The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme has received the £7 million funding needed to extend it for a further 12 months, Justice Minister Baroness Levitt KC has confirmed.
The scheme, which provides eligible couples with up to £500 towards professional mediation costs, was launched in response to the court delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its success has seen the scheme receive multiple extensions, the latest of which will see funding continue for a further year.
The goverment said it has rolled out a series of new digital tools on GOV.UK to hep signpost separating parents to online resources. A ‘Child Arrangement Planner’ helps separating families agree practical arrangements for their children, and a ‘Get Help Finding a Child Arrangement Option’ is a triage service which helps users identify the most suitable path to resolution based on their circumstances. The GOV.UK content for separating families has also been redesigned.
The announcement comes as a freedom of information request submitted by the family law team at Russell-Cooke LLP revealed the use of family mediation vouchers under the government’s voucher scheme has doubled since its launch.
Over five years, more than 60,000 couples applied to the scheme, resulting in 57,335 vouchers granted at a total value of £28.7 million. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said its data showed more than two thirds of families reached an agreement without the need to go to court from the first 7,000 vouchers it granted.
In 2021-2022, 7,591 applications and 7,086 vouchers were granted and by 2025-26 that had risen to 15,720 applications, with 14,579 vouchers granted.
Lauren Hall, partner in Russell-Cooke’s family and children team, said: “Mediation can be an effective solution in a very wide range of cases, including the most complex disputes, offering families greater privacy, flexibility and often a quicker route to resolution than court proceedings, which continue to face significant backlogs.
“The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme is playing an increasingly important role in helping families to resolve disputes outside the pressures of a courtroom environment. The continuing rise in voucher usage likely reflects both a growing preference among couples for more constructive, less adversarial approaches to separation – particularly following the introduction of no-fault divorce – as well as the need to avoid protracted delays in the family courts.
“The changes to the Family Procedure Rules in 2024 have also prompted greater consideration of non-court dispute resolution options by separating couples. Over the past five years, the voucher scheme has been widely used and appears to have a good success rate according to the MOJ’s analysis. Its extension into 2027 is a positive step in enabling more families to access mediation and resolve issues relating to children and finances with less delay and distress.”
The scheme is part of growing body of work by the MoJ and the wider judiciary to encourage non-court dispute resolution as a first port of call for families. In April 2024, amendments to the Family Procedure Rules came into force requiring couples to consider NCDR options before pursuing court proceedings.
