Surrey Family & Mediation Services

What Surrey Family & Mediation Services does

Surrey Family & Mediation Services (SFMS) is a not-for-profit registered charity (Charity No. 1091539) and company limited by guarantee (Company No. 4363273), founded in 1993, that operates the only charity-sector family mediation service in Surrey, United Kingdom. The organisation is headquartered in Guildford at the Guildford Institute, with additional in-person locations in Aldershot and Leatherhead, and uses Zoom as its standard remote-delivery channel.

SFMS delivers accredited family mediation services for separating and divorcing couples, addressing child arrangements, property and living arrangements, financial matters, and divorce process navigation. Its core product suite comprises Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs), joint mediation sessions, shuttle mediation for high-conflict cases, child-inclusive mediation for children aged 10+, and follow-on documentation such as Statements of Child Arrangements, Open Financial Statements, and Memoranda of Understanding. All mediators are accredited by the Family Mediation Council and undertake annual CPD; the team holds over 80 years of combined experience with a legal background.

SFMS generates revenue through three streams: per-session private fee-paying mediation, a Legal Aid Agency contract for means-tested eligible clients, and the Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme (£500 per family for child arrangement cases). Pricing is published and unit-based (£120 MIAM, £207 joint mediation, £276 shuttle, £100 child inclusive, plus document fees). Acquisition is driven by direct phone/website enquiries, solicitor and Citizens Advice Bureau referrals, National Family Mediation referrals, and voucher-scheme demand, supported by content marketing and FMC Family Mediation Week participation. No proprietary technology platform or AI capabilities are in use; the business is a regulated, human-delivered professional services operation.

Name

Surrey Family & Mediation Services

Legal name

Surrey Family & Mediation Services

Website

https://sfms.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Surrey Family & Mediation Services is a not-for-profit, registered charity providing accredited family mediation services to separating and divorcing couples across Surrey, UK, including MIAMs, joint and shuttle mediation, child-inclusive mediation, and property/finance mediation, funded via private fees, Legal Aid, and the MoJ Voucher Scheme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Mediation Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Family mediation services
• Child arrangements mediation
• Divorce mediation
• Legal aid mediation
• Property finance mediation

Headquarters

HQ city

Epsom

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Private Fee-Paying Mediation Services: SFMS charges per-session fees for mediation services to private (non-legally-aided) clients. Fees are paid prior to appointments, with invoices due 5 days (private clients) or 7 days (per terms acceptance) before the session. Cancellation fees apply for late notice.
2. Legal Aid / Publicly Funded Mediation: SFMS holds a contract with the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and provides legally aided mediation to eligible clients in receipt of state benefits such as Universal Credit with little/no equity in property. An administrative fee of £25 applies for legally aided clients who cancel with less than 2 working days' notice.
3. Family Mediation Voucher Scheme: SFMS participates in the Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which provides up to £500 per family toward mediation costs for cases involving child arrangements disputes. The voucher is applied for by SFMS on behalf of eligible clients. The voucher does not cover MIAMs or paperwork.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Surrey Family & Mediation Services (SFMS) provides confidential, impartial family mediation services to separating and divorcing couples across Surrey. Services include Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs), joint mediation, shuttle mediation, and Child Inclusive Mediation, covering child arrangements, property and living arrangements, financial matters, and divorce. Sessions are delivered in-person at Guildford, Aldershot, and Leatherhead or via Zoom video conference, with eligibility for Legal Aid Agency funding and the Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme.

