Project Sentinel - What Is Community Mediation?

Project Sentinel provides a full range of free dispute resolution services. These services offer an opportunity to resolve disputes through processes that are fast, confidential and neutral. Dispute resolution services avoid the cost and stress of other options such as litigation. These services also offer the participants the opportunity to make their own decisions about whether to settle, with the freedom to design their own terms of settlement, instead of having an outsider impose terms.

Our agency offers a variety of approaches, all of which have a high rate of success.

Mediation

In the mediation process, a trained mediator who is experienced in handling similar cases will meet with the participants in a confidential, safe, neutral location. The mediator will use specialized skills to guide the discussion between the participants so that they can express their positions and consider their options, including settlement if desired. The mediator does not act as an advocate and does not impose solutions. The discussions in the mediation are confidential and cannot be used against a participant in another arena such as court. If a settlement is reached, the parties have the option to decide whether to put their agreement in writing and whether it will be confidential. When participants come together in a Project Sentinel mediation, they are able to resolve their dispute in 75% of the cases.

Conciliation

In the conciliation process, a trained case manager contacts all the participants in the dispute by telephone to discuss their options. If the participants wish, the case manager will then exchange any settlement proposals between them so that they can consider whether to accept. If agreement is reached, and if the participants desire it, the case manager will help them document the final agreement.