weeks, and entirely free resources for both professionals and the public.
Looking ahead, our focus is to continue strengthening regional engagement, expanding local events and deepening collaboration between mediators and lawyers.
Family Mediation Week 2026 has shown just how far we’ve come – and just how much potential lies ahead. Together, we can continue reshaping the culture of family dispute resolution for the better.
Family Mediation Week 2027 will run from 25 January next year. Get in touch if you’d like to speak or host an event in your area.
Sarah Manning, Hall Brown Family Law and Chair of Family Mediation Week