Choosing a mediation provider

2.Main Content

Choosing a mediation provider

Choosing a mediation provider is not straightforward. There is no consistent quality or accreditation system which applies to all types of mediators or mediation providers. There is no single regulatory body for mediators. In England and Wales there is not even a single body that can help you locate a local mediation provider.

In Scotland, the Scottish Mediation Network links family, community and civil mediation providers. Through their website you can find a local mediator for any type of dispute. At the end of 2007 the network launched the Scottish Mediation Register, a web based listing of mediators who self certify that they meet minimum standards. These standards cover:

training
continuing practice development
adherence to a code of practice
complaints handing procedures
appropriate indemnity insurance

There is as yet no equivalent mediation network in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Family Mediation
The Family Mediation Council was set up in 2007 to harmonise standards for family mediation in the UK. The council approves family mediation bodies which meet its requirements. Family mediators who are trained and accredited by bodies approved by the council are listed on the government-funded Family Mediation Helpline website.

There is a Mediation Qualilty Mark for family mediation providers which is run by the Legal Services Commission. This quality mark covers standards of organisation and customer care for mediation services, and individual accreditation for mediators working for those services. All family mediation services and individual mediators providing mediation under the legal aid scheme meet the Mediation Quality Mark standards. Family mediation services with the Mediation Quality Mark are listed on the government's Community Legal Advice website.

Community Mediation
The Mediation Quality Mark for community mediation services has been discontinued by the Legal Services Commission from March 2008.

There is currently no national umbrella organisation for community mediation providers. Mediation UK, which was the national body for over 120 community mediation services, went into voluntary liquidation in October 2006. The Mediation UK website is no longer live, so there is no simple way to locate a local community mediation service.

If you want to find a local community mediation service for neighbour disputes, your options are:
- to search for your nearest community mediation service using an internet search engine
- to get information from your local council; many community mediation services are funded by their local authority
- to get information from your local telephone directory, library or CAB
- to look at the Directory of UK Mediation which was set up in January 2007: this directory provides a searchable database of some community mediation services in the UK
Note that none of these options provide any quality assurance standards.

Civil and commercial mediation
The Civil Mediation Council is a national body which represents and promotes civil and commercial mediation. At the end of 2005 it started piloting an accreditation scheme for civil and commercial mediation providers. The accreditation scheme relies on self-certification by civil and commercial mediation services, and includes criteria for adequate training, insurance and complaints procedures. ASA has some concerns about how rigorous this accreditation scheme is. For example:

There is no consistent inspection or auditing process involved in assessing applications for accreditation
There are as yet no minimum standards for professional practice supervision
The accreditation does not apply to individual mediators

The National Mediation Helpline, which is funded by the government, has decided to use this scheme as the basis for including mediation providers to be listed on their website. The Council also publishes a list of Civil Mediation Council accredited mediation providers, and is in the process of making more detailed information about each provider available.

March 2008