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Accreditation and SCMN

In my recent blog I mentioned the Scottish Community Mediation Network, or SCMN. This network is for mediators and managers that deliver community and homelessness mediation services. It provides a space to share successes, shed light on learning and discuss initiatives. Since 2007, the SCMN has supported three accreditation schemes. These accreditation schemes are for services, mediators and training providers.

It has been my pleasure to support these schemes over the years. Nowadays I train assessors and run awareness workshops for mediators and service managers, together with providing administrative support. When I reflect on the work that underpins these schemes, what strikes me is that the reasons for people taking part, becoming accredited, can vary hugely. And yet the outcome is often similar.

Some people or services need to become accredited as part of their service contract; others wish to do it for personal development. Others see it as an opportunity to reflect on and somehow mark their ongoing learning.

So what does the mediator or mediation service get from accreditation? Apart from the experience of going through the accreditation process, and hopefully accreditation at the end of it, they gain in other ways. They can gain a greater self-awareness of why they do something in a particular way; often we go through our work without realising the depth to our decision-making or processes or understanding of what is it that makes us do something in a particular sequence. Accreditation, by asking us to describe processes and reasoning, gives us the space to question ourselves and our service.

By the end of the accreditation process, candidates can appreciate how skilled and adaptable they actually are. It is like holding a mirror up to yourself, and realising that you do a good job and are well-skilled. Candidates come away from the experience with greater confidence and awareness and some have used it as an opportunity to review and refresh their mediation process or approach. It is also an opportunity to hear back positive feedback from your peers; all assessors are experienced mediators.

Personally, I feel its success over the years is because it was designed by experienced mediators and service managers, and is a mechanism to record practical skills. The accreditation schemes are designed to be accessible, flexible and practical.

If you are a mediator or mediation service and would like to learn more, contact us.