Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Service

Volunteering

Who can become a mediator?

We are looking for people from all walks of life. You do not have to have any formal qualifications, special skills, only that you have the ability to listen and respect confidentiality.

How much time would I have to give?
The initial training takes about 30 hours and normally includes some day times, some evenings and one or two Saturdays. Our training is an NOCN accredited course. After that we are very flexible and work around your other commitments, as cases are referred to us. We recognise that some people can give more of their time than others. In return we give ongoing training, supervision and support. We also pay travel expenses and assistance with child/carer costs. Please see Latest News for details of any training coming up.

Who do we help?
We help neighbours who are experiencing disputes with one another over problems such as noise, children, parties, verbal abuse, boundaries, parking etc. Such conflict can lead to stress and can affect the quality of people’s lives. They sometimes lead to slow and costly court proceedings with no guarantee of a successful outcome.

How do we help?
We help by listening to neighbours, rebuilding communication between them, either directly or through us, and by encouraging them to look to the future and reach agreement on a way forward from which everyone can benefit.

Mediators:

• Work in pairs
• Maintain strict rules of confidentiality
• Do not take sides or judge people
• Assist both parties to find their own solutions and move forward
• Support the rebuilding of links and social networks

We can also offer other volunteering opportunities, depending on your skills and experience. We offer travel expenses, assistance with child/carer expenses and ongoing training, support and supervision.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer go to the latest news page to find out when we will next be running a course to train new mediators.