Family Mediation Week
26.1.2026 to 30.1.2026

The Family Mediation Council are hosting webinars during Family Mediation Week 2026, helping you to find out more about family mediation.

In addition to Webinars for the Public, please look at the Webinars available for Mediators and other Family Professionals on the website:

Family Mediation Week 26 – 30 Jan 2026 – Family Mediation Council

Mediation helps you talk to each other, to find solutions that work.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Accredited Family Mediator, or a member of our Family Law Team in Twickenham and Teddington, on 020 8891 6141 or email familyteam@srb.co.uk.

Family Mediation Week 2025 

The Family Mediation Council are hosting Family Mediation Week from 27 January 2025 to 31 January 2025 for the public, mediators, lawyers, Cafcass officers and for all professional working with families.

The webinars are designed to gain a greater understanding about Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings, Mediation, Child Inclusive Mediation, Co-Parenting, Safeguarding and Mental Health Issues.

All webinars are free to attend. Registration for the webinars will be available on:

• https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/family-mediation-week-2025-timetable/

Here are the webinars for the public to put in your diary:

Webinars from Family Mediation Week 2024 can be viewed here:

• https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/fmw/all-events/

For further information, please get in touch with a member of the SRB Family Law team in Teddington and Twickenham by telephone on 02088916141 or by email at familyteam@srb.co.uk to arrange a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting.

Family Mediation Week: 22nd & 26th January 2024

There is ever more encouragement to consider Mediation and other non-court processes to resolve family issues. The government continues to support Mediation with the £500 Voucher Scheme.

There are many free seminars: https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/fmw/.

Please click on the links to register your interest:

The Family Law Team in Twickenham can assist with your family law issues, either as your Solicitor or Mediator, including separation and divorce, division of financial assets, arrangements for children, cohabitation, and nuptial agreements.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Solicitor, Family and Collaborative Lawyer or another member of the Team on 020 8891 6141 and at familyteam@srb.co.uk.

Resolution’s Vision for Family Justice

Resolution’s Annual Awareness Week is taking place from 27 November to 1 December 2023.

As part of the Awareness Week, Resolution launched their Vision for Family Justice at a parliamentary event.  It sets out the changes which Resolution say need to be made to address the current issues facing the family justice system.  The recommendations as set out in the Vision for Family Justice are based on the views and experiences of over a thousand Resolution members.

A significant cornerstone of the Vision for Family Justice is recognising the importance of reform in relation to cohabitation. Resolution is campaigning for cohabiting couples to have at least basic rights on the breakdown of the relationship and also on the death of a cohabiting partner. Another main priority identified in the Vision for Family Justice is increased public funding for early legal information and advice. Other areas of reform recognised in the Vision for Family Justice include better support and protection for victims of domestic abuse in the family courts, changes to proceedings for child arrangements and changes to proceedings for financial remedies on divorce.

The recommendations within the Vision for Family Justice will be at the heart of Resolution’s campaigning activities and lobbying work over the coming months and years with the aim to improve the lives of families and children in England and Wales.

To view the Vision for Family Justice in full, please visit

https://resolution.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Resolution-Vision-for-Family-Justice-full-221123.pdf

or for the Executive Summary, please visit

https://resolution.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Resolution-Vision-for-Family-Justice-Executive-Summary-221123.pdf

The Family Law Team in Twickenham can assist with various family law issues, including separation and divorce, division of financial assets, arrangements for children, cohabitation and nuptial agreements.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Solicitor, Family and Collaborative Lawyer and Accredited Family Mediator or another member of the Team on 020 8891 6141 and at familyteam@srb.co.uk.

Capital Gains Tax Changes for Divorcing and Dissolution of Civil Partnership Couples

Divorce or Dissolution of a Civil Partnership will usually involve the transfer or sale of assets between the parties or to third parties to distribute the assets and raise funds. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) can be incurred on the sale or disposal of an asset where the sale or disposal price is higher than the purchase price. 

The Finance (No 2) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 11 July 2023 which means that for disposals after 6 April 2023 spouses and civil partners have longer to resolve their finances without CGT immediately becoming payable or in some circumstances CGT will not be incurred if the requirements are met.  Section 41 of the Finance (No 2) Act 2023 introduced changes where:

1. Transfers between spouses or civil partners before the end of the Tax Year of permanent separation or in the subsequent 3 tax years, or if the transfer is pursuant to an order or agreement, even if after 3 years, will not incur a CGT liability on transfer however the receiving spouse will receive the asset at the value the transferring spouse or civil partner acquired the asset so there may be CGT payable on the future disposal of the asset. This is known as a ‘no gain, no loss’ transfer of assets.
2. If a spouse or civil partner transfers their interest in the family home to the other party in consideration of receiving a percentage of the net proceeds on sale, or if they retain their interest but vacate the property to enable a deferred sale, they are able to apply the same tax treatment to their share of the sale proceeds when received as those at the time of the transfer or departure from the home, provided there is an order of the court.
3. If a spouse or civil partner retains an interest in the family home they have an option, subject to conditions, to treat the period of no longer residing in the family home as if it had been their only or main residence until the time of disposal and then claim Private Residence Relief (PRR) when that interest is sold to a third party.
4. If the non-occupying spouse or civil partner does not retain an interest in the family home, but retains a right to a share of the proceeds of sale of the family home, PPR relief could be claimed if:
   1. immediately before the non-occupying spouse or civil partner leaves the family home, the property is their only or main residence;
   2. the non-occupying spouse or civil partner disposes of their interest in the former family home to the spouse or civil partner that remains;
   3. the disposal of that interest to the spouse or civil partner who remains is in accordance with a formal divorce agreement or court order.

