The government has provided a further £5.4 million in funding to help families to resolve disputes such as contact arrangements for children out of court.
Under the scheme, £500 mediation vouchers are provided to divorcing couples with the aim of helping them find mutually agreeable solutions and freeing up space in the family courts.
Preliminary research from the Family Mediation Council (FMC), who run the scheme, shows promising results. Survey data of the first 2,800 completed cases using the vouchers revealed 65 per cent reached either a whole or partial agreement away from court, while a further 3 per cent attended court only to formalise their agreement. It also showed 50 per cent of participants would not have attempted mediation without the financial incentive offered by the scheme.
Read the full story in Family Law Week here.
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