There’s no doubt that family breakdowns can cause a great deal of stress and pain – especially where there are children involved.

Although the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics appear to be showing falling divorce rates in the UK, the BBC noted last year that this doesn’t account for the rise in cohabiting couples – and the lack of data to show how many of those long-term relationships break down.

When a couple has problems – or there are other issues within a family – the first port of call should be mediation.

This is according to Jane Robey, chief executive of National Family Mediation, who stressed the importance of offering this service to families before they enter the court system.

Writing for Family Law, she revealed that family breakdown costs the UK economy £48 billion per year. She also pointed out that the number of people making applications to the family courts has increased and that they are “creaking at the seams”.

Ms Robey highlighted figures from Legal Aid Agency, which indicate that fewer people are going for family mediation. She suggested that the government should do more to encourage people to seek out this help, rather than heading for the courts.

While there has been some positive action on this front, such as the introduction a compulsory pre-court order application attendance at a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, she commented that the government needs to do more to encourage families to go down the mediation route.

Aside from reducing stress, it can help reduce conflict after a separation and is often quicker than going to court, she added.

If you’re looking for family mediation in Epsom, contact us today to find out how we could help.