Separating parents will continue to receive £500 government subsidies to settle custody and financial disputes out of court, under an extended mediation scheme announced today by the
Ministry of Justice.
The extension of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, backed by £7 million in annual funding, comes alongside a rollout of new digital triage tools on GOV.UK designed to divert families away from a strained family court system.
Since its launch in 2021, the mediation voucher program has funded dispute resolution for more than 54,000 parents. Justice Minister Baroness Levitt KC confirmed the scheme will run for an additional year, providing non-means-tested £500 vouchers to eligible families trying to reach amicable childcare and financial agreements.
New digital tools launched
In tandem with the funding extension, the government has overhauled its online resources to help parents navigate separation without legal representation. The new digital toolkit includes:
The Child Arrangement Planner: A digital alternative dispute resolution service hosted on GOV.UK to help parents draft practical co-parenting schedules.
"Get Help Finding a Child Arrangement Option": An online triage tool that assesses a family's specific circumstances and directs them to the most suitable resolution path.
Streamlined GOV.UK Guidance: Redesigned information hubs aimed at steering couples toward mediation rather than litigation.
"Separation is one of the hardest moments in any family’s life," Baroness Levitt KC said. "The last thing parents need is a slow, costly court fight that drags out the pain, particularly for their children. Our actions put families back in control."
Push to halve court delays
The announcement follows the government’s recent decision to nationwide expand its Child Focused Courts initiative (formerly known as the Pathfinder project) across England and Wales.
According to Ministry of Justice data, the pilot phases of these specialized courts yielded significant improvements in judicial efficiency. In several trial areas, family court backlogs were cut by 50%, with dispute resolution times reduced by up to seven and a half months.
The government hopes the combination of digital self-help tools, subsidized mediation, and reformed court procedures will significantly ease the emotional and financial toll on separating families while reducing the burden on the family justice system.
