What is the Government Voucher Scheme?
The Ministry of Justice has developed a mediation voucher scheme, whereby a contribution of up to £500 per case/family to the mediation costs of a child arrangements case will be offered, encouraging people to seek to resolve their disputes outside of court where appropriate to do so.
The purpose of the scheme is to promote the benefits of mediation and divert matters where appropriate away from the family courts. The scheme will offer mediation participants a financial contribution of up to £500 per family towards the total costs of their mediation. This payment will be made directly to mediation providers by the FMC which is administering the scheme on behalf of the MoJ.
Are You Eligible?
Eligibility for the mediation voucher scheme is not based on an individual’s income.
However, mediation vouchers will be restricted to cases where there is a private law dispute/application regarding a child. For example, a child arrangements order (CAO) or specific issues order, whether or not there is an associated Financial Remedy (FR) dispute/ application.
£500 is available per case, not per individual, and a family can only claim one voucher during the life cycle of this scheme.
To apply for a voucher, clients are required to complete a form of Consent to application and will also be asked to complete a short equality monitoring form – completion of this is optional.
If you’d like more information about mediation, Dootsons have you covered. Just get in touch!
