The College of Mediators (COM) and the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) hold a joint register of accredited SEND mediators. This comes about as a result of standards specific to SEND mediation practice that were drawn up by a panel of providers in 2018. In a changing mediation environment and in the context of governmental change to SEND provision, these standards are now currently being reviewed with a view to ensuring that SEND mediation continues to be delivered to a consistently high standard.
When the standards were originally drawn up the expectation was that they would be applicable to experienced mediators working in other fields, who might extend their practice to SEND disputes. These new standards will have a wider ranging application, extending to those who are newly trained as mediators and who may, for example, be moving into mediation from a background in SEND and /or education. The standards will apply to those who wish to apply to join the register. Those SEND mediators who are already on the register will not need to re-apply, but will need to demonstrate the annual CPD and practice requirements going forward.
As part of this review therefore, the standards have been revised and are now being circulated among mediators and other professionals working in the SEND context. We welcome your views on the standards document generally and in particular we would value your responses to the questions outlined below.
Thank you for taking the time to send us your views. The closing date to respond by is 12th March 2024.