Family Mediator

How to become a Family Mediator

Applicants who wish to become a qualified mediator must have at least three years of work experience, otherwise the applications will not be accepted.

Stage 1 - Preliminary

a. In order to qualify for accreditation as a family mediator, a candidate is required to meet the following preliminary requirements :-

• A degree or a post graduate qualification in social work, psychology, counseling or law from a recognized university or institution; and
  Three years working experience in the fields of family law or family welfare/counselling; OR
• Other relevant academic qualification - a degree or a post graduate qualification in a field related to family work, such as healthcare or education; and
  Other working experience which can demonstrate the candidate's competence in family work, such as human related work (pastoral care and spiritual development); OR
• To be decided at the discretion of the Committee. The candidate should also be expected to take part in a personal interview.

b. In addition, a candidate must satisfactorily complete a basic family mediation training course or courses of 40 hours minimum duration approved by the HKMAAL.

Stage 2 - Supervised Live Family Mediation

A trainee who has completed the basic 40 hours Family Mediation Training (Stage 1), must then participate in two live family mediations under the supervision of a Supervisor. The trainee may refer to the HKMAAL's website for a list of approved Supervisors.

The trainee may nominate a supervisor from the list subject to their consent. The Supervisor may accept, turn down, or wait list the applicant in consideration of personal capacity, caseload, language and cultural compatibility.

A supervision fee (to be agreed in writing between the supervisor/the agency to which the Supervisor belongs and the trainee) will be paid by the trainee to the Supervisor/Supervisor's agency as the case may be for the supervision service and which fee shall in no event exceed the amount as set out in Fee Schedule. For approved Supervisors in private practice, this fee will be in addition to normal client fees. The source of case referrals and venue for the supervised mediations are to be negotiated between the Supervisor and the trainee.

A trainee may also consider participating in the Family Mediation Supervision Pilot Scheme jointly run by HKMAAL and the Judiciary. For more details, please click here.

A Supervisor, who agrees to co-mediate with or live supervise a trainee, will co-mediate or live supervise only one case with a trainee. Each case shall be of a minimum of five hours and must be sufficiently complex for the trainee to demonstrate the ability to manage emotional intensity and mediate complex financial and child related matters.

The Supervisor will provide a feedback discussion of not less than 30 minutes after each mediation session and will complete and sign an evaluation form (Form 1) within 14 days of the end of the mediation. The Supervisor shall be as thorough and comprehensive as possible in the feedback discussions and in the completion of Form 1. A copy of Form 1 shall be provided to the trainee.

The trainee will be required to complete the self-evaluation form (Form 2(F)) and obtain completed client evaluation forms (Form 3(F)), if possible, at the end of the mediation and forward these to the Supervisor.

The responsibility of obtaining the client evaluation forms (Form 3(F)) is the responsibility of the trainee.

To learn more about the Guidelines for Trainee Mediators, please click here.

Important Note:

Please note the following arrangement with regard to the HKMAAL Accreditation Standards for Family Mediators.

There should be no conflict of interest between the Supervisor and Trainee Family Mediator ("Trainee”) in any Stage 2 Supervised Live Family Mediation.    In the opinion of HKMAAL, a conflict of interest is obvious when a Supervised Live Family Mediation is conducted where the Trainee is supervised by the Lead Trainer(s) or Assistant Trainer(s) of the Basic / Advanced Family Mediation Training Course(s) that the Trainee has attended, or where the Trainee is an employee of the same body as the Supervisor.     

From 1 October 2014 onwards, for the purpose of assessing applications for mediator accreditation, the HKMAAL Mediation Accreditation Committee would not consider any applications where either or both the Supervised Live Family Mediation is so conducted with conflicts as stated above, save for those cases where the date of the Agreement to Mediate as drawn up and signed between the Parties, Supervisor and Trainee is dated on or before 1 October 2014. 

Stage 3 - Advanced Training Course

Satisfactory completion of an advanced family mediation training course approved by HKMAAL. Stage 3 may be completed before Stage 2.

A Stage 3 advanced family mediation training course must be completed by no later than 3 years from the date of satisfactory completion of Stage 1 basic family mediation training course.

Stage 4 - Application

On completion of stages 1, 2 and 3 candidates may apply to HKMAAL for accreditation using Form MA1; the Supervisor's signed evaluation sheets (Form 1) together with evaluation sheets from clients (Form 3(F)), if available, and trainee self-evaluation sheets (Form 2(F)) shall be submitted at the same time. *

Prior to accreditation being approved, a candidate for mediation accreditation may be called by the HKMAAL to take part in an accreditation assessment including a personal interview and a possible further live family mediation supervised by an accredited supervisor chosen by HKMAAL who must submit a completed Form 1 in connection with the further live family mediation.

Candidates who are accredited may, subject to complying with all the requirements, choose to have their names included on the Panel of HKMAAL Accredited Family Mediators.

To learn more about the supervision process for accreditation of family mediators, please click here.

Important Notes

• A candidate seeking to co-mediate an actual family mediation case will be considered as one mediation.
• The time limit for Stage 2 Assessment is 3 years from the date of satisfactory completion of Stage 1 mediation training course.
• For the purpose of assessing applications for accreditation, the completed and signed Form 1 shall be valid for 3 years from the date of the notification of that result.
• Candidates will only be informed of their Stage 3 result by post 3 weeks after the scheduled meetings of the HKMAAL. Result will not be disclosed by telephone or by e-mail.
• For consideration by the HKMAAL Mediation Accreditation Committee (MAC) at an upcoming meeting, candidates are required to submit their applications two (2) weeks before the scheduled MAC meeting. For dates of the MAC meetings, please click here.

* Cheques to be made payable to the "Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited" upon submission of application.