Our mediators are ordinary people who live or work in the Eastbourne, Wealden and Lewes areas and volunteer their time to help people resolve their disputes. They come from all sections of the community and all walks of life. Some of our mediators are retired, others are students in higher education. Some are unemployed and others work either full or part-time. All have the desire to help others and give something back to the community.
All our mediators complete our accredited mediation training course, are DBS checked, and many have additional specialist mediation skills and training in areas such as workplace, family and commercial mediation. Our mediators usually work in pairs and are supported by our central office management team.
Interested in becoming a Mediator?
You do not have to have any special skills or experience to become a mediator. You just need to be able to listen, to respect our policy of confidentiality, to be non-judgemental, and to be committed to the principles of mediation.
All prospective volunteer mediators must complete our accredited mediation training course, which we run twice a year from our offices based in Hailsham. You will also need a recent extended DBS check or we can arrange one to be done for you.
New mediators work with our experienced mediators in order to develop their own expertise and confidence. Mediators usually work in pairs and receive telephone and face-to-face support and supervision from our management team and other mediators.
After your training, you need to be available to volunteer with us for 18 months. We normally arrange our mediation visits during the day or in the early evenings and initial visits usually last between 1 and 2 hours. Our cases come from all over our area and at different times, so we cannot say how many cases you may work on, but we expect most of our mediators will be involved with 4-6 cases a year. Travel, telephone and admin expenses are reimbursed.
On-going Training and Supervision
All our volunteers are asked to attend supervision sessions and training evenings at least twice a year, which gives them the opportunity to get together in a supportive environment to discuss best practice. Guest speakers attend our training evenings to talk on subjects of interest and relevance to our service. We offer supervision to mediators in small groups or on a one-to-one basis.
If you would like to find out more about these opportunities, please contact the office team on 01323 442781.
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