Good news. Today the Government have announced their intention to extend the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme to 2026.
The reason why this is good news is because the voucher helps families find an early and cost effective way of resolving issues regarding children. The issues can be diverse and often relate to who the children will live with, how to share their time, holidays, relocation, education, health, religion, contact with grandparents, the involvement of new partners etc. Basically anything that affects children.
The voucher is worth £500 and is only available one per family. It is non means tested and the voucher can be used to pay for mediation sessions and meetings between the children and an accredited Mediator, who has been trained to see children in mediation. At Bespoke Mediation Service, this means the parties will have two free mediation sessions. On average, two sessions are sufficient for the parties to reach a resolution.
Here at Bespoke Mediation Service, our accredited Mediator, Thowheetha Shaah, has spoken to several children as part of the mediation process. This allows the children to speak openly and honestly about their hopes and fears, likes and dislikes. It also empowers them by giving the child a voice and allowing the child to make his/her voice heard.
Thousands of families have taken advantage of the voucher scheme and realised that they are able to resolve their issues without having to go to court or incurring expensive legal fees.