|
The myth/ rumour |
The reality |
|
Mediation is about sitting
round a table face-to-face
with the other party |
People only have to meet in
a face-to-face meeting if
they choose. Mediation is
often carried out by
‘shuttle’ mediation where
mediators visit each person
separately |
|
Mediators will tell us what
to do |
Mediation is about exploring
with people what they can do
to move the dispute forward
to a resolution |
|
There is no point using
mediation if no one can make
the other party change their
behaviour |
Talking to a neutral third
party (the mediator) in
confidence about what is
happening and exploring
different ways forward often
helps people to work out
their own solutions. Hearing
other points of view and
clearing up
misunderstandings opens up
communication and helps
people to negotiate what
they want. It may also be
that organisations with
authority are not able to
use this authority to change
the situation. |
|
If the mediators visit the
other party and hear their
version of events they will
take their side |
Mediators are totally
impartial, they don’t take
sides. They are there as a
third party to act as a go
between and facilitate
communication between
people. They spend equal
amounts of time listening to
each person |
|
I’ll have to take time off
work/ college to go to the
mediation service |
Mediators are very flexible
and arrange times to visit
people entirely at your
convenience day or evening |
|
If I use mediation I won’t
be able to get the council
or the police or my landlord
to deal with the situation,
it’s passing the buck |
If mediation doesn’t work
you can use any other agency
or organisation to try and
deal with the problem or can
take the situation back to
their landlords |
|
Mediation doesn’t work |
Approximately 65% of
mediation cases are judged
by the people involved as
having a successful outcome |
|
Once the mediators have left
there will be nothing to
stop people going back to
their old behaviour |
If people have been involved
in negotiating an agreement
that is good for everyone
they are far more likely to
stick to it. We review every
successful outcome over 2-3
months to check any
improvement/ agreement is
being kept up. You can also
call us at any stage if you
feel the situation is
getting worse and you don’t
feel able to deal with it
alone |
|
What will it will cost me? |
Most services are free.
Please contact your local
office via the services page
to discuss this. |
|
Before agencies refer a
dispute to the mediation
service they need to get the
permission of both parties |
Although this is beneficial
to the mediation service, it
is only necessary to get the
permission of the first
party before making a
referral |
What happens during mediation?
The basic types of mediation are:
Direct mediation
Step 1: Meet with the mediator to
talk about what has happened to
cause the problem, what you want to
happen in the future and what your
ideas for solving it are
Step 2: If you choose, the mediator
will then contact the other people
involved to arrange a similar visit
with them
Step 3: Again, if you agree, the
mediators can arrange a joint
meeting on neutral ground. The
mediators help you to discuss the
problem, talk about how you feel and
decide what you want to do about it
Step 4: Everybody works together to
reach a written or verbal agreement
about how best to move forward. This
agreement is based on trust and is
not legally binding
Indirect or shuttle mediation
Instead of a joint meeting (steps 3
and 4 above) the mediator listens to
each party separately and carries
messages between them. The outcomes
are exactly the same as in direct
mediation.
Checking agreements
After an agreement has been made,
the mediator will follow up with
both parties after about 6 weeks to
see if everybody is happy with how
things are going. If not, we can
arrange another meeting.
Working with one party
For a variety of reasons, some
‘first parties’ do not wish to
proceed with mediation or ‘second
parties’ do not wish to engage with
mediation. Many people find it
useful to discuss more constructive
ways of approaching their conflict
and use these strategies when they
have future contact with the other
people involved.
Still unsure about
using mediation?
Try asking yourself these questions:
-
Do you want to sort the problem
out?
-
If you don’t think that there is
a problem, can you see how other
people might disagree?
-
Would you like the chance to
give your side of the story in a
safe environment?
-
Do you want someone to listen to
you without judging you?
-
Do you think that everyone has
been open and honest so far?
-
What will happen if you do
nothing?
Mediation can help you to get
control of your future back
into your hands |
ABOUT US
