COMMUNITY MEDIATION PROGRAM
To support the mission of providing affordable services, The Mediation Center has developed an excellent volunteer recruitment and training system, enabling it to rely upon a pool of approximately 200 volunteer mediators and facilitators to resolve a wide variety of issues within the areas of Family,
Business and Schools. Initially, each mediator is required to complete a minimum of 70 hours of training, mediate ten cases with mentor mediators and be evaluated for mastery of basic skills, following the first Apprenticeship year. After completion of their Apprenticeship, mediators participate in specialty and refresher trainings to maintain and hone skills. Services offered by The Community Mediation Program include:
Family Mediation Services
Divorce: Mediators assist parties with property division, child custody and visitation and other issues involved in marital separation. Mediators also help the parties walk through the divorce decree to insure they have addressed all issues and are able to finalize the divorce on their own.
Adult Guardianship: Families faced with the decisions such as where aging parents should live, how finances should be managed and who should provide direct care, are assisted by experienced The Mediation Center mediators in addressing and resolving these questions.
Family Business Disputes: Small family owned businesses often foster unique problems from blending personal and business ties. Through mediation, agreements can be reached and relationships preserved.
Juvenile Restitution: The Center receives referrals from probation officers and the Juvenile Crime Prevention Department of the Honolulu Police Department that requires victims and juveniles to meet face to face to work out some form of restitution.
Neighbors: Center mediators handle almost every conceivable type of situation or problem between neighbors. Many cases are self-referred, although police, friends and others, also send cases that include barking dogs, loud noise and overhanging trees.
Paternity Mediation: Mediators assist parties who are not married, but have a child or children, resolve issues of custody, visitation and child support. These cases are court-ordered from Family Court.
Probate: A number of mediators are trained to resolve estate disputes in cases before the Probate Court. Agreements can be reached and family relations preserved.
Temporary Restraining Order: In response to an increase for requests of TRO’s from District Court, The Mediation Center, in collaboration with the District Court Judges, initiated a TRO Mediation Program. The mediators assist the parties in resolving the underlying issues or reaching an agreement on how to stay away from each other.
Business Mediation Services
Employment/Job Related: These conflicts result from personality clashes, discrimination, wrongful termination and sexual harassment, as well as employment disagreements, discipline and office atmosphere, downsizing and cultural differences.
Civil Rights Complaints: Center mediators receive referrals involving various types of discrimination and ADA complaints filed with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.
Consumers and Merchants: These matters include billing disputes, contract clauses, poor merchandise or service, etc. Many cases will end up in court if not resolved.
Landlord/Tenant: Disputes regarding payment of rent, deposits and damage can be resolved directly at the Center rather than filing a complaint at District Court.
Condominiums: The Mediation Center handles referrals from the Real Estate Commission and others that involve condominium association members, directors, managers, vendors, owners and others. Issues may include violations of house rules, by-laws and more.
Real Estate: The Mediation Center handles a variety of real estate disputes including purchases (DROA), rental disputes, encroachments and landlord and tenant problems.
Regulated Industries Complaints (RICO): Complaints filed with RICO involving such issues as motor vehicle sales, repair-persons and contractors, are referred directly to the Center for mediation, eliminating the need for lengthy investigation or hearing.
Court On-Site Mediation: The Mediation Center volunteers provide mediation directly at District Court for pending lawsuits in Small Claims Court and Summary Possession Cases.
School Mediation Services
Special Education: The Mediation Center works with the Department of Education, parents and others to resolve issues concerning services and plans for children with special needs.
Adult Issues: The Mediation Center provides mediation for any/all disputes that arise within schools including teacher/teacher; Teacher/Parent; and Teacher/Administrator.
BUSINESS MEDIATION PROGRAM
To support the growth and use of mediation and other dispute resolution processes in the workplace, The Mediation Center offers two services through its Business Mediation Program including:
- Specialized panels of facilitators and mediators to provide direct services
- Custom dispute resolution packages designed to meet the specific needs of a business or company.
Through ACCESS ADR (Affordable and Accessible Dispute Resolution Options), The Mediation Center maintains a separate panel of mediators and facilitators who may be selected on a case-by-case basis by clients who are willing to pay a fee for the services. The panels were created in response to requests from clients who wanted access to low-cost services with the option of reviewing the background and selecting the dispute resolution professional to meet their specific needs.
The Mediation Center also offers Customized Dispute Resolution Systems for businesses, institutions and governmental agencies that are interested in creating a total culture of conflict resolution in the workplace. Through an initial analysis of a company, The Mediation Center staff designs a Customized Plan to meet the specific needs of the company such as training in conflict resolution, facilitation and/or mediation, and developing in-house or out-side mediation programs.
TRAINING PROGRAM
The Mediation Center Training Program includes two arms. One arm offers free or low cost training for Oahu’s low-income population, community groups and nonprofit organizations. The other arm is the fee-producing arm that generates income through outside trainings offered to the public, businesses and the military throughout Hawaii and the Pacific.
The low cost training services are supported through the endowment from the Harry & Jeannette Weinberg Foundation and enable other agency members to improve their ability to better serve clients who are involved in conflicts and/or stressful situations. Collaborative projects, trainings and workshops provided by The Mediation Center staff and volunteers for and with other agencies and community groups, support the Center’s goals of Access and Outreach by promoting the growth and use of dispute resolution and peaceful problem-solving within Hawaii’s communities.
The outside training services have been expanded to meet the increased awareness and desire of people to develop dispute resolution skills for their own purposes and to strengthen The Mediation Center’s financial base to better serve the community. All proceeds from the program directly benefit and support The Mediation Center’s nonprofit activities. Equally important, the outside training services support The Mediation Center’s goals of improving Self-Sufficiency and Outreach. Through the trainings/workshops conducted by The Mediation Center, hundreds of individuals develop a better understanding and use of conflict resolution and mediation skills for preventing and resolving conflicts within these organizations.