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Becoming a Child Protection Mediator

Last updated on July 18, 2024

To practice as a child protection mediator in British Columbia, mediators must be Registered Roster Mediators with a specialized designation of “Child Protection,” which is managed by Mediate BC. 

Qualifications

The following are the basic qualifications for child protection mediators: 

  • Completion of at least 80 hours of mediation-specific theory and skills training in an approved course or courses. 

  • Completion of at least 100 hours of additional training in topics substantially related to conflict resolution. 

  • 14 hours per year of ongoing professional development and continuing education defined to include courses, conferences, workshops, coaching, mentoring, or supervising mediation trainees. 

Experience Prerequisites

  • Completion of at least 10 mediation sessions as sole or co-mediator or as a participant in an approved practicum program. 

OR:

  • Completion of at least 5 mediations plus 10 facilitated collaborative dispute resolution processes as sole or co-facilitator determined by the CPMP Admissions Panel to satisfy the experience requirement. (Processes that may meet this requirement include med-arb, restorative justice, family group conferences, and traditional decision-making). Participation in roles other than mediator or facilitator in these processes do not count towards this requirement. 

Indigenous Context

  • Awareness and understanding of Indigenous peoples, laws, histories, and current events, settler colonialism, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the importance of cultural safety in mediation, demonstrated by completion of course work and/or lived experience. 

Additional Consideration of Knowledge and Experience

  • Trauma-informed mediation
  • Mediating in the context of family violence
  • Mental health
  • Child welfare
  • Youth participation in decision-making

Admission criteria may be amended from time to time. For the most current and detailed criteria please visit Mediate BC.

The Selection Process

The Child Protection Mediation Program (CPMP) is managed by Mediate BC. Admissions to the roster are based on qualifying criteria as well as meeting identified needs of the roster such as regional gaps, languages, and diversity.   

Calls for applications are made at various times depending on the needs of the program. For more information please visit Mediate BC or email cpmediation@mediatebc.com. 

Parents’ Rights, Kids’ Rights

Parents’ Rights, Kids’ Rights: A Parents’ Guide to Child Protection Law in BC explains child protection law in B.C. and includes information on child protection mediation.

Child Protection Flow Charts

These charts illustrate B.C.’s child protection processes:

Find a Child Protection Mediator

Select a mediator from the child protection mediator roster.