The 3-Step Mediation Process 

STEP 1 – REFERRAL

You will normally have your case referred to us by a housing officer, another council team or the police. You may also request a mediation by contacting us directly. Residents within the London Borough of Ealing may qualify for a free service.

If you want to find out whether mediation is for you just get in touch and we will do our best to help. Please click here to find out how to contact us

STEP 2 – ASSESSMENT

Our team will assess whether your case is suitable for mediation. If it is, you will be contacted by one of our mediation planners by telephone. 

They will talk with you and work out the best approach to helping you neutralise the conflict. You will have an opportunity to briefly discuss the issue, talk about your willingness to work with the other party to resolve things and your availability for mediation appointments. 

STEP 3 – MEDIATION

Next you will be allocated to two mediators who will work together and support you and the other party through the remainder of the mediation process: 

Mediators will have a separate and confidential conversation with you, and then another with the other party. It is an opportunity for you to discuss your problem in detail.

The mediators will clarify their roles and discuss what mediation can and can’t achieve. You will be reminded that mediation is a flexible and helping process. It is not about who is right or who is wrong.

You will be invited to start thinking about ways the conflict may be resolved.

This meeting can take place online or at one of our meeting rooms. 

This is a meeting with the mediators for both parties and can take place online or at one of our meeting rooms. It offers a safe and confidential space where feelings, thoughts and ideas can be shared without prejudice to the person sharing them.

It is a structured conversation where each person is given an equal and uninterrupted opportunity to share the issue from their point of view and to listen to the other party’s point of view. It’s not like two people trying to win an argument. Mediation follows a carefully guided process that encourages both parties to make their position clear, stressing the importance of real communication where each party is encouraged to listen.

The mediator is there to assist both parties to identify the issues and to guide you towards reaching a resolution that is accepted by both. You can bring a friend to support you, but only if this has been agreed in advance.

All mediations involve an element of good faith, and we encourage you to remember that if the other party has engaged, they want to work with you too and find a resolution.

It’s important to remember that 

The outcome is yours to live with so should go the extra mile to reach an agreement you can both be happy with. Trust the process, be honest and open and engage in the conversation  

Successful mediation 

If your meetings have led to a successful mediation, there is usually an agreement which you choose how to record. It’s up to you!  Your mediators will simply record that an outcome has been reached but no records of the mediation will be kept, and all notes will be destroyed after the process.

Some people find it helpful to put their agreement in writing as a reminder of what they agreed.

We advise you not to raise the issues and feelings discussed in mediation once the process is complete, but we will contact you after three months to see how you are getting on.

We think it’s best to see it as

Problem solved and chapter closed. It’s time to move on!