Mediating conflict in the community: A curriculum framework for training mediators

Mediation, as defined in this study, is a dispute resolution process for dealing with disagreements between community members and differs from other forms of conflict resolution such as arbitration, conciliation and adjudication. Mediation is a relatively new field of professional endeavour, consequently, community mediators are few and no current accredited course exists in the vocational education and training sector.

This study aimed to develop a curriculum for training community mediators which individuals of various professions could undertake through the vocational education and training sector in order to become accredited mediators.

An initial review of the literature identified existing mediator competencies. Following this review, the first phase of the study was to survey practising community mediators to obtain their views on which additional competencies mediators should possess.

In the second phase of the study, various curriculum models were reviewed and one model selected which fitted the contextual constraints of the vocational education and training sector. The Competency Based Training model for curriculum development was selected to develop a curriculum which incorporated the list of competencies elucidated in the first phase of the study.

A curriculum suitable for teaching community mediation skills to trainee mediators through a course offered through the vocational education and training sector is presented in the fifth chapter.

This study is significant in that it attempts to objectify what it is that mediators do by way of establishing a collection of mediator competencies pertinent to community mediation. The challenge was to undertake this task in an environment in which mediation as a skill, was considered malleable; a skill which requires fine adjustment to fit the various contexts in which mediation is practised.

Finally, this study also highlighted the need for further research into mediation. Issues such as 'hard' versus 'sot mediation and the development of specific competencies related to the practice of mediation within specific contexts, for example, divorce mediation and land right mediation, are discussed.