PART 2Family justice
10I1Family mediation information and assessment meetings
1
Before making a relevant family application, a person must attend a family mediation information and assessment meeting.
2
Family Procedure Rules—
a
may provide for subsection (1) not to apply in circumstances specified in the Rules,
b
may make provision about convening a family mediation information and assessment meeting, or about the conduct of such a meeting,
c
may make provision for the court not to issue, or otherwise deal with, an application if, in contravention of subsection (1), the applicant has not attended a family mediation information and assessment meeting, and
d
may provide for a determination as to whether an applicant has contravened subsection (1) to be made after considering only evidence of a description specified in the Rules.
3
In this section—
“the court” means the High Court or the family court;
“family mediation information and assessment meeting”, in relation to a relevant family application, means a meeting held for the purpose of enabling information to be provided about—
- a
mediation of disputes of the kinds to which relevant family applications relate,
- b
ways in which disputes of those kinds may be resolved otherwise than by the court, and
- c
the suitability of mediation, or of any such other way of resolving disputes, for trying to resolve any dispute to which the particular application relates;
- a
“family proceedings” has the same meaning as in section 75 of the Courts Act 2003;
“relevant family application” means an application that—
- a
is made to the court in, or to initiate, family proceedings, and
- b
is of a description specified in Family Procedure Rules.
- a
4
This section is without prejudice to sections 75 and 76 of the Courts Act 2003 (power to make Family Procedure Rules).