Mediation Plus launch new service for workplace disputes

After over ten years helping residents of Eastbourne and Wealden resolve neighbour and family disputes, Hailsham based community mediation charity Mediation Plus is launching a new service to help resolve disputes in the workplace.

Supported by funding from the Big Lottery Awards4All programme, a group of the services mediators have just successfully completed their specialist training designed to enable them to help businesses and organisations of all kinds and sizes across the area. Mediation avoids the need for employers to go through lengthy and expensive grievance procedures and concentrates on building practical working relationships that can help people and the organisation going forward.

Service and Development Manager Clive Gross said "We spend a huge percentage of our lives in one kind of working environment or another. Most people would like work related conflicts resolved but sometimes they do not know how to, or they are unable to work through how to make the changes happen. Workplace mediation can resolve conflict quickly and in a safe environment. It is a completely confidential process which encourages people to talk openly and empowers those involved to own issues affecting them and avoids decisions being imposed."

Workplace mediation is now being widely used by businesses and organisations worldwide and can be equally effective in helping charitable and public sector organisations resolve disputes as well as commercial businesses. For the employer, workplace mediation can help to quickly restore healthy and positive working relationships, focus people on the future not the past and can take place at any time to try and resolve a workplace relationship issue.

Clive Gross added "This new service is a key part of our long-term aim of making mediation accessible to resolve all kinds of conflicts - not just the neighbour and intergenerational dispute services we are well known for. As a locally based charity, we are able to offer an affordable service to smaller local organisations as well as those larger employers who may already be aware of the benefits of mediation. By using Mediation Plus, they would also be helping us to sustain our community mediation service for those local residents who need it."

As part of the launch of their new service, Mediation Plus has secured a limited amount of funding to offer local charities or community groups in Eastbourne or Wealden a free dispute and conflict resolution service to help them deal with issues between staff, volunteers or trustees that may be affecting their ability to operate or deliver their services to beneficiaries. To qualify for the funded service, you must be a registered charity or constituted community group with an annual turnover of under £100,000 and referrals are subject to continued availability of funds.

If you are interested in finding out more about the new service, please visit the Mediation Plus website, phone us on 01323 442781 or send an email.

PCC funding boost for Mediation Plus

Mediation Plus was one of over 60 local organisations awarded grants totaling almost £300,000 from the Safer in Sussex Community Fund by Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne in Lewes last week from more than 90 applications made to the fund.

Working together with colleagues from community mediation services in Brighton, Hastings and West Sussex to make a joint bid as the Sussex Mediation Alliance, the application had to demonstrate support for the priorities set out in the PCC's Police and Crime Plan, including tackling antisocial behavior and addressing community priorities such as drug and alcohol harm, as well as reducing reoffending and the impact of domestic abuse and hate crime.

The Sussex Mediation Alliance was awarded funding of £30,000 to support the four services, who together provide domestic, intergenerational and family mediation services across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. The will help to ensure the continued provision of voluntary dispute resolution to residents and communities across the county.

Clive Gross, Mediation Plus Service Manager said: "This funding is vital to help preserve our work with our local Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Eastbourne and Wealden, providing them with a valuable early-intervention service that can prevent disputes escalating and ending in serious incidents. Over 600 community mediation referrals are serviced every year across Sussex. Mediation can help to assist in the prevention of crime and reduce the levels of crime and antisocial behavior as well as addressing the fear of crime. Police officers are also offered suitable training on how to make appropriate referrals to mediation and how to encourage parties to take part, prior to any intervention."

"By working together as the Sussex Mediation Alliance, we can offer community based mediation and conflict resolution services to individuals, organisations and agencies across both counties to a high and consistent standard of services in terms of quality and working practices.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne added: "I am delighted with the initial response to the Fund. The sheer number of applications received reflects the huge number of local organisations and community groups who are committed to keeping Sussex safe.

