Mediation

The Government has announced that it intends to provide additional funding of £10 million to help couples going through separation and divorce.

The impact on courts and families of legal aid reforms implemented in April 2013 are already becoming evident, says umbrella body National Family Mediation (NFM), with an increased number of court applications and a drop in the number of referrals to mediation.

There is “patchy understanding” and “ill-founded scepticism” about alternatives to going to court during break-ups according to a new poll commissioned by family law body Resolution.

Separating parents and couples will be helped to avoid stressful court battles under a new law being introduced by the government.

Thousands of couples who separate each year have been urged to spurn confrontational court battles and instead to try mediation to sort out disputes over finances and children – as new figures show divorce rates increased last year.

Free mediation is to be made available to more couples who are going through a separation, the Government has announced.

An advisory group set up by Justice Minister Simon Hughes to investigate the best ways for children to be involved in out-of-court dispute resolution processes has now published its final report.

Family charity, National Family Mediation (NFM) has called on judges and the wider family court system to do more to increase the take-up of family mediation.

While Christmas may seem a good while away, separated parents anxious about where their child will spend Christmas are being urged to take action now and set up a basic parenting plan.

A UK Government policy aimed at promoting the use of mediation between separating couples in England has been labelled an ‘embarrassing failure’ by national family charity National Family Mediation (NFM). 

A recent report by relationship Relate and Relationships Scotland have given an interesting insight into the relationships between step-parents and their stepchildren, and how these relationships compare to that of biological parents.

New research has cast further doubt over the success of the UK Government’s approach to encouraging a greater use of mediation amongst separating couples in England and Wales.