Our core work comprises of mediating in disputes between neighbours and between young people and their families, and we work at the coal face of some of the trickiest social problems in our area, often involving the disadvantaged and mentally ill. We passionately believe in Community Mediation and the tremendous difference we can make to improve lives and although we are often brought in as a last resort, it is rare that we do not ease the situation and in the majority of cases either solve the problem or enable a significant improvement.
Provision of the service is free to the users with the funding coming from customers such as Housing Associations and Council’s Housing Departments, Children’s Services, and Environmental Health Departments. We also work closely with Anti-Social Behaviour bodies, other Charities, and the Police.
It has always been our policy to attempt to survive through our work and not to rely on grants and donations, so in order to maintain our mediation services we have had to diversify. As a consequence, a significant part of our income now comes from training mediation and dispute resolution skills, much of this directed at helping young people, and all aimed at meeting one of our key objectives, that of promoting an understanding of, and benefits of, dispute resolution.