“I will be closely following the progress of these projects over the coming months to monitor the real impact they are delivering for residents in Sussex.”

New Mediators needed to support increased referrals

Mediation Plus – the community mediation service for Eastbourne and Wealden – is looking to recruit a group of new community mediators to help cover the increased number of referrals the service has been receiving this year.

With local public sector and statutory services such as the Police, Courts, Youth Support and schools all continuing to face a financial squeeze, mediation is being increasingly used as an alternative way to resolve disputes and help improve communication between neighbours and young people and their families.

Service and Development Manager Clive Gross said “We have been experiencing an increase in the number and complexity of the cases referred to our service over the last year, especially to our Time2Talk service that helps young people experiencing problems within their family or at school. We are also seeing a wider variety of issues between neighbours coming to us, including some resulting from the increased pressure on local authorities and social housing providers to accommodate people needing extra support to live independently in the community”

The service is looking to put up to 14 new mediators through their accredited mediation skills training course which starts next month, who will then help to diffuse local conflicts, neighbour disputes and anti-social behaviour across the area, helping to prevent minor issues becoming major problems and improving the quality of life of residents. The training will take place across five Saturdays in their Hailsham offices, starting on October 12^th.

Clive Gross continued “We are looking for new mediators from a wide variety of backgrounds and from across the area, but we are particularly keen to hear from people interested in working in the Uckfield, Crowborough and north Wealden area, where we have seen the largest rise in new referrals in recent months.”

The practical and interactive course offers participants the opportunity to develop mediation skills through exercises, group work and role play. Mediation skills are also applicable to many professional sectors, including housing, young people’s services, family support, education and is suitable for those working in other frontline support services dealing with the public.

For more details about the training and an application form, please call Clive Gross or Joan Eades at Mediation Plus 01323 442781 or email training@mediation-plus.org.uk

NHS Survey Reveals Greater Trust in Mediation

Mediation Plus - the community mediation service for Eastbourne and Wealden - has welcomed the results of a new survey of NHS Trusts across the country has shown that mediation is gaining in both popularity and credibility within the healthcare sector.

Of the 133 Trusts which responded to the survey conducted by the TCM Group, 83% are already using mediation to resolve workplace disputes, with 87% of those reporting a significant reduction in the number of grievances.  Some 43% of Trusts reported a fall in the number of employment tribunals they had to defend, a statistic they attribute directly to the introduction of a mediation scheme.

Evidence from the survey suggests that that NHS Trusts are using mediation to secure positive outcomes within an increasingly complex and challenging range of conflicts and change processes. Trusts reported that they were using mediation to resolve disputes between colleagues, as well as managing conflict between healthcare professionals, patients and their families.

Disputes within the NHS, like so many other sectors, are damaging, destructive and a significant distraction at times of major change and transformation. With such negative impacts, it seems that many Trusts feel that enough is enough and are turning to mediation as an exciting alternative which it seems is delivering significant benefits. The outcomes being reported from mediation are impressive and NHS staff are seeing that mediation can produce very creative solutions to systemic problems by engaging everyone.

Mediation Plus Service Manager Clive Gross said “The results of this survey demonstrates that using mediation can result in less time is being spent dealing with grievances and litigation, resulting in reduced costs on tribunal hearings and reduced stress on all parties involved. Finding solutions that everyone agrees to and are not imposed from above leads to increased levels of wellbeing and productivity, which are major benefits to the NHS or any organisation looking to resolve disputes in a non-confrontational way.”

Mediation Plus offers both workplace mediation to local organisations and businesses, and accredited mediation skills training to managers and other employees who have to deal with the public or handle complaints. This includes other areas of the healthcare sector including providers of care and nursing homes.

Gill Bellord, Head of employee relations at NHS Employers is particularly enthusiastic about the role of mediation. “NHS Employers support the increased use of mediation in the NHS as an effective means of resolving complaints, managing change and handling workplace disputes. There are benefits in terms of outcomes, maintaining on-going relationships and value for money.”