5. If the non-occupying spouse or civil partner does retain an interest in the family home and subsequently disposes of that interest to a third party, different conditions apply:

1. 1. immediately before the non-occupying spouse or civil partner leaves the family home, it must be their only or main residence;
   2. the sale proceeds received by the non-occupying spouse or civil partner on the disposal of the family home must be received pursuant to a formal divorce agreement or court order;
   3. in the time between the non-occupying spouse or civil partner ceasing to live in the family home and the disposal of their interest in the family home to a third party:
      • the former family home must continue to be the main residence of the spouse or civil partner; and
      • the non-occupying spouse or civil partner must not have nominated another property as their main residence for the purpose of claiming PPR relief.

Impact on Cohabitees

Cohabitees, no matter the length of their relationship or time living together, who are not married or in a civil partnership will not benefit from any of the above provisions whether current or proposed.

Independent Legal and Tax Advice

Separating couples should always take legal and tax advice on financial matters relating to the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership. The impact on those who have a dual tax residence need to take particular care with specialist advice. For example, a US citizen owning a UK property may be entitled to claim PPR on a transfer of the property between spouses or civil partners in the UK, however, the US tax authority does not recognise the same exemption and therefore a transfer may give rise to a CGT liability in the US.

In all cases, it is important that CGT is considered at an early stage and specific advice is obtained.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Solicitor, Family and Collaborative Lawyer and Accredited Family Mediator or another member of the Family Law Team in Twickenham and Teddington, on 020 8891 6141 or email familyteam@srb.co.uk.

The Introduction of Compulsory Mediation for Small Claims: A Comprehensive Overview

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has recently confirmed that mediation will become compulsory for civil claims valued at up to £10,000 – with parties facing costs sanctions or a strike-out if they fail to engage in the mediation process. 

The MoJ’s consultation on the proposal, which commenced in 2022 has finally concluded with the announcement in July of this year. However, the exact timeline for the implementation of these changes remains somewhat ambiguous. It has not been confirmed as to when the changes will take place, but they are expected to come into effect towards the latter end of 2024.

Why Are These Reforms Happening?

This significant move is a reflection of the government’s commitment to streamline the legal process and reduce the burden on the courts.

The reforms are designed to make mediation a standard procedure in most small claims. This decision was seemingly expedited due to the success of ‘remote’ hearings during the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has reshaped many aspects of our society, and the legal system is no exception. The ability to conduct hearings remotely has demonstrated the potential for more flexible and efficient legal processes.

Initially, compulsory mediation will apply only to specified money claims, which currently constitute around 80% of all small claims. However, the vision is for this to be extended to all small claims issued under Part 7 proceedings in due course.

This means that a vast majority of claims, specifically those up to a maximum of £10,000, will be affected. The MoJ has projected that this change could impact approximately 92,000 cases annually.

The Proposed Procedure in Detail

• Claims to be issued in the usual way. 
• If the Defendant fails to file a Defence, the Claimant will be able to proceed with a request for Default Judgment. 
• In the alternative, if the Defendant serves a Defence and the court should allocate the case to the small claims track, the parties will be informed that the next step is mediation. 
• The parties will complete their respective ‘directions questionnaire’ and the case will progress to the Small Claims Mediation Service, where appointments will be offered within 28 days. 
• The parties will be offered a 1-hour telephone mediation (free of charge) and a court-appointed mediator will discuss with the parties and explore areas for compromise and potential settlement.
• If a settlement is reached, a formal agreement will be drawn up, which will be legally binding. 
• If a settlement is not reached, the claim will fall back into the small claims court to be heard by a Judge, in the usual way. 

Failure to comply with Mediation

The court will have jurisdiction to apply sanctions if a party does not attend their scheduled mediation appointment. These sanctions can be severe, ranging from a strike-out – which could result in a ruling in favour of the compliant party – to costs sanctions. This means the Judge can order the non-compliant party to pay for part or all of the other party’s legal fees. 

Without sanctions, the introduction of compulsory mediation will not succeed and will have little effect on the overriding objective, which ultimately, is to deal with cases promptly and at a proportionate cost. 

Conclusion & Broader Implications

It is, therefore, hoped that the introduction of compulsory mediation will increase the number of disputes that are settled at an early stage. In theory, this will save costs and free up the court’s time and resources. 

The Law Society has emphasised the importance of adequately resourcing and funding the Small Claims Mediation Service to ensure its success. Moreover, groups like the Federation of Small Businesses are advocating for an increase in the Small Claims limit to maximise the benefits of the proposed changes.

The MoJ has reiterated that while mediation is encouraged, settlement remains voluntary. Every party retains the right to a hearing before a judge if they believe it’s necessary.

If you need help navigating the mediation process, our experienced solicitors are on hand to offer tailored advice. Contact SRB today.