How the voucher scheme works

The scheme was set up by the government to encourage families to try mediation rather than going to court. For this reason, all families that are making decisions about children are eligible for the grant, no matter what you earn, and even if you are also making decisions about finances.

Your mediator is responsible for applying for the grant on your behalf. However, the rules are that we cannot do this until you have both attended a MIAM. Then, once the funding has been approved, you will be able to book in for your first joint mediation meeting. The funding can then be used to pay for the mediator’s fees for mediation meetings.

It is worth noting that the voucher is only available for joint mediation meetings, not for assessment meetings (MIAMs), documentation, court applications or anything else. And mediators are only allowed to claim for time actually spent in mediation. For this reason we are paid in arrears by the scheme once either the mediation is concluded or the voucher is fully used up, whichever happens first.

You can only claim a Family Mediation Voucher once per family/case for a one-off contribution of up to £500.

You can find more information and the full rules about the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme here.