CJI offers substantial support for families looking to build skills in conflict resolution. Our Conflict Coaching program empowers co-parents to develop essential skills for working toward healthier relationships, including improved communication, self-reflective practices, and improved boundaries. We also can facilitate dialogue processes for families involved with the child welfare system.
Families may refer themselves or be referred by Family & Children’s Services of Waterloo Region, or another community organization.
Services are voluntary and at no cost.
When families in conflict request service, CJI meets with all participants individually to discuss the best approach to their situation. We may offer conflict coaching or dialogue processes.
Some of our specialized conflict coaching services are identified below.
In addition to the services below, for families involved with the child welfare system, we offer Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), Child Protection Mediation (CPM), and Transitional Planning Conferences (TPC). FGDM and CPM facilitate dialogues that help families collaborate on decisions about what’s best for their children. TPC supports youth transitioning from child welfare care, providing a place for them to discuss their future with the important people in their lives.
Please note: We do not currently accept custody, separation and divorce mediation cases.
Walk the Talk: Conflict Competence for Co-Caregivers
Most of our mediation services are free. However, we have a sliding fee scale for our workplace mediations and training.
Mediation is a conflict resolution process used to help individuals, families, neighbours, coworkers and classmates to resolve conflict. During a mediation, trained facilitators ensure that everyone has a chance to speak and to listen. Participants discuss how a situation impacted them and ask questions. All are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, listen to others’ perspectives and to repair harm. At the end of the mediation, participants leave with a mutually acceptable plan to move forward.
Forgiveness is not essential to a mediation. In a victim-offender mediation, the full benefit of victim’s needs being met and offender accountability can occur completely without forgiveness.
Mediation is a voluntary process that requires the engagement of all parties involved to be successful. When an inquiry is made, a CJI Service Coordinator will contact all parties to confirm their desire to participate. If there is consensus to proceed with mediation, two mediators are assigned to the case. Mediators have an initial confidential one-on-one meeting with each participant, called case development. During case developments, mediators explore the relationship and the causes of conflict from each participant’s perspective. After case developments are concluded, the mediator will arrange a face-to-face mediation with all participants.
Meeting rooms at CJI’s offices serve well as a neutral location for mediations. Where appropriate, we also host mediations in other neutral spaces such as a community centres. Many of our Elder Mediations occur where older adults are residing – their homes, retirement homes, long term care facilities, etc.
CJI’s mediators are trained and supervised volunteers who have completed the Transformative Mediation Training through Conrad Grebel University College. Mediators work in pairs, co-facilitating with each other. This allows for a matching of skills and experience. The mediators support each other and the participants through the process
CJI creatively, and innovatively applies restorative justice principles to challenging community problems.
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