Challenges and Experiences in Intercultural Mediation

Intercultural Mediation in Ireland Access Ireland is the first organisation to have developed Intercultural Mediation in Ireland; Access has a particular focus on minority ethnic health and social well-being issues; therefore much of the mediation work has been in that sector Core element of the work is training people from minority ethnic backgrounds to work as intercultural mediators Two training programmes 9 months duration each have been run so far; the first with a group of 7 participants from African countries in 2003; the second in 2007 specially customised to the needs of the Roma population : 6 participants participated in that programme

What is Intercultural Mediation? Intercultural Mediation is a dynamic, continuous process through which a trained / skilled third party acts as a cultural broker between two parties and assists both of them to reach a common understanding and to interact more satisfactorily. Cultural Mediators solve and more especially help to prevent conflict caused by cultural misunderstandings and contribute to the creation of a new social reality

Experiences and Challenges Much of our work to date has come from social workers in child and family welfare work, partly because of the focus of social work on communication and partly because the law in Ireland in relation to child welfare is very firm and this can often lead to cultural misunderstandings in relation to parenting practice Intercultural Mediation not widely understood – slow to take off, to be seen as a profession

Particular Challenges that we as mediators face Having a dual culture / bi-cultural perspective not easy – we always strive to be professionals but it is sometimes hard not to make value judgements Need to be flexible – to tailor the approach to the particular needs of the individual with whom we are working Because service providers are slow to recognise / to identify the subtleties of cultural difference mediators may be called in at a late / crisis stage

Challenges for mediators (cont) Social work (like all services in Ireland) based on a Western model; ie it is governed by western notions of time; by strict regulations and laws. Also social workers are often working under very stressful and demanding conditions. The job of the mediator is to mediate this culture to the client group who are typically coming from a very traditional cultural perspective and who need time and patience to understand the role and the messages of the social worker

Challenges for mediators (cont)  Drawing a line / boundary around the role – I often feel like a lawyer / social worker / family support worker /  advocate  For social workers there is also the issue of setting boundaries around our role – they sometimes expect us to offer more to the client than mediation Individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds are often highly mistrustful of services

Examples of cases where cultural mediators can be useful  Facilitating the communication between health care teams and minority ethnic patients in conveying an understanding of the causes and treatment of particular illnesses.  Assisting families from ethnic minority communities, who have relatives with disabilities, to understand the different cultural aspects involved.

Example of cases (2) Easing the interaction between social workers and minority ethnic clients when addressing parenting, childcare and other issues Helping and supporting families at times of crisis such as the death of a child Helping a patient who may have difficulty in accepting a particular treatment on religious grounds

Triangle communication – Client Service Provider Mediator People skills Culture Language/ Non-verbal messages Mediation skills/negotiati on skills Stressed Insecure Fear of new and unknown Time constraints Frustration Worried Afraid Strange system Suspicious No English/little Illiterate(?) Different cultural/religious values

Cultural mediation training programme Subjects focus on: –Theories of culture and cultural diversity –Irish Health & Social services oEquality, anti-discrimination and human rights legislation oMediation & Interpreting techniques oCross-cultural communication

Responsibilities of a Mediator/Code of Practice Maintaining a high level of performance ( Techniques, professional attitude, accuracy and cultural awareness) Remaining neutral Maintaining confidentiality/boundaries Respecting clients’ cultural and religious values Refraining from abusing their power Non-judgemental attitude