The Family Mediation Council (FMC) has been in regular contact with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) regarding the continuation of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme beyond the end of March 2026.
We are pleased to be able to share the following update from MoJ today:
‘MoJ is still finalising budget delegations for 2026/2027, but we fully expect continued funding for mediation vouchers and providers should continue to process vouchers as normal. MoJ will confirm the position formally in due course.’
Family Matters has made vouchers for family mediation available since they were first offed by the Ministry of Justice in 2021.
The scheme was devised in response to rising numbers of parent court applications, which resulted in backlogs and delays for families. It began with an initial fund of £1 million, as a way of encouraging families to come to mediation to reach agreements about arrangements for their children instead of using the court system. It offers grants of £500 per family, towards the cost of mediation where there are issues relating to children regardless of income or assets as it is not means-tested. The funding can be used to consult children as part of the mediation process. The fund has since grown substantially and in 2025 -2026 rose to £15 million.
Find out more about child inclusive mediation
Juliette Dalrymple, director and mediator at Family Matters said:
“This scheme has proved extremely beneficial for families so far and I would be delighted to see it continue.
“It is far better for parents and children to work together when they can, and the scheme offers support for this. In family mediation, separating couples work with independent mediators in a safe environment to help them find solutions and reach agreements to their family issues with less conflict and putting greater emphasis on their children.
“I would encourage anyone wanting access to the vouchers to contact us as soon as possible so we can make the application on their behalf.”
Family Matters processed 148 vouchers between January 2025 and January 2026 and 13 in February and March so far this year. It has processed 613 voucher applications since the fund started.
Following the very positive news from the MoJ, the FMC will continue to liaise with it to get formal confirmation of the extension, and we will share further updates on our web pages as soon as possible.
