Conciliation is a process that offers parties in a dispute an opportunity to meet together, with the benefit of a third party - a conciliator - to try to reach a settlement out of court. The process usually takes about eight weeks. Discussing the issues and the context within which the dispute has arisen, gives both parties the opportunity to find workable agreeable solutions.
Disability Conciliation has its foundations firmly in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The main objective of ADR is to support people in dispute to achieve a resolution that is decided by and acceptable to both parties. This is of course very different to the "resolutions" decided by a judge within the court setting - where an external judgement is made and, usually, a financial payment ordered.
Whilst conciliation does not involve compulsion, it is an assertive process that works in the interests of both parties. It enables people to exercise the same rights as they would in court but through a less rigid and more widely focussed approach. We describe this as rights-based conciliation.
We ask parties in conciliation to use the concepts of the DDA (such as "reasonable adjustment" and "less favourable treatment") to try and understand what has happened, and to find acceptable ways forwards. Only the parties in conciliation decide whether any "wrongdoing" has occurred and, if so, how it can be made right.
Picture courtesy of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
| Contact DCS for more information - info@dcs-gb.com© content copyright 2008, Disability Conciliation Service | ||
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DCS is an independent service provided by Mediation Works, a national organisation working to develop constructive means of resolving conflicts in communities. DCS is funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Last Modified: 28/6/2008 |
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