Administration of Mediation Voucher Services

This is a for information notice of an Opportunity for a procurement for The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for Administration Services for the Mediation Voucher Scheme. The contract is expected to run between June 2023 and March 2025 inclusive. The MoJ is responsible for the court procedures in private family law, and supports non-adversarial, out-of-court methods of dispute resolution, where deemed safe and appropriate. The Family Mediation Council (FMC) are an independent body and are responsible for accrediting family mediators in England and Wales. This responsibility is described in full in Family Procedure Rules, which can be accessed at www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family. Eligibility for the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme (the Scheme) is determined during a Mediation Information Assessment Meeting (MIAM), which must be carried out by an FMC authorised mediator. Irrespective of parties' financial status, the Scheme is open to all (other than with safety concerns). The MoJ is procuring a Supplier to administer the family mediation scheme to parents who are separating and other carers of children who have been deemed safe and eligible for the Scheme during a Mediation Assessment Information Meeting. The Supplier will be responsible for the administration of the Scheme (not the mediations themselves), which will be separately carried out by suitable FMC authorised mediators in the required quantities, with the skills and knowledge to deliver this specification. At a high level the Supplier will be responsible for ensuring: Valid assurance that vouchers are distributed by only FMC accredited mediators, or, if in circumstances agreed by the FMC, Family Mediation Standards Board and the MoJ, suitable mediators working towards accreditation. This will require the design and delivery of a suitable end-to-end process and working with the FMC and MOJ to ensure all potentially eligible mediators are aware of the scheme and how it is operated. Prompt assurance of payment of legitimate voucher fund requests from mediators. Monitoring and evaluation of the service as per the detailed requirement included with the Invitation to Tender; Raw Mediator and participant survey result data for referral to MoJ analytical team; Reports on the deliverables and Management Information to the MoJ; A robust complaints process for any issues that arise; and Appropriate safeguarding of public money. This list is not exhaustive - potential suppliers should refer to the full document suite on the ItT. For information, the Scheme will operate under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006 as of 31 December 2022.