Family Mediator

Role Responsibilities

Are you an experienced Family Mediator skilled at working with families seeking resolution to parenting, guardianship, and child support disputes? Come join the Business and Resolution Services team in a rewarding position located in Edmonton.

In this role, your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

MEDIATION SERVICE DELIVERY

• Screen and assess cases to determine if family mediation is appropriate.
• Conduct pre-mediation sessions to ensure parties understand their options and are prepared to proceed, including providing appropriate resources and screening for safety concerns.
• Provide non-evaluative, facilitative, client-focussed, ethical approach to mediation.
• Enter into service agreements with clients.
• Use effective strategies in high conflict situations.
• Help parties address needs and interests, focusing on best interests of the children.
• Possess knowledge of relevant Family Law.
• Provide written summary of agreements for clients.
• Assist parties in adjusting to new family structure and circumstances.
• Engage in peer consultation and co-mediation as a means of maintaining and enhancing professional standards and performance levels.
  
  

CONSULTATION & PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Consult with Family Court Counsellors, Case flow Coordinators and other department, government, and community agencies regarding appropriateness of mediation as a means of resolving disputes.
• Participate in government and community-based agencies, boards, or groups to provide links between Resolution Services and the community.

Role Responsibilities Continued

To be successful in this role, you will bring: 

• Excellent conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation skills including multi-party and high conflict mediation.
• Strong knowledge and ability to apply skills required for an interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative style of mediation.
• Strong knowledge of child development and the needs of children in a separation or divorce.
• Strong assessment skills to foster mediator and practitioner development.
• Strong organizational skills to handle the volume and complexity of work.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and independently.
• Ability to work with sensitive and complex matters involving families and children.
  
  

The Job Description is provided for further details on this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

Qualifications

A minimum of 180 hours of Mediation, and/or Alternative Dispute Resolution, and/or Conflict Management training is required, of which at least 40 hours must be in the area of separation and divorce or family mediation. Please clearly indicate in your resume the specific courses, the number of hours of training for each, and the organization or training institution where the training was completed.  

Completion of one of the following is also a requirement:

• Bachelor of Social Work with some related experience, OR
• Master of Social Work (no experience required), OR
• Related University Degree (e.g. Dispute Resolution, Sociology, Psychology, Law, etc.) and 2 years related experience; OR
• Related Diploma and 3 years related experience; OR
• Related Certificate and 4 years related experience.
  
  

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Experience providing interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative mediation services for families.
• Strong knowledge, supplemented by experience, of theoretical models, specialized techniques, and practical and theoretical procedures related to mediation and alternative dispute resolution. 
• Experience facilitating alternative dispute resolution processes, such as mediation, for families experiencing parental conflict and/or going through separation or divorce.
• Proficient in using technology to mediate remotely and use client relationship software to manage client information and appointments.
  
  

Candidates who are successful following the interview, may be invited to participate in an assessed mediation ‘role play’ as part of the selection process. The focus of the role play is to assess the candidate’s ability to apply core communication and mediation skills in an interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative mediation model.  

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification.

Notes

Position Information:

• Available Position: One permanent, part-time position
• This position is scheduled for 18.13 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• Work Location: John E. Brownlee Building, Edmonton
  
  

Final candidates will be required to undergo a criminal records check (CRC).

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what we have to offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP). 
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information.
• Professional learning and development.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.