Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said that thousands of divorcing couples will be able to avoid going to court through a £5.4 million extension of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme.
Launched in March last year and run by the Family Mediation Council (FMC), 8,400 vouchers have already been used to help couples reach amicable agreements, and the Deputy Prime Minister said that a further 10,200 will now be able to take advantage of the opportunities that family mediation provides.
Family mediation helps couples reach agreements on the way to move forward following their separation or divorce without the need for lengthy, expensive, and stressful court battles.
By facilitating constructive conversation and focusing on the future, rather than an often conflict-driven court structure of blame, families are able to find practical and mutually agreeable solutions to many of the typical disputes that arise during a separation or divorce such as contact arrangements for children and the division of finances.
Research suggests that mutually acceptable arrangements are made in almost two-thirds (65%) of family mediation cases, sparing adults and children alike the stress and anxiety of often acrimonious arguments in front of a judge.
The cash injection has now doubled the government’s investment in the initiative, bringing the total funding to £8.7m.
Mr Raab said: “We are investing over £5m this year alone to help more families to resolve their disputes without the stress and trauma of lengthy courtroom battles.
“Mediation protects children, by removing the bitterness of parental disputes from the amplifying effect of a courtroom – and allows the family courts to focus on adjudicating cases with serious safeguarding concerns, including domestic abuse.”
FMC research suggests that 65% of the first 2,800 cases completed reached either a whole or partial agreement without having to go to court, and a further 3% only went to court in order to formalise their agreement.
Without the scheme, the research found, only 50% of participants would have attended family mediation sessions. These sessions are usually paid for by the participants unless one of them has access to legal aid.
The funding is set to continue until March 2023.
UPDATE
It is with great applause that the government has announced an extension of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme to 2025. You can read more about this news by clicking here.
