mediation with Peaceworks
Mediation with Peaceworks
Peaceworks offers mediation delivered by our team of trained and highly skilled professional mediators.
When people need mediators, we recognise that they need the best possible support and Peaceworks provide this at an affordable price. Whether it’s a dispute relating to commercial, landlord and tenant, organisational, workplace, inter-generational, contract or local authority issues, we have valuable experience and expertise on-hand to resolve these issues.
Whilst some people choose ACAS (the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service) when faced with workplace conflict, others prefer not work with large organisations. Peaceworks is well-suited to offering bespoke services to meet your highly specific needs.
We are more comptetitive on price, quicker to reach a resolution and have 96% syccess rate for mediation cases, with extensive experience in the workplace.
Our team of Commercial Mediators are Recognised Members of the College of Mediators and are accredited by CEDR and CIArb.
Contact Peaceworks to discuss a possible case and for free advice call 07515 545692
“The process and concepts of mediation should be common practice in society. It is a tool that would resolve many issues, preventing them from escalating to unmanageable proportions” Substance Abuse Officer, Isle of Wight Council.
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process where people involved in conflict are helped by a neutral third party (the mediator) to resolve their problems collaboratively.
The mediator never takes sides or imposes solutions, but helps the participants reach a solution that they are happy with which is then drawn up into a written agreement.
Mediation improves communication, builds on common ground and is a proven, cost-effective way to resolve conflicts.
Peaceworks offers mediation delivered by our team of qualified and highly skilled professional mediators, based at our mediation centre in the South (UK). All our lead mediators are enrolled as Recognised Members of the College of Mediators, and hold further professional qualifications (MSc., CIArb., CEDR, etc). We have over seven years experience of mediating in the following areas:
– workplace
– organisational
– commercial & contractual
– local authority
– landlord/tenant
– community
– intergenerational/families in crisis
Mediation is a successful, cost effective alternative to litigation; it takes 6 weeks from appointment to agreement, with savings not just in terms of money, but in the anxiety and stress of lengthy grievance processes. Peaceworks has a success rate of 96%, and as a result have been recommended and re-appointed by our satisfied clients on many occasions.
We are passionate about mediating conflict in all areas of life, not just in work situations, but in families and neighbours too.
What does mediation involve?
Peaceworks mediators initially meet with each party separately, then bring both parties together in a joint session facilitated by (usually) two mediators. Depending on the case, another one or two joint sessions may be needed before an agreement. We follow up one month and six months after the sessions to check satisfaction of the outcome, and to provide support and advice as required.
To discuss a case with us please contact us via the website or ring the office on 07515 545692
Mediation is a powerful but simple tool that we have describedhere. However, there are different fields of mediation in the UK and these are usually described in at least four different categories as follows:
1) There is civil or commercial mediation which is supervised by the Civil Mediation Council in the UK. Mediation is used in these cases normally to resolve financial-based disputes in preference to litigation.
2) Family mediation is a more humane and cost-effective way of dealing with the consequences of divorce than through court proceedings
3) Workplace mediation is an affective way of resolving employment and workplace disputes, again saving those involved the stress, time and money spent on reaching agreement
4) Community and Inter-personal mediation offers a way of resolving differences experienced in relationships between those involved in neighborhood conflicts
Peaceworks’ mediators can work in all these fields so call us now to discuss your case in complete confidence.
Do also check out our overview page of our mediation service.
“100% without a doubt I would recommend Peaceworks” Mediation client
Want to find out how much money you’d save using mediation instead of grievance processes? Find out now.
|
The cost of a grievance |
Apply to me Y/N? |
The cost of mediation(filled in for you) |
Estimated Cost of grievance/tribunal £ Best & Worst |
|
| 1 | Legal fees | 0.00 | ||
| 2 | Expert witness costs | 0.00 | ||
| 3 | Possible cost order against me | 0.00 | ||
| 4 | Weeks of absenteeism from work preparing for court | 0.00 | ||
| 5 | Disruption to business | Equivalent to a full day’s salary costs | ||
| 6 | Negative publicity | 0.00 | ||
| 7 | Damage to reputation | 0.00 | ||
| 8 | Time for court process | 0.00 | ||
| 9 | Inability to get on with my life | 0.00 | ||
| 10 | Loss of present & future goodwill | 0.00 | ||
| 11 | Estimated total costs | Equivalent to one full day’s salary costs for those involved and one mediator for the day. Estimate £2,000 |
When you refer a workplace mediation to Peaceworks you can enjoy complete confidence and peace of mind because:
- The fact is, you don’t need ACAS for interpersonal disputes (although ACAS now suggest the use of mediation as an positive alternative to grievance procedures).
