How does community mediation work?
Mediation services can help you sort out disputes in different ways. Often, they will simply provide good suggestions for ways you can sort things out yourself. Most of the conflicts mediation services get involved with can be resolved in this way.
Sometimes an approach like this isn’t the best way forward. In these situations mediation services will arrange to meet you to discuss things. With your agreement they will then do the same thing with your neighbour.
After the mediators have heard what you and your neighbour want to happen, they will usually bring you together in a mediation meeting. These meetings are organised so that everyone has a chance to put across their view, and it is the job of the mediators to ensure everything goes smoothly. Nine out of ten mediation meetings are successful with neighbours working out a solution they can both agree on. If things don’t end in agreement, you are always free to try other ways to resolve the issue such as going to a lawyer.
- To find a community mediation service in your area see our services near you section.
- If there doesn’t seem to be a local service for you, contact us.
- For a register of trained mediators – including workplace mediators - visit Scottish Mediation’s website.
- For family mediation in Scotland visit Relationship Scotland’s website.