For more information about the mediation services and training available locally, call Mediation Plus on 01323 442781 or visit our main website.

Mediation Service Raises Planning Permission Holiday Concerns

Mediation Plus, the community mediation service for Eastbourne and Wealden, is concerned that Government plans announced last week to relax planning permission requirements for property extensions may trigger a wave of disputes among local residents.

 

The service – which has been providing independent and impartial community mediation since 2006 – deals with an average of 120 cases each year. Among the most common causes of disputes between home owners are parking, boundaries and extensions such as conservatories and garages. The plans announced last week would allow extensions of up to 6 meters – double the current limit – to be built without local planning consent.

 

Service Manager Clive Gross said “While the current planning process may seem cumbersome for small developments like conservatories and garages, it does at least provide a mechanism for genuine concerns about the impact of these works to be properly considered. Any extension larger than the current three meter rule may have significant implications for the occupiers of the adjoining properties in terms of outlook and privacy. Doubling the threshold seems to suggest that planners should only get involved when the damage is potentially already done.”

 

Statistics from the Local Government Association show that the proportion of planning applications approved by town halls has risen over the past decade, reaching 87% last year. Home owners who may previously have had planning permission refused for legitimate reasons may now decide to exploit the proposed planning permission ‘holiday’ to go ahead with these schemes.

 

Mr Gross continued “Mediation is a very effective way of resolving disputes, especially if people come to us early before issues escalate. Unfortunately, once a building is up it is usually too late and arguments can even turn violent. We hope the very short public consultation process being scheduled for these proposals will allow the Government to reflect fully on their implications.”

Mediation Plus backs new report on ‘First Aid’ approach to anti-social behaviour

Local mediation and conflict resolution service Mediation Plus has welcomed the new report from the Royal Society of Arts and NESTA published last week that has highlighted the potential for teaching local communities ‘First Aid’ skills in directly tackling anti-social behaviour in local communities.

Published on the first anniversary of the summer 2011 ‘riots’, the report looks at ways communities can be empowered to tackle these issues for themselves, as other community safety services face several years of spending reductions. The reports’ author Ben Rogers outlines the four key features that mark this ‘First Aid’ approach out:

“First, it is a skills-based approach, with the curriculum designed by professional experts and regularly revised in light of developments in expert knowledge. Second, the curriculum is simple, so that almost anyone can master it. Third, despite its simplicity, it is aimed primarily not at children but adults. Fourth, it appeals to both civic or humanitarian motives and to less selfless ones – first aid skills can be helpful in saving strangers but also a family member or friend, or even oneself. And it can enhance a CV and provide people who are relatively unqualified, or not employed, with public recognition.”

Aside from training members of the public, specific groups that could benefit from this approach could include public service including park keepers and playground supervisors, street wardens and housing estate managers, publicans and shopkeepers, residents of social housing, young people in schools, ex-offenders, and senior managers and executives in public and private sector organisations.

Mediation Plus Service Manager Clive Gross commented “This report highlights exactly the approach our service and our colleagues across Sussex are currently developing. We have already run a successful Peer Mediation training programme in local primary schools, and are now developing workshops and courses for adults. As an accredited training provider with over ten years experience of working with local communities, we are in a unique position to drive this approach forward.”

As the report highlights, finding funding to run effective programmes has proved a challenge, even though costs can be under £100 per person for a workshop. It also recommends developing skills within the community so training can be passed on by lay trainers – a technique also being developed by Mediation Plus.

Clive Gross added “We are currently awaiting the outcome of a funding bid that would allow us to run exactly the type of programme this report champions, with participants trained to be able to pass on their skills within their communities. We hope other local partners such as housing associations, local authorities and crime reduction partnerships would also be interested in funding programmes like this, as they could save significant amounts of time and money by giving communities these invaluable skills.”