- You will avoid a costly grievance because 95% of our mediation cases prevent a such a grievance, bullying or harassment complaint, saving around £20K each time.
- You save money by not paying for a lawyer-mediator whose fees are wholly ‘lawyer’ with nothing ‘mediator’ about them.
- Give your employees even more support because our service comes with 12 months phone and email support for every party.
- Progress the situation quickly because we are able to get on site within 3 days and complete a typical mediation in one day.
- Save time in the future as 92% of resolutions remain in place 3 months later, so the likelihood of future escalation or re-emergence of the conflict is really low.
- Have the added value of objective feedback from our conflict management professionals, who can feed back how your organisation can reduce the likelihood of conflicts arising.
- Check your value for money with our 360° evaluation of parties, practitioner and your views all brought together in a full report.
Did you know…….?
Did you know that more than 65% of performance problems at work result from strained relationships between employees?
Workplace conflict is both expensive and destructive, in terms of time, money and stress.
The causes of conflict can be varied; environment (building and light levels), interpersonal relationships, management communication, personality clashes, inappropriate behaviour. The causes are many and can be a combination of factors.
What ever the cause, the ‘legal routes’ for grievances, disciplinaries, Employment Tribunals (ET) and lawyers rarely achieve satisfactory and sustainable outcomes.
Peaceworks has wide experience and a very successful track record (96% success rate) in mediating both public and private sector cases and are your first call for advice about whether or not mediation is appropriate for your situation.
Call us now on 07515 545692 or email chris@peaceworks.org.uk.
See below the image for some positive comments about Peaceworks and workplace mediation:
“I would strongly endorse and recommend Peaceworks, particularly where the issues are complex. In my own case there was conflict within the Executive Team that had the potential for significant harm to individuals and the organization but we were steered through the mediation process to a Win/Win situation that I am confident could not have been achieved without the skills of the mediator, Chris Seaton.” SP, May 2011
“Micha was terrific and put everyone at their ease, and gave everyone plenty of opportunity to say their bit… I hugely enjoyed working alongside Micha and as ever, learned a lot. Thank you.” HA, March 2011
Civil or commercial mediation is rapidly being seen as an effective alternative means of resolving disputes, with very many benefits over litigation or arbitration.
Peaceworks civil mediators have worked nationally in cases across the spheres of engineering, health care, employment and public authority issues. Our mediators are trained and accredited with CEDR and CIArb. and work full-time and professionally. We offer best rates and are comfortable working either with or without lawyers or union representatives present in the process. We will work with clients’ preferred venues for mediation or source venues from our own tried and tested contacts. You’ll find a link to our charges on the right of this page, below the image.
You can read an overview of the mediation services we offer and you can also read client testimonials here. Do contact us to discuss your mediation needs and what we can offer
Family Mediation covers everything from separation and divorce to disputes over a will. Peaceworks’ trained family mediators can help you with a range of issues such as:
1. Family breakdown
2. Separation
3. Divorce
4. Family disagreements after bereavement
Although Peaceworks can’t undertake publicly funded work, (i.e., legal aid) we will be happy to point you in the right direction so you can find someone who can help you. The Family Mediation Council is a good place to start. It’s also fair to point out right at the start, that there will be a cost involved, if you decide to go ahead with Peaceworks as your mediators. At the moment, Peaceworks deal with casespost-separation and divorce, but we can advise you if you haven’t reached that stage yet and let you know where you can get some help. Call us if you’re not sure on 07515 545692 or email chris@peaceworks.org.uk
More about family mediation:
There’s no age limit on family mediation. You don’t have to be a divorcing or separating couple to contact us. But of course, we can help if there’s a problem over who should have the family home, access to children, finances and the different routes to separation. It is an entirely voluntary process which can often mean that the courts don’t have to get involved in the issues. It is confidential, so you don’t have to worry about privacy, but it’s important to stress that if there is any question about the safety of children or adults who are at risk, the appropriate agency will be contacted.
Mediation isn’t about telling you what to do, it’s about helping you come to an agreement that everyone’s happy with. This is an important point because if the agreement comes from you and not the mediators, it’s much more likely that some level of trust can be established, and most importantly, some communication.
