Family Mediation Voucher Scheme

Many people are unaware that for the past 3 years there has been a free government voucher scheme that enables ex-partners or carers of minors, irrespective of income, to obtain a free £500 voucher towards the cost of their family mediation. This family mediation vouchers scheme is shared between both parties.

We list a set of up-to-date conditions to bear in mind with respect to your eligibility for the voucher:

Firstly, you must have a child under the age of 18 that the case concerns or may affect. Here at Family Mediation Services , the mediator will need to discuss and make written records of the proposals for the child. This can be as little as one or two sentences of proposals especially if your focus is finances.

Secondly, you cannot have used the voucher previously for a mediation case concerning the same dispute since 26th March 2021, when the voucher scheme was first introduced by the Ministry of Justice.  At Family Mediation Services, we have been offering the voucher scheme since it’s inception and hundreds of families have benefited from it.

Thirdly, the voucher covers only the cost of joint sessions of mediation between you and the other side. At Family Mediation Services, the initial assessment meeting fee is £85 and this fee includes the cost of the mediation signed court form or certificate which you will need before you are allowed to apply to court in England & Wales in family disputes concerning a child or ex-partners.

Fourthly, the family mediation voucher scheme cannot be used to cover your initial assessment meeting. Instead, you will need to sign the application for the voucher which the mediation company will assist you with.  At Family Mediation Services, we email you a simple electronic signature for you to email back to us. It is a simple as that to receive free mediation!

It is also important to note that in some cases, an individual may even qualify for legal aid instead. This is a separate government funding source for free mediation. They would need to send evidence to us to secure legal aid.  If you are in receipt of universal credit you are almost guaranteed to qualify for legal aid within mediation and legal aid will also cover the cost of your £85 assessment fee.

Family Mediation Services offers highly skilled mediators with decades of years of experience in mediation and or family law who will provide additional information about options on how to represent yourself at the court without lawyers including very useful links to reputable organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau  and the UK Gov website on how to make child arrangement applications yourself.

In summary there are only three main criteria that would make you eligible for the voucher firstly it relates to a child under the age of the 18 secondly that you have not used the voucher before in a previous mediation case since March 2021 and thirdly that you pay for your assessment meeting unless you qualify for legal aid.