The Family Mediation Council has announced its strategy for professional self-regulation, a new system of accreditation and a public register of practising family mediators

As part of its drive to ensure high standards among family mediators and to reflect the pivotal role of mediation in the family justice system, the Family Mediation Council (FMC) has announced that the work of the Family Mediation Standards Board (FMSB) is now underway and the central registration of practising mediators established.

The FMSB is an independent standards and regulatory body under the umbrella of the FMC and is chaired by Robert Creighton, a retired NHS Chief Executive and former civil servant. The Board is composed of three family mediators and three independents.

Professional self-regulation of family mediators is designed to assure the public of high standards and protection against poor practice and provide recognition and support for registered family mediators.

At the beginning of 2015, the FMC introduced a new standards framework with a single professional designation, FMCA (Family Mediation Council Accredited Family Mediator), and the FMSB is implementing self-regulation within that framework.

All practising family mediators – both those who are fully accredited and those working towards accreditation – are now able to register as professionals via the FMSB and be placed on the new FMC Register. This will be available to the public and practitioners alike via the FMC website from November 2015. The FMC Register will enable members of the public to seek a family mediator practising to high standards while also providing national networking opportunities for family mediation practitioners.

Robert Creighton, Chair of the Family Mediation Standards Board, said:

'I am delighted to take the Chair of the FMSB at its inception. The Board has an essential role to play in the assurance and development of the family mediation profession, which is an increasingly significant element in the family justice system. It is in everyone’s interests that professional self-regulation should be effective and forward-looking, reinforcing public confidence in the role and contribution of family mediators. The establishment of a central register of family mediators is the fulcrum of the profession’s commitment to self-regulation.'