CBHA mediators’ skills used across the group

Two trained mediators from CBHA are now offering a group-wide service by helping Peabody with neighbour disputes.

Tenancy support officer Gary Brown and anti-social behaviour officer Matthew Coates currently have four cases from Peabody where they are helping to resolve issues such as on-going arguments over parking and noise nuisance problems.
Both Gary and Matthew hold Mediation Practitioner Certificate Level 3 and are able to intervene to sort issues between CBHA neighbours. Prior to them qualifying, CBHA had to pay an outside company to come in.

The first step is for the mediator to listen to each party on their own for the same amount of time to hear the story from their point of view.

The second stage is to get the two people in the same room with the mediator to resolve the dispute. But sometimes people are so angry with each other it would not be sensible to have them in the same room. In these incidences, shuttle mediation is used. The mediator goes from one person to the other – either from one house to next door or between rooms at CBHA offices.

The service is completely voluntary, impartial and confidential. They do not say who is right and who is wrong but are there to find a happy medium between the two parties.

Head of support services Michala Jervis said: “Now Peabody is using our expertise in this area, it means a financial saving for the group.”
Are you involved in a long-running neighbour dispute? Call CBHA on 020 7922 8500 and ask to speak to one of our trained mediators.

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