Court intermediaries and support to communicate in legal proceedings

What an intermediary does

An intermediary helps people understand and communicate during legal proceedings. They assess communication needs and recommend how questions, explanations and the hearing should be adapted. Support may include simpler questions, more time, visual aids or planned breaks. They can help identify a misunderstanding and support communication during an approved hearing or preparation meeting. They are impartial: they do not give legal advice, decide the case or tell you what answers to give.

When to ask

Tell your solicitor or the court as early as possible if you have difficulty following questions, remembering spoken information, expressing answers or keeping up with proceedings. Give examples of what happens and what helps. A learning disability, autism, health condition or other difficulty may create communication needs, but a diagnosis alone does not automatically mean an intermediary will be appointed. Ask for assessment where ordinary adjustments may not be enough.

Criminal victims and witnesses

The Ministry of Justice Witness Intermediary Scheme provides Registered Intermediaries for eligible witnesses and complainants in criminal investigations and trials. This can include witnesses for the prosecution or defence. Tell the police, Witness Care Unit or relevant lawyer about communication difficulties and ask whether referral is needed. Police officers or prosecutors usually arrange the service through the scheme. An intermediary may help with a police evidence interview as well as court evidence. Court special measures require the relevant legal decision.

Defendants in criminal cases

A defendant is the person accused of an offence. Defendants use the HM Courts & Tribunals Service intermediary route, rather than the criminal-witness scheme. Ask the defence solicitor to explain the process and make the application. The judge decides whether, and for which parts of the case, intermediary assistance is necessary for a fair trial. Other communication changes may also be ordered. A defendant is not automatically entitled to an intermediary for every meeting or the whole trial.

Family, civil and tribunal cases

HMCTS also provides an intermediary route for parties in family, civil and tribunal proceedings. Ask your legal representative to raise the need. If you are not represented, contact the court or tribunal handling your case; you can request support by email, post or at a hearing. Explain the case reference, hearing date, communication barriers and support already tried. The request and evidence will be considered under the rules applying to that case.

The Family Court decision

Updated Family Court guidance follows Re M (A Child: Intermediaries) [2025] EWCA Civ 440. The question is whether support is necessary to achieve a fair hearing. The judge decides; an assessment is informative but does not decide the application. Explain needs at each relevant stage, such as taking instructions, case-management hearings and giving evidence. The court may seek further information or direct an assessment. Ask the solicitor about permission before privately obtaining a preliminary intermediary report. A separate cognitive assessment is not automatically required.

What to prepare for an assessment

Describe how you understand questions, communicate agreement or uncertainty, ask for a pause and show tiredness or distress. Explain your communication aid, hearing or sensory needs and useful support. Bring relevant existing communication reports or a passport if available. Keep your own account distinct from a supporter’s observations. The assessment concerns communication support; it is not coaching about the facts of your case or deciding whether your evidence is true.

Agree arrangements before the hearing

Ask which recommendations the court has accepted and who will put them into practice. Check the dates, parts of the hearing covered, breaks, communication aids, seating and how you can signal difficulty. The judge may agree ground rules about questioning. If an intermediary is not appointed, ask what other arrangements will allow fair participation. Tell the solicitor or court promptly if your needs change or agreed support is missing.

Other support has different roles

A solicitor gives legal advice and represents your interests. An appropriate adult safeguards a child or vulnerable suspect during specified police procedures. An interpreter translates language or sign language. An independent advocate helps someone understand and express their wishes within their role. A litigation friend can make case decisions for a child or an adult lacking capacity to conduct specified civil or family proceedings; that role has its own court rules. None of these titles automatically replaces an intermediary or the other roles.

Funding and booking

Many approved intermediary services are funded by HMCTS. Different arrangements apply to some work, including family pre-hearing conferences, and legal aid approval may be needed. Ask the solicitor or court to confirm who authorises, books and pays for each part before committing to private costs. Do not assume contacting a provider yourself creates a funded appointment. An assessment normally comes before booking intermediary support for a hearing.

Access adjustments remain important

You can ask separately for accessible information, a suitable waiting area, accessible toilets, a hearing loop, breaks or other disability-related changes. Tell the court about needs in each case; do not assume another court’s record will transfer. An intermediary does not remove the need for other adjustments or resolve every access barrier. Ask how you will receive confirmation and whom to contact on the day.

If a request is refused or support fails

Ask for the reasons and the proposed alternative arrangements. Tell your solicitor why those arrangements may not meet your needs and ask about the correct review or challenge route. A court decision normally needs the relevant judicial process; a complaint about administration does not overturn it or pause a case deadline. Raise a problem during the hearing through your representative or the judge rather than pretending to understand. Keep a record of requests and responses.

Help to communicate in court

What an intermediary does

Ask for communication support

Different types of case

Agree and check the arrangements

What you can do next

More useful links