The Charity Mediation And Community Support (MACS) is an independent, Warwickshire-based voluntary organisation providing

• Mediation and Conflict Coaching where people are experiencing  conflicts or disputes at work, with neighbours, within their family or community.
• Training in Mediation, constructive dispute resolution and related topics for workplaces, schools, churches  and individuals.

Mediation is a positive conflict resolution tool and is widely commissioned by public and private sector organisations where empowerment, collaborative problem solving, group and personal needs are valued. Our team of trained, approved Mediators and Conflict Coaches have experience in dealing with a wide variety of cases, enabling people to find workable solutions in difficult situations.

Mediation And Community Support

• delivers constructive conflict resolution services for the benefit of the general public to enable people to find workable solutions in difficult situations
• offers a consultation, training and dispute resolution service to organisations looking to improve their ability to engage in conflict constructively, and resolve complaints and grievances
• creates volunteering and employment opportunities for the benefit of individuals and local communities.

History

Mediation And Community Support started in 1999 and has grown from a from a small, locally-focused volunteer group to an incorporated Company Limited by Guarantee with Registered Charity Status providing a broad range of mediation services and training across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Volunteers are recruited from across the county and are trained in mediation skills and supported in their work on cases in their local communities. Working relationships have been formed with other statutory and voluntary agencies ensuring appropriate and timely referrals to MACS and constructive collaboration on issues of joint interest.

Available Mediation Services

Workplace Mediation

Workplace mediation is an increasingly popular dispute resolution method to resolve interpersonal employee conflicts including harassment and bullying complaints, communication issues and work practices. With workforces made up of individuals with varying ideas, principles, personalities, cultures and interests, it is not unusual that members of staff will be involved in a disagreement which may affect work and working relationships.

Neighbour Disputes and Community Conflict

Conflicts can be caused by misunderstandings, people having different lifestyles or expectations of each other, and many people don’t even realise that what they are doing is affecting others. When people find it difficult to communicate with each other over issues, mediation can help. It is less stressful, quicker and less costly than legal action and can improve relationships so that everyone can live together more comfortably.

Parent/Teenager Mediation

Relationships between parents and their children can break down or deteriorate. Often young people reaching adolescence are seen to have a change in attitude which affects their behaviour at home and/or in school.They may also show signs of deterioration in their school work. During these difficult times, relationships with parents can be seriously affected.

We enable families to communicate in a constructive way and handle conflict more effectively.

Parent Support

When parents are faced with a crisis and have to deal with a statutory agency such a school or social services, difficulties can arise. Lack of specialist knowledge about systems in the statutory sector can lead to feelings of frustration and helplessness. Through the mediation and support work we can help parents identify the issues, understand the systems, consider their options and empower them to make informed choices in a positive way.

Conflict Coaching

Conflict coaching is a way used to support people’s ability to engage in, manage or productively resolve conflict. The coach works one-to-one with the person experiencing conflict. Conflict coaching enables the person to talk about the conflict with a neutral third party (the conflict coach), consider options for managing the conflict, and design an approach to the conflict that may or may not involve the person they are in conflict with. Conflict coaching helps people to explore possible ways of resolving their difficulty, look at ways in which they might resolve their situation even if the other person in the conflict did not wish to participate in a conflict resolution process. The purpose of Conflict Coaching is to support the person to make new decisions, create new perspectives and learn and practice new ways of responding to their situation.

Peer Mediation

Peer mediation is a process whereby young people, trained in the principles and skills of mediation, help disputants of their own age range to find solutions in a conflict situation. Using a positive approach to dealing with conflict can be transforming for all involved. Most people experience conflict during their lifetime including children in the playground or during lessons. Developing skills to deal constructively with conflict situations early in life can prevent patterns of potentially destructive responses to conflict becoming established.

How can I access Mediation?

Cases can be referred for mediation by different local agencies including the police, local councils, housing associations and voluntary organisations and companies.

People affected by conflict themselves may also contact MACS directly for help.

To find out whether mediation can help you or your clients, call us on 07594 653530 or by email to macs1@btconnect.com.

Will I need to pay?

MACS provides access to a Free mediation service where we have a grant or where Local Authorities or other agencies have a contract with us.

MACS will let you know if we, or another service we know of in your area, provides mediation for free for the type of disputes you are trying to resolve.

Volunteering Opportunities

Are you looking for an exciting, challenging and rewarding opportunity working with people in the Warwickshire area? Then why not become a Volunteer Mediator with MACS?

As well as being a great opportunity for individual development, mediation is increasingly recognised as one of the most positive dispute resolution tools and is widely used in the public and private sector.

We ask our volunteers to commit for a minimum of two years after completion of the Mediation Skills Training. There is flexibility to the volunteering hours as some clients are only available during school hours or only evenings so cases can be matched to volunteers’ general availability.

For more information see mediationsupport.org.uk/volunteering or call 07594 653530 or email to macs1@btconnect.com. Please provide a contact name and telephone number.

Supporters

We are grateful to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Orbit Housing (Stratford-on-Avon) and individual donors for their support and for their contributions and commitment to making mediation available as widely as possible. We are also grateful to WAYC, local churches and voluntary organisations for their assistance, both practical and in kind.

Contact Details and Further Information

Telephone: 07594 653530
Email: macs1@btconnect.com
Website: www.mediationsupport.org.uk