Mediators on the Family Roster mediate a variety of family-related matters, including reorganization of the family after separation or divorce, parenting, financial support and property matters connected to separation or divorce, child protection, family business, family property or finances, family inheritance and estates, responsibility for care of elderly parents, adoption, pre-nuptial issues, and intra-family conflicts.

Criteria for Admission:

To be admitted to the Family Roster, mediators must have:

• EITHER

• certification by Family Mediation Canada,
  
• for non-lawyers, at least 40 hours of training in family law and procedures, and
  
• insurance coverage.
  
  

• OR

  
  
• at least 80 hours of core education in conflict resolution and mediation theory and skills training,
  
• at least 24 hours focusing on issues related to family dynamics in separation and divorce,
  
• for non-lawyers, at least 40 hours of training in family law and procedures,
  
• a university or college degree in law, social sciences or related field,
  
• completion of a minimum of 200 hours of mediation work over the course of a minimum of 20 family mediations over the past 5 years, as sole mediator or as co-mediator in an accepted practicum,
  
• letters of reference, and
  
• insurance coverage.

Detailed information about the qualifications to join the Family Roster can be found in Summary of Qualifications for Admission: Family Roster (PDF). For information about certification with Family Mediation Canada, visit their website at www.fmc.ca

A professional liability insurance program, providing mediators and arbitrators errors and omissions insurance at a group rate, has been established for members of the B.C. Mediator Roster Society's Civil and Family Rosters. For details, click here. Applicants to the Civil and Family Family Rosters may wish to note that provisional admission may be granted to uninsured applicants who meet all of the Society's admission requirements - with the exception of the insurance requirement. The insurance program established for Roster members is available to such provisionally admitted applicants. Please contact us for details.

Applicants should be aware that the Society has a complaint process to deal with allegations of misconduct or breach of the Society's Standards of Conduct by mediators on its Civil and Family Rosters. The Society also has an informal practice advisory process for responding to competency and ethical concerns about Roster members.

Admission Procedure:

Mediators who wish to be admitted to the Family Roster are required to:

• submit an Application Form: Family Roster (PDF), Application Form: Family Roster (DOC) providing background information about their training and experience  [Applicants who are a member of the Civil Roster may submit the modified Application Form for Members of the Civil Roster (PDF), Application Form for Members of the Civil Roster (DOC)],
• provide two letters of reference, using the Mediator Roster Society's Letter of Reference Form: Family Roster (PDF) (Word version), unless certified by Family Mediation Canada,
  
• verify they have liability insurance coverage, and
  
• agree to abide by the standards set out in the Standards of Conduct for Mediators (PDF).
  

A group of the Society's directors, called the "Roster Committee", assesses the applications for admission. The Roster Committee meets approximately every other month. The schedule for the review of applications is posted on the page What's New.

For information about the BCMRS Appeal Policies and Process, click here.

The Society strongly encourages all Family Roster applicants to review its discussion paper, Safety Screening in Family Mediation (PDF).

Information Regarding Education and Training Requirements:

The Society's acceptance of applicants for admission is based, in part, on an assessment of the mediation and conflict resolution courses the applicants have taken. The criteria used by the Society for assessing courses are explained and outlined in the document Assessment of Courses in Mediation & Conflict Resolution (PDF). Some of the courses taken by applicants who have been admitted to the Family Roster are listed in the document Core Training in Mediation, Conflict Resolution & Family Dynamics (PDF). Many other courses have been taken by successful applicants.

The types of learning experiences which applicants for admission to the Family Roster should complete in order to fulfill the 24 hour training requirement in family dynamics are detailed in Learning Objectives for Training in Family Dynamics (PDF).

A document, Interpretation of Criteria for Admission, details the Society's definition of "core education in conflict resolution and mediation", "theory and skills" training and other other admission criteria.

The Society has developed a set of criteria for assessing the acceptability of mediation practicums for the purpose of admission to the Civil and Family Rosters. The criteria are outlined in the document Assessment of Mediation Practicums: Civil and Family.

For more information regarding the Society's training and education requirements, or for information about practicums accepted by the Society, please contact us.