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2015 Ignite Volunteering Conference Alternative Dispute Resolution

With Steve Lancken negocio.com.au

What is ADR?

ADR Continuum

Australia’s Volunteer sector • 2010: over a third of Australians older than 18 years volunteered - 6.1 million people; about 36% of total population.

• More people are volunteering but for less time than in the past.

The Economic Value of Volunteering: more than $200 billion! • Based on a conservative estimate of $7 per hour, a study found that the value of volunteering is estimated at more than $200 billion per annum.

Conflict in the Volunteering Environment • 1 in 10 volunteers: overall relationship between employees and volunteers poor or very poor. • Approx. 1 in 4 volunteers experienced or witnessed confusion or conflict between employees and volunteers

Skills to Deal with Conflict • Listening

• Framing • Appropriate Assertiveness

• Collaborative Problem Solving (Negotiation) • Confronting

Interactive Listening

Volunteer Mediations Project The VMP VMP will provide quality conflict management services to individual volunteers and volunteer-run organisations at no cost. We aim to create an organisation through which mediation professionals offer their time and expertise for free to the volunteering sector. VMP also provides more opportunities for Australian mediators to be mentored and supported whilst practising and developing their mediation skills. What Is VMP? VMP is a coalition of like-minded people including mediation professionals and members of Volunteer and Not-For-Profit organisations. We believe that early use of mediation will make a difference in the Volunteering sector to improve dignity, respect and fairness.

VMP PILOT MEDIATION SCHEME (November 2015 – April 2016) VMP will offer free mediation services to volunteers in a pilot scheme from November 2015. Mediation is a process where the participants, with the assistance of the mediator,: • listen to and are heard by each other; • work out what the disputed issues are; • work out what everyone agrees on; • work out what is important to each person; • workable agreement; • develop options that take into account each person’s needs and desires; and • explore what might lead to a workable agreement VMP offers the opportunity for early assistance in preventing disputes from escalating by helping participants have a respectful, even-handed discussion at no cost. The participant’s role is to listen to other points of view, contribute to the discussion and to ideas for moving forward, and make decisions to achieve resolution.

What Sort of Disputes Will Be Included in the Pilot Mediation Scheme? VMP will offer free mediation services for disputes that involve a volunteer or volunteers. A volunteer is a person who engages in an activity which takes place through notfor-profit and community organisations or through his or her local community, and is undertaken: • to be of benefit to the community and the volunteer; • of the volunteer’s own free will and without coercion; and • for no financial payment.

Examples include: interpersonal disputes between volunteers; disputes between staff management and volunteer; complaints about volunteer recognition, rank or role; disputes between paid staff in a volunteer organisation Some exclusions such as: disputes involving threats of physical violence or abuse; disputes between board members of CEOs and the Board; disputes between organisations, and disputes where the government is a party.

VMP and the Centre for Volunteering will work together to promote the Pilot. The Centre for Volunteering is the first contact point for the Pilot Scheme. Volunteers and organisations are asked to call them if they are aware of, or are directly involved in, a dispute that could benefit from the assistance of an independent mediator. The pilot will involve the following steps: 1. The Centre for Volunteering will refer disputes to a VMP mediation specialist 2. VMP will contact the participants to confirm whether they agree to mediation, and then assess if the dispute is suitable for Volunteer mediation 3. If assessed to be suitable, VMP will refer the dispute to an appropriate nationally accredited mediator 4. The mediator will contact the parties to arrange mediation including any preliminary meetings 5. VMP and the mediator will organise venues and make other arrangements 6. Participants and organisations to be asked: • to evaluate the service, and • to share their story in an unidentifiable way THERE WILL BE NO COST TO THE VOLUNTEER OR THE ORGANISATION.

Questions? Comments?

Training and Skills Development Mediation Negotiation Consulting Workplace Conflict Resolution Facilitation Investigation Conflict Consulting Conflict Coaching Legal Costs Dispute Resolution Restorative Engagement