Product overview

Surrey Family & Mediation Services (SFMS) is a not-for-profit registered charity and the only family mediation service in Surrey, with over 30 years of experience. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of family mediation services including core Family Mediation, Child Inclusive Mediation, Shuttle Mediation, and Joint Mediation Meetings. Services address specific family issues including Property & Living Arrangements, Child Arrangements, Divorce & Family Law, and Financial matters. The service also offers Legal Aid Mediation for eligible clients and participates in the Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme providing £500 vouchers for child arrangement cases. All mediation sessions are conducted by fully accredited mediators following the Family Mediation Council Code of Practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Mediation

Quantifiable outcome

• A mediated agreement costs on average less than 25% of a solicitor-negotiated or litigated outcome
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ministry of Justice (MoJ)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021SFMS participates in the Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, launched in 2021, which provides up to £500 per family toward mediation costs for child arrangements disputes. SFMS applies for the voucher on behalf of eligible clients. The MoJ scheme directs families toward mediation as an alternative to court.
• National Family Mediation (NFM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMS displays the NFM logo on its homepage with the caption 'in partnership with NFM'. This indicates a formal operational partnership, with NFM being a major national family mediation network. SFMS also accepts referrals from NFM.
• Family Mediation Council (FMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMS is affiliated with and regulated by the Family Mediation Council, which is recognised by the Legal Services Commission and the Ministry of Justice as the regulatory body for family mediation. FMC sets and maintains professional standards for the profession. SFMS mediators appear on the FMC Register.
• College of MediatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMS is affiliated to the College of Mediators. The logo of the College of Mediators is displayed on the homepage. The College is the professional membership body to which SFMS belongs, and complaints can be escalated to the College.
• Legal Aid Agency (LAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMS holds a contract with the Legal Aid Agency, enabling them to provide publicly funded mediation to eligible clients in receipt of state benefits such as Universal Credit. This is a formal contractual partnership that allows SFMS to serve legally aided clients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Slater and Gordon: Large UK consumer law firm providing family law and mediation services nationally. Comparable on customer segment and on family mediation as a service line, but operates as a wide-portfolio, well-capitalised commercial firm rather than a regional non-profit.
• Stowe Family Law: Large UK law firm specialising in family law, including private family mediation services. Overlaps with SFMS on mediation delivery and customer base (separating couples) but operates as a much broader commercial legal practice with multiple offices, offering a wider portfolio beyond mediation.
• Vardags: High-end London family law firm offering private family mediation and divorce services. Comparable on target customer (separating couples, often with complex finances) and on mediation as a service line, but operating in a premium, well-capitalised commercial model versus SFMS's non-profit community model.
• Co-op Legal Services: National legal services provider including family law and mediation offerings for separating couples. Comparable on customer base and family mediation as a service category, but operates at much greater scale and brand reach than SFMS's regional charity model.

Others

• Resolution: UK membership organisation of family lawyers and family professionals committed to non-confrontational resolution. Comparable as a referral and standards ecosystem for SFMS, and as a channel through which separating couples are routed toward mediation; not a direct service competitor but a strong industry adjacency.
• Family Mediation Council: The UK regulatory body recognised by the Legal Services Commission and Ministry of Justice for family mediation, of which SFMS is a member. Comparable as the governing ecosystem that defines accreditation, the FMC Code of Practice, and MoJ/LAA eligibility — fundamental to SFMS's regulatory moat.
• College of Mediators: UK professional membership body for mediators, to which SFMS is affiliated. Comparable as the professional standards and complaints body underpinning SFMS's mediator accreditation and CPD regime — an industry adjacency rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• amicable: Online-first family mediation and divorce platform targeting UK separating couples with a digital delivery model. Directly comparable on customer segment and service offering, but competes on convenience and price rather than local in-person presence — represents the digital disruption vector to traditional providers like SFMS.

Direct peers

• National Family Mediation: Largest national family mediation network in the UK and a formal partner of SFMS (logo displayed on SFMS homepage with 'in partnership with NFM'). Provides the same family mediation services — child arrangements, finance/property, divorce — across regions and is the closest direct comparable for service model and accreditation standards.

Regional players

• Kent Family Mediation: A county-level not-for-profit family mediation service in Kent offering child arrangements, finance, and divorce mediation — closely comparable in mission, charity structure, service mix, and regional model to SFMS, but operating in a different South East geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surreyfms
• Facebookfacebook.com/SurreyFMS%20%20

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surrey Family & Mediation Services