IMI Certification System
IMI in a non-profit foundation established in early 2007 as a public benefit initiative to generate confidence in and much enhanced understanding and usage of the mediation process among businesses and other disputants by encouraging high standards of training, by certifying high competency standards of mediators throughout the world, and by aiding users to find suitable competent mediators quickly and cost-free.
IMI's Founding Institutions are a number of well-established dispute resolution bodies:
American Arbitration Association/International Centre for Dispute Resolution
Singapore Mediation Centre/Singapore International Arbitration Centre
Netherlands Mediation Institute.
IMI's Board is Chaired by Wolf von Kumberg, Legal Director and Assistant General Counsel of Northrop Grumman Corporation http://www.imimediation.org/?cID=news .
In April 2007, IMI began a global consultation process, inviting constituencies throughout the world to contribute comments and suggestions on how users of mediation services can simply assess the competency of mediators. This process included a close study of existing mediator accreditation systems in effect and under development around the world. A summary of the considerable feedback received during this process is available at: http://www.imimediation.org/?cID=feedback_digest
Competency Certification is designed to help disputants and other users to assess an individual mediator's practical competency and suitability as a neutral to assist them resolve an actual or potential dispute insofar as an objective view can be taken.
IMI will initially introduce two certifications.
The IMI Professional Mediator Competency Certification will be common to all mediators in all countries. It sets a high standard for the abilities of mediators with a strong emphasis on training, ongoing education, experience and proactivity in the field.
The IMI Intercultural Mediator Competency Certification, for which the Professional Certification will be a pre-requisite, takes competency to a further level in terms of skills for mediating in situations involving issues relating to different cultures.
Certification is intended to be one of a number of critical elements that users may take into account in selecting a mediator. Others include potential conflicts of interest or other matters perceived to compromise neutrality, special or technical knowledge, specific experience that users may consider important, the mediator's personality and preferred mediation style, and other aspects of the mediator's resumé.
To assist users make informed and accurate comparisons among potential mediators, IMI Mediation Competency Certification will be based on a simple system of credits accumulated over four practical competency categories:
- Training in procedural, administrative, facilitation & relationship skills
- Compliance with individual educational/professional development requirements
- Mediator experience supported by user feedback, viewable in a summary form
- Leadership, for example as a mentor, trainer, author or promoter of mediation.
Credits will be granted by a mediation practice or training institution which will also verify good character, adherence to a stated code of professional ethics and disciplinary process and (where required) the validity of professional liability indemnity insurance.
To gain IMI Certification, mediators must achieve minimum credit levels in each of the four categories and a minimum total credit level. To retain IMI Certification, mediators must achieve the minimum annual ongoing credit levels specified in each category.
The IMI competency certification is designed to be easy for mediators to use, minimizing administrative burden by enabling competency profiles to be recorded and maintained online. Most important, the system enables prospective disputants seeking a professional and competent mediators to compare their candidates quickly, easily and cost-free.
IMI Professional Mediator Competency Certification
To gain an IMI Certification in Professional Mediation Competency, a mediator must secure at least 100 Competency Credits from four categories:
Training. Certified Mediators must have at least five full days training as a mediator on a program provided by an IMI Registered Educational Establishment (REE) where candidates are independently assessed. Each day of training results in 1 Training Credit. Mediators having more that 5 full days formal training may count excess days above 5, up to a maximum of 10 full training days (10 Training Credits).
Training Credit – Min 5 Credits; Max 10 Training Credits
[Note – Since many mediators pass through formal training just once, the same Training Credit will be applied annually. Subsequent training (eg. Advanced programs, Master Classes) will qualify for either excess Training Credits or as Education Credits. ]
Education. In each 12 month period, IMI Certified Mediators must have at least 20 hours of post-training education in amicable dispute resolution or assisted negotiation in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program recorded with an REE. Each CPD hour counts as 1 Education Credit. Mediators having more that 20 hours of CPD may count the excess hours above 20 to their total credit, up to a maximum of 25 hours. IMI's system for recording ongoing education will be based upon “Output CPD” in which IMI Certified Mediators must file a personal development plan with an REE; only education implementing that plan may count towards Credits. Some online CPD may be included.
