Supervision

Effective supervision means that mediators are supported and held accountable for their practice, thus safeguarding the interests of the client. However, it is not just about line management and accountability. For the individual, supervision can be a challenging and valuable learning experience.

Supervision sessions provide an opportunity for the mediator to receive feedback in a safe place where they can reflect upon their practice and explore the difficulties they have encountered. An awareness of their limitations will also help to identify areas to be developed and the mediator can explore ideas for overcoming difficulties with their supervisor, in order to improve their practice.

It is also about providing support – sometimes, the mediator will encounter a situation that they cannot deal with alone, or they simply need to “offload” something that has affected them deeply.

Supervision may be delivered in one-to-one or group sessions. The advantages of being in a group are that newer mediators can share their anxieties in a supportive setting and realise that others have had similar experiences. They also have the opportunity to get feedback from peers as well as from the supervisor and sharing a wider range of experiences can result in a bigger learning experience.

The Community Legal Services Quality Mark for mediation services sets out specific performance criteria for measuring the quality of service provision and supervision is a key element of this. UNITE’s Supervision Team delivers supervision to mediators/conciliators in accordance with UNITE’s policies and procedures and with the requirements of the Community Legal Services Quality Standards for Mediation.

The Quality Mark standards require that a Named Supervisor (who must also be recognised as a competent mediator) is responsible for ensuring the competence of the service’s mediators and for supporting them in their training and on-going development, including appraisal.

UNITE is a leading provider of Mediation Supervision Training and can provide a Supervision Service for YOUR practitioners.