L – R Alison McIlroy, Stan Angel, Juliette Dalrymple
The government has publicised its commitment to supporting family mediation as a major route to resolving family conflicts without the need to go to court, by confirming that legal aid will be extended after 2018.
New legal aid contracts to provide family mediation services will be offered to eligible firms, upon submission, in April 2018, and the government has said that it does not envisage making significant changes to the way the service is delivered currently.
The government will maintain key quality standards, which must be met by all firms offering legal aid for family mediation. Firms will need to meet the standards set out by:
Family Matters already meets these standards, as well as those set by other regulatory bodies, including Help and Support for Separating Families (HSSF), and its own quality standards.
Family Matters’ managing director, Juliette Dalrymple, says
“We have been offering legal aided family mediation for families since 2001. This is a testimony to the quality of our service of which we are very proud. We welcome the opportunity in 2018 to demonstrate that we are providing good service and value for money and look forward to continue helping people who wish to deal with their divorce and separation issues through mediation rather the more traditional court routes. Whilst submitting for new contracts is costly for a small business like ours, Family Matters continues to be committed to providing legally aided mediation for those who qualify at a time when there is increasing recognition of the impact of separation and divorce on children and families and government support for parents and children in other areas is reducing in real terms.”
Legal aid is still available for mediation, which Family Matters can provide free to those who are eligible. Contact us to find out more.
