The Family Procedure Rules were updated on 29 th April 2024 to increase the likelihood of parties
resolving their disputes outside of Court.

The first major update is a widening of the definition of “non-Court dispute resolution” (NCDR)
at FPR 2.3(1)(b) which includes arbitration, evaluation by a neutral third party and collaborative
law.

Whilst the Court cannot force parties to engage with non-Court dispute resolution, if the parties
attend Court without having attempted NCDR, there is a possibility of scrutiny from the Judge.

Furthermore, if there is a failure to engage with NCDR, the Court will be able to consider this
when deciding whether to make a Costs Order.