Education Credit – Min 20 Credits; Max 25 Credits – per annum.
Experience. Competency as a mediator can partly be assessed by user and peer feedback. IMI Certified Mediators are encouraged to seek written feedback from the parties, their professional advisers and any shadow or peer co-mediator present during the entire process. Feedback must be sent to an REE of the mediator's choice, or to a peer Certified Mediator approved by IMI, who will prepare a periodic Feedback Digest. IMI will issue guidelines for preparing Feedback Digests, including guidelines on how to handle negative feedback (which will require the compiler of the Feedback Digest to interview the provider of negative feedback; the Feedback Digest will not capture negative feedback unless repeated more than three times from different sources). Mediators will also be required to assess their own performance. For the purposes of accumulating IMI Credits, only hours spent as a neutral in a process resulting in written feedback as described above may earn Experience Credits.
Experience Credit – Min 50 Credits; Max 60 Credits – per annum.
Leadership.
All IMI Certified Mediators are expected to contribute to the advancement of the mediation profession via Leadership Initiatives. These must be recorded with an REE. Each hour spent on Leadership Initiatives each year earn 1 Leadership Credit.
Leadership Credit – Min 5 Credits; Maximum 25 Credits – per annum.
IMI Intercultural Mediator Competency Certification
IMI Certification in Intercultural Mediation Competency is open to any IMI Certified Professional Mediator who passes an Intercultural Mediation course approved by IMI and provided by an REE. This course would benefit from Continuous Assessment by an independent assessor. IMI Certified Intercultural Mediators will share the same Education, Experience and Leadership Credits as IMI Certified Professional Mediators, and there will be no additional minimum requirements.
IMI Standards Commission
The details of the Credits system will be determined with the help of an independent Standards Commission being convened by IMI. Details to be determined include:
1. Criteria and standards for becoming a Registered Educational Establishment
2. Minimum training standards for IMI Certified Professional Mediators
3. Minimum training standards for IMI Certified Intercultural Mediators
4. Criteria for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
5. Guidelines for Feedback Digests, including Feedback forms
6. Criteria for qualifying Leadership Initiatives
7. Criteria for Assessments and Assessors
8. List of IMI-approved Ethical Codes and a default IMI Ethical Code
9. License terms for the use of the IMI logo.
10. Criteria for ethical codes and disciplinary processes, and default rules.
IMI Website
IMI Certified Mediators will be entitled to their own profile space on the IMI website to enable them to include their resumé, feedback digest and other information of value to users, including the option of video clips (eg reciting a resumé). This will be searchable by users seeking a mediator using IMI's search tool.
General
All IMI Certified Mediators will be required to enter into a short online undertaking that will include obligations to:
1. Identify to disputants which Ethical Code, including which disciplinary process governs the mediator's conduct and provide a link.
2. Regularly maintain the profile on the IMI website in line with the IMI general format (read-and-write access will be provided to each IMI Certified Mediator to enable them to change their own profile as required by changing circumstances).
3. Appoint an REE or approved peer Certified Mediator to hold the mediator's CPD record and manage their Feedback Digest, in accordance with IMI's guidelines.
4. Use the IMI logo and other references to IMI and to any REE in accordance with a simple set of rules.
Mediators already meeting the Practical Competency Requirements of the IMI Professional Certification will be entitled to become IMI Certified immediately.
In countries lacking an REE (ie where mediation is barely practiced), mediators may nevertheless become IMI Certified by achieving most of their Competency Credits from Training, Education and Leadership activities. To achieve this, the maximum Credits in these fields will be increased to compensate for lack of experience opportunities. Such mediators will be able to register directly with an REE in another country. These details will be determined with the assistance of the Standards Commission.
IMI – October 7 th 2007
Michael.Leathes@IMImediation.org
Irena.Vanenkova@IMImediation.org
