MIAM exemptions — every route to skipping mediation (with the evidence each needs)
You must normally attend a MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) before a C100 — but Parliament built real exemptions, and claiming a valid one is not sharp practice; it's procedure. The C100 makes you tick the box and (paper route) attach evidence.
The exemptions that matter to fathers
| Exemption | Typical evidence to keep | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic abuse (broad definition) | Police reference numbers, NMO/occupation orders, medical records, letters from DA services/GP, MARAC | Includes financial control, coercive behaviour — not only violence. ( Men's Advice Line letters count) |
| Urgency (risk to child, abduction risk) | Your C100 §5 facts, messages, timestamps | Urgency you can evidence, not urgency you feel |
| MIAM within last 4 months (either party) | Mediator's MIAM certificate | Applies even if SHE attended and mediation failed |
| Previous relevant application | Prior case number | Same-family proceedings |
| Other party refuses / won't attend | Your mediator's confirmation of their refusal or non-response | You still start the MIAM process yourself |
| No registered mediator within 15 miles / reasonable distance | Family Mediation Council search record | Rarely needed now online MIAMs exist |
| Both agree no mediation… | — | …does NOT exempt you; don't rely on mutual refusal |
The mechanics
- Start even when exempt-adjacent A phone call to a mediator (many offer free 15-min checks) creates a record. The FMC register lists mediators: GOV.UK overview.
- Claim precisely on the form Tick the exact exemption; one line of factual justification; evidence annexed (paper) or summarised (online). Overclaiming gets flagged at issue and delays everything.
- Keep the MIAM certificate chain If you DO attend and mediation is unsuitable, the mediator signs the C100 — that certificate is your golden ticket; it also entitles you to skip MIAMs in later applications within 4 months.
Myth-buster: alleging abuse to skip a MIAM is not a free pass to allege freely — exemptions get tested against evidence at issue and again at FHDRA. Claim what you can prove; attend if you can't. A 20-minute online MIAM you "didn't need" is cheaper than a week of issue rejections.
Before your hearing
Turning scattered messages, notes and dates into evidence takes structure. apply this guide to your own documents — EvidenceCanvas is a guided toolkit that helps you draft a child-focused witness statement, answer a Scott Schedule point by point, and assemble a paginated court bundle. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.