Following news that the Ministry of Justice has extended the family mediation voucher scheme by 12 months, Stephen Burke, Chair of The Family Mediation Council (FMC), said:
“Analysis of the family mediation voucher scheme has shown it to be successful in helping people make important agreements without the need to go to court.
“The FMC welcomes its extension, not least as this will continue to ensure that families on low incomes can access mediation to help them resolve conflict.”
The family mediation voucher scheme is designed to support parties who may be able to resolve their family law disputes outside of court and to encourage more people to consider mediation as a means of resolving their disputes, where appropriate. To support this, a financial contribution of up to £500 towards the costs of mediation is provided to those who are eligible.
Early analysis from the first 7,200 families to use the scheme showed more than two-thirds reached agreement without the need to go to court.
