Thanks to an additional investment of £1.2million, the scheme originally launched by the government in March 2021 will continue to help even more couples access mediation. Applicants can still apply for a £500 family mediation voucher that can be used towards the cost.
Mediation is a cost-effective and quicker way of resolving a dispute, often sparing families the trauma of going to court and reducing the impact of conflict on their children. Couples work through their differences with a mediator and agree terms that both parties accept. This can include finances and child arrangements and negates the need for a judge to be involved. The agreement can then be made into a legally binding and enforceable court order.
New figures provided by the Ministry of Justice show that the voucher scheme has helped over 37,700 families to date, with 70% of recipients reaching a whole or partial agreement thanks to mediation.
Since the voucher scheme was introduced in April 2021, the number of applications begin made to court has dropped from 50,807 in 2023,compared to 55,711 in 2020.
Couples will qualify for the voucher if they want to use mediation to resolve differences concerning their children. You can find out more about the scheme when you attend a Mediation Information and Assessment meeting or by speaking to a family mediator.
The scheme will run until March 2026.
This blog was updated on 27 February 2025 to reflect changes in the law.
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