Will government vouchers prove a game-changer for family mediation?

Analysis of data to evaluate the government’s £500 family mediation voucher scheme is in full swing. It’s not yet complete but, as the initiative nears an end, the signs appear positive.

The £1 million drive sought to improve the take-up of family mediation for separating families with children, with the aim of helping reduce the family court logjam.

Early indications suggest a high percentage rate of successfully mediated agreements in cases where a voucher was used. There are also signs that most who took advantage of a voucher concluded they had no need to take their dispute to a court after all.

So it seems the prod they received from the money inducement was enough to demonstrate that achieving non-confrontational settlement is, contrary to much received wisdom, very possible.

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