THE new divorce legislation in Britain, passed last year but not due to come into operation until 1999, also stresses the importance of counselling and mediation, and has introduced a "cooling-off period" of 12 to 18 months.

There is no state-run counselling or mediation service in Britain, but voluntary services receive state support and this will increase under the new legislation.

The main marriage guidance service, Relate, hams 126 centres in England and Wales (and a number ink Northern Ireland) and is mainly engaged in counselling, although some of its counsellors are also trained as mediators. Counsellors receive two-and-a-half years' training, and are supervised after qualification. They see between 50,000 and 70,000 people a year.

Under the new legislation, the Lord Chancellor has invited 40 marital agencies, including Relate, to tender for funding for special projects to support marriage, and they expect to receive further funding. All those seeking divorce must attend a compulsory information meeting.

National Family Mediation is the umbrella body for a number of voluntary family mediation services established in 1980. They are funded through donations and receive some support from the probation service and local authorities.

Public funding for mediation as part of the legal aid system will come in under the new legislation, according to Ms Thelma Fisher, the NFM's director. However, this will be on a franchise basis rather than as a state service. Private mediation also exists. There are no waiting lists for the NFM's mediation service, Ms Fisher said.