The MOJ has confirmed that an extra £5.4 million in funding will be provided to for  families to resolve disputes away from court, including arrangements for children.

Under the scheme, £500 mediation vouchers are provided to separating or divorcing couples with the aim of helping them find mutually agreeable solutions and freeing up space in the family courts. It seeks to spare parents and their children the anxiety and cost of often lengthy and acrimonious courtroom disputes.

The scheme has been a success with around two-thirds of cases reaching full or partial agreements away from court.

The further money announced more than doubles the investment into the initiative since its launch in March last year which now totals £8.7 million. It will provide around 10,200 additional vouchers for mediation services – adding to the 8,400 which have been issued so far.

Preliminary research from the Family Mediation Council (FMC), who run the scheme, show promising results. Survey data of the first 2,800 completed cases using the vouchers revealed 65 percent reached either a whole or partial agreement away from court, while a further 3 percent only attended court to formalise their agreement. It also showed 50 percent of participants would not have attempted mediation without the financial incentive offered by the scheme.

The investment announced today will extend the initiative to March 2023.

If you would like to know more about the voucher scheme, please get in touch by emailing hello@familymandm.co.uk or calling us on 0800 2062258

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