Online training is key to the future of family mediation

The online delivery of training courses for mediators is a vital part of the profession’s agile response to Covid-19, says England and Wales’ leading provider of family mediation.

In a new article for Family Law, Jane Robey, CEO of National Family Mediation, sets the context explaining how mediators have become adept at online delivery of their services, using video conferencing.

Noting that ongoing restrictions “effectively rule out in-person, face-to-face training sessions,” she also points out how the expected surge in divorce applications means “the need for high quality training of mediators is greater than ever.

“Training providers globally have understood that the ‘usual’ five- or six-hour in-person face-to-face course cannot realistically be delivered in the same way online. The number of hours spent in front of a screen can’t just be a replica of in-person time.

“So our trainers have put in considerable work, thought, and planning in adapting content that is accessible and realistic in these unprecedented times. Careful consideration has duly been given to health and safety issues, whilst ensuring the same high training standards are maintained.

“The online training will be focused and dynamic, using various delivery methods in order to keep participants’ attention and interest.

“The training also offers an opportunity to bring the mediator community closer together at a crucial time for practitioners, whose sense of isolation has been mounting during the months of working alone.”

You can read the article in full using this link.

To find details of training organised by National Family Mediation, visit the ‘courses’ web page.