Advice about family mediation is everywhere on the internet, but Peaceworks are here to help and support you through a difficult time for all concerned. It’s important to mention that sometimes, two mediators will work with the family, and this is called Co-mediation. It doesn’t mean they will take sides, just that if there are a range of issues, it can sometimes be helpful to have two mediators.
Contact with the children after divorce
If a contact order is in place as part of the divorce proceedings, the role of a mediator would be to help the parents decide between themselves how the contact should happen, rather than the courts deciding – or for you to present to the court as your agreed option. This is not always possible but current advice is that consideration must and should be given to the best interests of the children after a divorce and case law supports this view. Legally, the presumption in case law is that the children have the right to know both parents after divorce unless there are proven reasons why this would be inadvisable for them. This would be so in cases where domestic violence has been an issue and depending on the severity of the incidents, access and contact will be subject to consideration by the court. Contact centres are a commonly used stop-gap when access is problematic, where an absent parent may see the children but with supervision in place.
Gingerbread
Gingerbread, the advice and support organisation for single parents, provide a range of factsheets and helpful links about contact and the legal position.
Peaceworks
We will make sure you are supported with consideration and care through the process of mediation. Peaceworks’ family mediation is there for you, so give us a call: 07515 545692 or email chris@peaceworks.org.uk
Cost
If you live in West Sussex, Peaceworks charge £50 per person for the initial MIAMs (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting). This is a conversation about mediation, assessing whether it is an appropriate way forward for you before incurring the cost of a full mediation process. This helps to sort out your feelings about the process and gives you the opportunity for some professional support before mediation begins. Then, we suggest a two hour mediation session which costs £150 per person. This represents very good value – ask around. Any subsequent meetings would be charged at £150 per person (based on the two hour timescale).
Complaints rise
June 2011 saw the publication of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Annual report in which Rob Behrens commented on the sharp rise in student complaints.
More significantly, the projected rise attracted media interest as students move towards higher fees and a “value for money” culture more characteristic of the customer.
Reputation and Competition
The volume of student complaints is rapidly becoming a significant issue for universities in the UK as they seek to attract more students and provide an ever-higher quality of academic experience – while wrestling with decreased funding. Competition between institutions is becoming more intense, and the number of sustained complaints could influence the decisions that prospective students make about which institution to select. The value of reputation thus becomes paramount for universities as they enter a market-driven environment, competing for students and enhancing their profile to gain advantage.
What the OIA can and can’t do
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), set up in 2004, deals with student complaints, but only as a “last resort”, when all procedures within the university in question have been exhausted. Its remit is limited so has no jurisdiction over complaints that refer to admissions or to academic judgements. This can mean that students may find that having gone through the university complaints system, their issue remains unresolved, and it is at this point (or ideally much earlier) that it is often worth considering a mediated option.
Why mediation?
This provides the student and the university with an opportunity to engage an impartial third party to help resolve matters without recourse to legal action. More importantly, it is in the interest of both to undertake mediation, or mediation training to help change the culture of complaints’ referral to an agency like the OUA for resolution. The idea is to equip and enable students and staff to troubleshoot their complaints within the university. Peaceworks will prepare you to deal with this emerging landscape.
Why Peaceworks?
Peaceworks will make sure you’re supported
- Confidentially
- Cost effectively
- Carefully and sensitively
Peaceworks runs accredited courses in Mediation Skills Training and for information on how to book one of our scheduled courses follow the link. If you would like Peaceworks to train student or staff mediators, call us to discuss your requirements. Peaceworks are also mediators, and if there are current complaints within the university that you’d like support with, give us a call on 07515 545692, or email chris@peaceworks.org.uk.
P.S. Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Peaceworks are there to help you –
Our service aims to settle disagreements that arise between parents and local authorities or schools about the special educational needs (SEN) of children and young people, and how best to meet these needs.
We aim to resolve disputes about special educational needs through mediation meetings.
For more information, do contact one of our staff to discuss this.
EUROPEAN CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEDIATORS
Introduction
Mediation is a conflict resolution process in which an impartial third party (the Mediator) facilitates the resolution of a grievance or a dispute by promoting uncoerced agreement by the parties to the grievance or dispute. In this process, the decision-making authority rests with the parties and not the Mediator.
The Mediator should provide information about the process and help the parties to identify their concerns and options. The primary role of the Mediator is to facilitate voluntary resolution of grievances or disputes by the parties themselves.
This code of conduct sets out a number of principles to which individual mediators can voluntarily decide to commit, under their own responsibility. It is intended to be applicable to all kinds of mediation in civil and commercial matters.
