A new report prepared on behalf of Relationships Australia Victoria has attempted to quantify in real terms the benefit to Family Dispute Resolution (‘FDR’). FDR or mediation is a crucial preliminary step to starting family law proceedings particularly in relation to parenting, and in most cases is required to be conducted before you can go to Court.
The analysis (available here: https://www.relationshipsvictoria.org.au/media/ajmhgjnx/rav-fdr-cost-benefit-analysis-summary-24047.pdf ) says that the benefit to the Court system per family is $4,400; while costing the government $2,938. That is a good but modest saving.
However when factoring in the saved cost to families themselves – on average a whopping $41,800 in cash, plus the physical and psychological health on all parties – the benefit:cost ratio becomes 20.8. That is a huge impact on families already going through a difficulty and stressful time, and only underscores the vital role that FDR plays in the family law system
It is also a timely reminder of the importance of meaningfully engaging in FDR processes, and not just treating them as a tickbox exercise. The way to get the most from FDR is careful advice and planning with the assistance of your lawyers – contact us now for an initial discussion about your situation, and whether FDR might help you.