Two Part Time Mediation Assessment Officers - Southampton, United Kingdom - NFS Mediation

Description

Seeking Two Part Time Mediation Assessment Officers
NFS Mediation (Main Office in Southampton, working county wide)

16 hours & 24pw £22,171 p.a. pro rata

12 Months Fixed Term Contract Starting April 2023

We require two enthusiastic, highly motivated individuals to assist in the running of our Mediation Assessment service on a 12 month fixed term contract starting in January 2023.

We work with many housing providers including Southampton City Council to deliver a first stage Mediation Assessment service across the county and South of England.

By using mediation skills our service seeks to resolve complaints of neighbour nuisance received by our housing provider partners.

• An understanding of Mediation and Restorative Justice
• An understanding of local authority responses to Anti-Social Behaviour
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Excellent listening skills
• Experience of working with other agencies
• Use of a car
• Willingness to be DBS checked.

Please note this role includes hybrid working of office/home and client home visits across the region.


Overall Purpose of the Job
Initially based in Southampton, provide an effective Assessment Service in Southampton and further afield.

We ensure that individuals or groups in need are provided with an early and appropriate intervention and assessment to help identify possible remedies.

These remedies include mediation and dispute management to ongoing issues of conflict between neighbours, anti-social behaviour, nuisance or incivility.

The post holder will be expected, after training, to lone work and visit people in their own homes within the strict guidelines of the service's personal safety policy.

Brief Overview of Mediation Assessment

Using a range of skills, including active listening, we look to identify the issues involved and together with party one (complainant) look to develop and discuss a range of options (including mediation) that could be used in dealing with the presenting issues.

Each party is visited separately, usually in their home. Party one then chooses the option they would like to pursue.

Party two is then visited and, the same process is carried out and their side of the story is sought.

Again, with party two, options to resolve the difficulties are developed and discussed. In some circumstances we also offer a choice for clients to have appointments by telephone.

With the support of the assessment officer, a way forward is identified by the parties.

At the end of Assessment all parties are clear as to the outcome and what our recommendations will be to the Housing Office as to the most appropriate response to the complaint.

This is done in the form of a report.


Major objectives of the post

To use existing practices and procedures to handle referrals from a number of different sources, and to ensure that NFS Mediation maintains a consistent and clearly defined referral procedure for accepting and managing cases.

To work in partnership with Councils and Housing Associations to ensure that housing services staff are fully aware of the assessment service and the implications for their tenants of referring cases to the assessment service.

To support in maintaining systems for managing casework including initial standard letters, appointments, case management processes, case closure and feedback mechanisms.

To promote and encourage the use of full mediation (round table and shuttle) as the preferred method of resolving the situation in any case where mediation would be suitable.

To work within the clearly defined boundaries as laid down within NFS Mediation's confidentiality policy and equal opportunities policy.

To liase with NFS Mediation's mediation co-ordinator to ensure that cases suitable for mediation are passed to mediators as soon as possible, and to ensure that all feedback to mediators retains a mediation focus.

To work closely with relevant agencies across the voluntary, statutory and private sectors to ensure that relevant information can be made available to the client at the assessment stage, and that those clients who do not require mediation are able to contact a more appropriate agency as quickly as possible.

To liaise closely with housing services staff to ensure that cases requiring further council intervention, following assessment, receive adequate feedback and information for appropriate action to be taken.

To participate in and help to develop monitoring and evaluation procedures for all cases dealt with through the assessment service in order that trends can be identified and good practice can be developed.

To work closely with the service manager to identify possible development opportunities and ensure that the assessment service develops in accordance with the needs of local communities.

To prepare and deliver reports, presentations and training events to external agencies as required as well as having involvement with NFS related events.

To participate in day-to-day su