When communication between neighbours breaks down, mediation can help resolve their disagreement swiftly, and without involving the police or solicitors. The process is highly effective and completely confidential.
Wandsworth Mediation Service is an independent charity with over 18 years’ experience supporting Wandsworth residents with free neighbour mediation.
In essence, mediation is a conversation. Neutral, trained and experienced mediators will create a safe space where you and your neighbour can discuss the issues out in the open. You will both have a chance to speak and listen to each other’s point of view, and work together to find solutions you are both happy with. Every dispute brings with it a different set of issues. This is where the flexibility of community mediation can be so helpful for a number of different situations.
You may have been referred to us by your housing officer, signposted by a community organisation or Citizens Advice, or may have found us directly. Our case managers will first contact you to outline how mediation works, and discuss your expectations and suitability for mediation. With your permission, they will then contact your neighbour. If you both agree, they will arrange a meeting with two trained mediators who have the appropriate skillset for your case.
The first meeting can take place at your home, at our offices near Clapham Junction Station, or via a videoconference call (we normally use Zoom). This meeting will not involve your neighbour – the mediators will meet them separately – and will be a time for you to speak to the mediators about your problem, and for the mediation process to be explained in more detail. This conversation is confidential, and will not be shared with your neighbour or the referrer. If both of you agree to go ahead, we will then arrange a joint mediation session for you, your neighbour and the mediators. We can offer up to 2 joint sessions for free.
The mediation meeting will be held either in one room (a round table) or in separate rooms (a shuttle mediation) if you are not willing to meet each other in person. We can also conduct mediation meetings on Zoom where appropriate or necessary for COVID reasons. The meeting is run according to ground rules which the mediators will explain clearly at the start, e.g. speaking in turns and not interrupting. Each person will have a chance to talk about the problem as it affects them. The mediators will then help you both to identify the issues that need to be sorted out, and this often leads to solutions being suggested by the participants. The mediators will support you in working out how these may work in practice. The solutions can form an agreement which is usually written down, and signed by both participants and the mediators. The agreement is not legally binding and does not affect legal rights, but is made in good faith between both individuals with the hope that things will change going forward.
We follow up with the parties 4-6 weeks after the first mediation session. We can arrange a further session of mediation or conflict coaching as appropriate. For more information about the process and timings, visit our FAQ page.
Neighbour mediation is free for all Wandsworth residents.
We have a team of Neighbour mediators who have been specifically trained and are supervised by WMS. They all offer their time and skills to Wandsworth Mediation Service without charging us. The majority of our Neighbour mediators are Wandsworth residents and are looking to invest in their local community.
We always have two mediators on each case who have the right skill set and experience for the parties.
We have seen a huge increase in demand for our service since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mediators are fully trained to conduct mediation and conflict coaching sessions online.
Online mediation means you can resolve disputes quicker, and from the comfort of your home. All you need is a computer or mobile phone, a webcam and a quiet location. Our dedicated case managers will provide detailed instructions and guide you through the set-up.
If you are in a situation where your neighbour does not want to mediate, then conflict coaching with two of our trained coaches could be helpful to allow you to reflect on the issues and how you might be approach things differently to reduce stress and anxiety– click here for more details.
If you have more questions, please visit our FAQs or contact us.
Wandsworth Mediation Service is a registered charity 1102464 and company 4778659 limited by guarantee in England and Wales.
