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Search for:  Criteria for Mediator Credentials and Quality Control

															Home/ADR Resources and Guidance/Criteria for Mediator Credentials and Quality Control Criteria for Mediator Credentials and Quality ControlADR2022-02-16T13:10:30-05:00
			
			Criteria for Mediator Credentials and Quality Control**Program Specifics**:  description of the subject area handled by the roster and of the source of mediators.
**Gatekeepers:**the individual or group responsible for making the determination of whether an applicant meets the requirements for initial and on-going roster membership.
**Qualifications, Credentialing and Quality Assurance:**
*Levels of credentialing:*generally a tiered approach with basic and advance levels of education, training, experience or demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities.
*Training/Standards:* prerequisites for inclusion on roster, with a focus on “classroom preparation” with an assessment of trainees’ strengths and weaknesses.
*Education*: college-level or above mediation or related subject-matter courses/degree recommended or required for roster membership.
*Amount of experience:*“flying time” of neutrals, measured in number of cases and/or number of hours in mediation.  Numerous programs and rosters permit any neutral to practice provided that he or she has “logged” a certain minimum number of cases or hours in mediation.
*Mentoring or supervision prior to credentialing:*co-mediation or some form of apprenticeship with experienced neutrals who evaluate applicants.
*Evaluation of training participants/Performance tests:* participation in mock mediations through which candidates have an opportunity to demonstrate their ability.
*References:*references from co-mediators or parties, or lists of clients from previous cases.
*Interviews:* interviews with neutrals to assess process understanding and prior performance.
*Other prerequisites:*specific standards and requirements for roster membership other than those listed above.
**Re-credentialing:**  ability to remain a roster member by maintaining current education, training, experience or demonstrating identified knowledge, skills, and abilities.
**Neutral Development:**
*Ethical standards:*expectations that neutrals adhere to stated ethical standards and may include support for neutrals “in the field”.
*Continuing education or training:*post-credentialing training and conferences to enhance skills, apprise of new developments in the field, and provide a forum to strategize approaches to commonly experienced mediator challenges.
*Mentoring or supervision post-credentialing*:  co-mediation or some form of mentoring which may involve follow-up training and, occasionally, telephone advice for neutrals.
**Evaluation and Assessment:**
*User evaluation:*feedback from participants in the mediation through tools such as post-mediation questionnaires and evaluations.  Questions may include: Was the process useful?  Did the participants feel that the mediator maintained neutrality, understood issues, stimulated solutions, and assisted parties in reaching agreement?
*Complaint procedures/panels:*effort to promote quality mediation through opportunities to register complaints, either in writing or through a hotline.
**Website (if any):**the website of the roster, if one exists, or of the organization that supports the roster.
**Contact Information**:  the phone number, fax number, email address, etc. to be contacted for further information about the roster, if the organization wishes to receive inquiries
*Criteria  prepared using the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Task Force on Credentialing “Report on Mediator Credentialing and Quality Assurance” (2002).* Copyright 2022 ADR.gov | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use  |  FOIA  |  Section 508