What disagreements can be referred to Warwick Mediation?

No conflict is too small for mediation, however mediation is not appropriate if there has been obvious bullying or harassment, or if one party is clearly at fault (in such instances, a restorative conversation may be appropriate if the party/parties accepts they have harmed the other). We would invite you to contact us to discuss restorative solutions.

Mediation is voluntary and so all the parties in conflict must agree to take part but we are able to offer conflict coaching if one party wishes to mediate and the other/others do not.

Cases can be referred by a third party if the parties in dispute agree or parties can refer themselves.

 

Who else can be involved?

If parties are already in touch with Dignity Contacts, Human Resources or Liaison Officers, we ask parties to agree that these will be kept informed of the date of mediation meetings (not what is said in them) and we would encourage parties to draft an agreed statement of the outcome of any meetings to be shared with their advisors.

Parties can bring a supporter to mediation if this is discussed and agreed with the mediator in advance and done in consultation with the other party. The mediator may decline such a request to ensure that all parties are comfortable and not intimidated or for any other reasons. Every person participating must agree to abide to confidentiality.

The mediator will remain impartial and will not provide advice nor provide individual support to parties and therefore contact with other forms of support is important.

 

Can I use other methods, such as complaints, if I have been to Warwick Mediation?

All parties who engage with Warwick Mediation will be told the process is voluntary and that it will not affect their ability to pursue other forms of resolution. There is no obligation to reach an agreement in mediation but if an agreement is reached, this can include an agreement not to pursue a formal complaint. All mediators, observers, mediation assistants and parties agree that anything said in mediation is confidential unless there is a risk to the parties or others (more information on this safeguarding exemption is included in the confidentiality agreement signed before mediation takes place). Parties will therefore be told that they should not include any information obtained only through mediation in any later processes. All mediators will shred their notes immediately after the mediation. We will store only anonymised data about the parties after mediation has concluded which will be used only to evaluate Warwick Mediation.

How is my data handled?

All mediators, observers, mediation assistants and parties agree that anything said in mediation is confidential unless there is a risk to the parties or others (which will be made clear when the confidentiality agreement is signed). Parties will therefore be told that they should not include any information obtained only through mediation in any later processes (such as complaints) or disclose anything that has not been agreed. All mediators will shred their notes immediately after the mediation. We will store only anonymised data about the parties after mediation has concluded which will be used only to evaluate Warwick Mediation.

Warwick Mediation is a separate part of Warwick and that we do not share information with anyone, including other University teams unless all parties and mediators agree, or if there is a risk to the parties or others, which will be made clear to parties at the outset.