Voice of the Child: government response to Dispute Resolution Advisory Group report
The government’s response to the report and recommendations of the external Voice of the Child: Dispute Resolution Advisory Group.
In August 2014, in response to the Family Mediation Task Force in August 2014, the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties agreed to:
Convene a ‘Voice of the Child’ external advisory group to improve practice and make sure mediation is focused on the best outcomes for any children involved.
The remit of this advisory group was to consider child inclusive models of out of court dispute resolution, including family mediation as it relates to private law matters. The overriding objective was to make sure the necessary steps are taken to promote child inclusive practice and make sure that children’s and young people’s voices are heard.
The Advisory Group submitted their final report to the Ministry of Justice on 16 March. Having considered the group’s report and recommendations, the government has issued a formal response.