New Year is the peak time for couples to consider divorce or separation - but Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly is encouraging families to consider mediation as an alternative to going to court.

 

The first weeks of January see a much higher number of searches on Directgov for 'divorce' or related terms, suggesting that this is a time when couples look into separating from their partners. But the process of separation and decisions about future arrangements for their children could be made simpler if families chose mediation, Mr Djanogly said.

Mediation involves couples working through issues in the presence of a qualified mediator to make arrangements both sides can agree with, rather than putting lawyers and a judge in charge of deciding a couple's future arrangements.

Rules which came into effect on 6th April mean that anyone setting out to contest the terms of their separation in court will first be required to consider mediation. The Government has already increased spending on mediation for family disputes by two thirds, or £10 million, to £25 million each year, to allow separating couples to mediate.