National Accreditation Board for Family Mediators ['NABFAM']

On 23 March 2010 the National Accreditation Board for Family Mediators was officially launched. The launch was preceded by an extensive program of consultation with interest groups and role players.

A number of organisations were identified and invited to join as founding members of the Board. These are The Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement (ex officio), Family Life Centre, the South African Association of Mediators (SAAM), the Family Mediators' Association of the Cape (FAMAC) and the KZN Association of Family Mediators (KAFAM).

In defining and adopting standards, the Board took notice of and tried to align South African standards with international best practice. Specifically, accreditation will be aligned with the standards of the International Mediation Institute, so as to ensure that locally accredited mediators also potentially qualify for international accreditation.

Prior to adoption these standards were published for comment by the family mediation sector. A range of comments were received and incorporated into the wording of the standards. The process of improving these standards is, however on-going, and any suggestions or comments regarding these standards are welcome. These can be forwarded to Sunelle.Hanekom@usb.ac.za, and will be considered by the Board.

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