Organisations providing mediation services can also make such a commitment, by asking mediators acting under the auspices of their organisation to respect the code.
Organisations have the opportunity to make available information on the measures they are taking to support the respect of the code by individual mediators through, for example, training, evaluation and monitoring.
For the purposes of the code mediation is defined as any process where two or more parties agree to the appointment of a third-party – hereinafter “the mediator” – to help the parties to solve a dispute by reaching an agreement without adjudication and regardless of how that process may be called or commonly referred to in each Member State.
Adherence to the code is without prejudice to national legislation or rules regulating individual professions.
Organisations providing mediation services may wish to develop more detailed codes adapted to their specific context or the types of mediation services they offer, as well as with regard to specific areas such as family mediation or consumer mediation.
Terms of the Code
1. COMPETENCE AND APPOINTMENT OF MEDIATORS
1.1 Competence: Mediators shall be competent and knowledgeable in the process of mediation. Relevant factors shall include proper training and continuous updating of their education and practice in mediation skills, having regard to any relevant standards or accreditation schemes.
1.2 Appointment: The mediator will confer with the parties regarding suitable dates on which the mediation may take place. The mediator shall satisfy him/herself as to his/her background and competence to conduct the mediation before accepting the appointment and, upon request, disclose information concerning his/her background and experience to the parties.
1.3 Advertising/promotion of the mediator’s services: Mediators may promote their practice, in a professional, truthful and dignified way.
2. INDEPENDENCE AND IMPARTIALITY
2.1 Independence and neutrality: The mediator must not act, or, having started to do so, continue to act, before having disclosed any circumstances that may, or may be seen to, affect his or her independence or conflict of interests. The duty to disclose is a continuing obligation throughout the process. Such circumstances shall include: any personal or business relationship with one of the parties; any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in the outcome of the mediation, or the mediator, or a member of his or her firm, having acted in any capacity other than mediator for one of the parties. In such cases the mediator may only accept or continue the mediation provided that he/she is certain of being able to carry out the mediation with full independence and neutrality in order to guarantee full impartiality and that the parties explicitly consent.
2.2 Impartiality: The mediator shall at all times act, and endeavour to be seen to act, with impartiality towards the parties and be committed to serve all parties equally with respect to the process of mediation.
3. THE MEDIATION AGREEMENT, PROCESS, SETTLEMENT AND FEES:
3.1 Procedure: The mediator shall satisfy himself/herself that the parties to the mediation understand the characteristics of the mediation process and the role of the mediator and the parties in it. The mediator shall in particular ensure that prior to commencement of the mediation the parties have understood and expressly agreed the terms and conditions of the mediation agreement including in particular any applicable provisions relating to obligations of confidentiality on the mediator and on the parties. The mediation agreement shall, upon request of the parties, be drawn up in writing.
The mediator shall conduct the proceedings in an appropriate manner, taking into account the circumstances of the case, including possible power imbalances and the rule of law, any wishes the parties may express and the need for a prompt settlement of the dispute. The parties shall be free to agree with the mediator, by reference to a set of rules or otherwise, on the manner in which the mediation is to be conducted. The mediator, if he/she deems it useful, may hear the parties separately.
3.2 Fairness of the process: The mediator shall ensure that all parties have adequate opportunities to be involved in the process. The mediator if appropriate shall inform the parties, and may terminate the mediation, if: a settlement is being reached that for the mediator appears unenforceable or illegal, having regard to the circumstances of the case and the competence of the mediator for making such an assessment, or; the mediator considers that continuing the mediation is unlikely to result in a settlement.
3.3 The end of the process: The mediator shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that any understanding is reached by all parties through knowing and informed consent, and that all parties understand the terms of the agreement. The parties may withdraw from the mediation at any time without giving any justification. The mediator may, upon request of the parties and within the limits of his or her competence, inform the parties as to how they may formalise the agreement and as to the possibilities for making the agreement enforceable.
3.4 Fees: Where not already provided, the mediator must always supply the parties with complete information on the mode of remuneration which he intends to apply. He/she shall not accept a mediation before the principles of his/her remuneration have been accepted by all parties concerned.
4. Confidentiality: The mediator shall keep confidential all information, arising out of or in connection with the mediation, including the fact that the mediation is to take place or has taken place, unless compelled by law or public policy grounds. Any information disclosed in confidence to mediators by one of the parties shall not be disclosed to the other parties without permission or unless compelled by law.
© 2016 Peaceworks.org
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