Member Categories
Mediation Institute is a Recognised Mediator Accreditation Body (RMAB).
That means we can have delegated authority from the Mediators Standards Board to accredit mediators under the National Mediator Accreditation System. (NMAS)
Member categories
To be a full member of Mediation Institute you must be a dispute resolution professional:
- NMAS Accredited Mediator (doesn’t have to be with us)
- an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner or seeking membership in order to accredit
- a certified Family Group Conference Facilitator
Independent Complaint Handling Service
Mediation Institute is an approved Complaint Handling Body for Mediators and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners. We also offer independent complaint handling if required for Family Group Conference Facilitators if needed.
NMAS Mediator (with Mi)
New Membership Application
Use this form if you would like to apply for your first accreditation as a NMAS mediator.
You must have completed an appropriate course or alternative assessment pathway.
NMAS Renewal Application
Use this form if you would like to apply for your NMAS Accreditation Renewal
You must have met the practice hours and professional development and other requirements for automatic renewal.
Member (not NMAS with Mi)
Membership (not including NMAS Accreditation with Mediation Institute)
Use this form if you would like to join Mediation Institute as a member but not seek NMAS Accreditation through Mediation Institute
Family Group Conference Facilitator Member
Use this form if you would like to join Mediation Institute as a Family Group Conference Facilitator member but are not a mediator
Corporate Memberships
Corporate Membership - Family Group Conference Facilitators
Use this form if you would like to join as a Corporate Member and pay for membership on behalf of your staff members.
Why choose Mediation Institute as your RMAB?
Mediation Institute is a specialist provider of training in mediation and family dispute resolution and supports this training in Africa as well as hosting training services for the not-for-profit Interact Support.
We live and breath dispute resolution and our Membership Body is first and foremost established for the purpose of supporting mediators and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners.
When we decided to become a Recognised Mediator Accreditation Body (RMAB) we talked to our students and graduates about what they wanted in a membership association and built our services around those requests.
1. Low Cost
Not surprisingly low cost was a high priority. A membership association is a necessary evil in that you must have a complaint handling body to be able to accredit as a NMAS Mediator and also to register as a FDR Practitioner.
We wanted to be a valued support for our members professional practice so we’ve kept overheads low and our membership fees to a minimum.
It is $220 for two years membership. $320 if you are accrediting as a NMAS Mediator as there is an additional $100 fee for accreditation $90 of which we pay to the Mediators Standards Board on your behalf.
2. Free Professional Development Webinars
Our business is to provide training and we do charge for full courses however members have free access to all of our Webinars.
We think it is just rude to charge a membership fee and then charge members to access professional development webinars or recordings of webinars.
There is a fee to cover costs if we run any face to face events but our webinars are free for members.
The themes for our webinars are:
- Mediator Skills
- Family Dispute Resolution
- Ethics
- Practice Management and business development
- Learning from experience and group supervision
If you have a message to share you can also propose to present at one of our webinars (3 hours CPD for a 1 hour webinar)
Go to the Events Calendar to see what is on. If you want to try before you buy get in touch for an invitation.
3. Low cost complaint handling
Our Complaints Handling Service meets NMAS and FDR requirements and means that you are covered for any complaints made about mediation and FDR services.
We are strong advocates for high quality, ethical mediation services and use the complaint handling service to help mediators proactively avoid complaints about their services through good practice and practice management.
In the first instance complaints are heard by our staff at no cost to you or the complainant. Should an investigation or mediation by a person who does not know the mediator in question be required a fee applies.
4. Mentoring
Mentoring / Mentee opportunities – finding a mentor to support new practitioners or finding a way to offer your experience to new entrants to the industry can be a challenge.
Graduates of Mediation Institute know that they can “phone a friend” and call Joanne Law or Ken Speakman if they have a question when they are undertaking their first mediations. This opportunity extends to all members but we are working on creating a more comprehensive solution to the issue of gaining experience / sharing knowledge.
We run a monthly peer supervision group where practitioners can talk confidentially about cases in order to seek perspectives, debrief or share insights.
Book in on Eventbrite to let us know your coming.
5. Low Cost Insurance
You shouldn’t have to join a membership association in order to get insurance. That feels a bit mean and tricky to us.
We negotiated directly with an insurance underwriter who writes individual policies for Mediators and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners. We hope you join Mediation Institute but you don’t have to in order to get insurance.
The policy costs $200 plus state taxes (between $220 and $245 in total depending on where you are based)
This pays for your own policy not one shared with every other member of your membership association as is the case with so called “pool policies” where all members of the association share the risk and only a certain number of claims is possible.
Having your own policy means you can customize your cover to include other risks should your business needs require it.
Download one of our application forms to get the details of the insurance underwriter.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have NMAS accreditation with another RMAB. Can I still join to gain the other benefits?
Yes. You can join Mediation Institute as a full member you just don’t have to pay the $100 for NMAS Accreditation.
If you intend to let the other RMAB go when your renewal comes up in September or whenever that is we will do a pro-rata membership fee.
If you want to keep both memberships going that is fine as well. It is only $220 for two years membership with Mediation Institute, a low cost investment for “all you can eat” free professional development.
What is the cost if I want to pro-rata my membership fee?
We will pro-rata based on the number of months till the renewal date you want.
What if I don’t meet the NMAS Renewal requirements for practice hours?
Download the renewal form to see the options. It depends on how many hours you’ve done.
- Less than 10 hours will require more training, practice and assessment.
- Between 10 and 24 hours will require re-assessment (plus some practice if you want)
Don’t let this happen in the future – sign up to our mentoring program to assist new mediators. Co-mediate with them and their clients and keep up your practice hours.
How do I join Mediation Institute?
Scroll up and download the appropriate form and return it. We will get in touch if we need more information. If you have a question call us on 1300 781 533 or send an email.
How do I find out about Professional Development opportunities?
Sign up to our newsletter or check out the Events Calendar.
Once you are a member you will have a link to the role plays that you can join in with.