National Mediator Accreditation Committee
NADRAC Projects
- Ethical Guidelines for Mediators
- ADR in Government
- Biennial ADR Research Forum
Background
NADRAC released a Discussion Paper on 30 March 2000 titled, The Development of Standards for ADR as part of its Charter obligation to advise the Attorney General on standards, training and qualifications That Paper, and the subsequent forums held in each capital city engendered much discussion about the issues within the ADR community.
Following the community’s responses, NADRAC released its report, A Framework for ADR Standards, in April 2001. At the report’s launch, the then Attorney‑General, the Hon Daryl Williams AM QC MP, said `the quality of ADR services is a critical component in building community confidence in ADR'. He also said that 'the report balances the need to recognise the diversity of ADR with the need for consistent standards for consumers’.
In March 2004, NADRAC released a paper on mediator accreditation, Who says you’re a mediator? Towards a national system for accrediting mediators. The aim of the paper was to obtain information and to stimulate discussion in the lead-up to a national workshop on mediation standards. This discussion was facilitated by NADRAC, at the 7th National Mediation Conference in Darwin on 2 July 2004.
NADRAC supported applications from National Mediation Conferences Limited and the Western Australian Dispute Resolution Association for funding grants from the Attorney-General to enable them to consult with the mediation sector and develop the documentation necessary to underpin the proposed scheme. The National Mediator Accreditation System commenced on 1 January 2008.
NADRAC's Role
A National Mediator Accreditation Committee has been established to oversee the implementation of the National Mediator Accreditation System. Membership of the committee includes mediation organisations, training and education providers, professional bodies and Commonwealth and State government representatives.
NADRAC has agreed to facilitate the Committee’s operations over the next two years by coordinating meetings, helping set agendas and developing papers.
NADRAC recently hosted the first meeting of the National Mediator Accreditation Committee in Canberra on 5 March 2008. The meeting set out the key issues for implementation of the new system. The Minutes of the meeting are provided below:
At the Committee’s request NADRAC has provided advice on the structure of the working groups to progress the Committee’s work and is coordinating membership of these groups. This working groups’ paper is provided below: