History

NFS Mediation was established under constitution in 1997. A registered Charity NFS Mediation was formally known as New Forest Mediation. On 1st July 2012 NFS Mediation became an incorporated charity. This means NFS Mediation is a registered charity and a registered company limited by guarantee like many charities today. NFSM receives no grants but self generates all its own income will continue to expand and develop.

We are managed by a board of Trustees and directors who oversee all of our activities and ensure that we meet our charity aims, work to our constitution and governance documents and comply with the legal regulations for charities as stated by the Charity commission for England and Wales.

In January 2001 we began a pioneering partnership with Southampton City Council (SCC) to deliver mediation based services to all tenants of SCC. The pilot was so successful that in 2003 we tendered for and won a contract with SCC to become the first stage in SCC housing services anti-social behavior (ASB) procedure. We tendered again in 2009 and successfully won a further contract with SCC. This model of mediation is called Mediation Assessment and has created a lot of interest in the coalition Government and was reviewed as part of their Crime and ASB review.

We have grown to become one of the leading community mediation services in the south of England. We now cover all of Hampshire and also deliver services in Berkshire, Dorset and West Sussex working in valued partnerships with local authorities and many different housing organisations.

All our mediators are qualified to OCN (Open College Network) level 3 in Community Mediation. They have a wide and diverse range of skills and experience as well as a practical understanding of the needs of all our clients. The training provided to our mediators is ongoing into many different areas such as Restorative Justice, domestic violence, mental health issues, working with minorities, with regular workshops and ongoing refresher training and mentoring.

The ethos of NFS is one of providing a service that allows people to find mutually agreeable solutions to difficult situations, whether they are neighbours, employer/employee, in a care home or within a school.