Community mediation: a tool for citizen participation in public policy

• Main Author: Marta Blanco Carrasco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Social Work & Society 2016-07-01
• Series: Social Work and Society
• Subjects: ADR; mediation; social work; community conflicts; participation
• Online Access: https://ejournals.bib.uni-wuppertal.de/index.php/sws/article/view/465

Significant new legislation has been enacted regulating access to the professional practice of mediation, the mediation process and its potential outcomes. However, we should not make the mistake of believing that mediation is the answer to any dispute. This study is based on the firm belief that, while mediation is appropriate in certain cases, it is not a panacea. We need to defend the discipline by defining the limits of mediation, even if by doing so we may reduce its potential scope and outcomes. Attempting to adapt mediation to every dispute can only result in diluting its impact to the point that it loses credibility. The paper critically examines the evolution of mediation as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism and its future challenges. It first examines the differences between mediation and various other forms of ADR in order to define the boundaries of the former. The paper then analyzes the different subfields within civil and commercial mediation in order to clearly define the position of community mediation within the wider field thus, hopefully, according it true identity and credibility as an independent profession. Finally, the paper examines the role of mediation as a tool to encourage citizens to participate in and take responsibility for community life, especially in the context of conflicts in the community. In this sense, community mediation extends well beyond the traditional scope of mediation, which merely seeks to resolve conflicts -- En 2008, la Unión Europea publicó su Directiva sobre la mediación en asuntos civiles y comerciales, ofreciendo la regulación general sobre la mediación como sistema de resolución de conflictos, sus principios y sus objetivos. Las regulaciones nacionales e internacionales están promoviendo actualmente la mediación como mecanismo de resolución de conflictos, aunque de diferentes maneras. Una pregunta para su resolución es preguntarnos qué conflictos se podrán presentar a la mediación en el ámbito civil y cuales al mercantil. En este sentido, vale la pena considerar uno de los contextos de mediación menos conocidos: el de la comunidad. La mediación comunitaria va más allá de la mera gestión de conflictos. Es una herramienta perfecta para lograr una comprensión cambiante de los servicios sociales públicos, tratando de animar a los ciudadanos a participar y asumir la responsabilidad de la vida de la comunidad y por lo tanto convertirse en ciudadanos activos como se prevé en el Programa Global de 2012 para el Trabajo Social. Sin embargo, la mediación en este contexto tiene ciertas particularidades, y en ocasiones puede surgir confusión entre las figuras del trabajador social y mediadora.