Interim Evaluation of the Community Mediation Pilot at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre and Corio/Norlane
Professor Tania Sourdin and Dr Nikola Balvin
Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at The University of Queensland (Melbourne campus)
About the Project
The interim evaluation was completed and the final report submitted to the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) in June 2008. The DSCV will be looking to commission an evaluator for the final evaluation later in the year.
Professor Tania Sourdin and her research team at the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at The University of Queensland (Melbourne campus) were commissioned by the Victorian Department of Justice to conduct an interim evaluation of two community mediation pilots executed by the Dispute Settlement centre of Victoria.
The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) forms part of the Department of Justice and serves the Victorian community by providing alternative dispute resolution services tailored to meet the clients' location and cultural background needs. The NJC and Corio/Norlane Community Mediation Pilots have been set up by the DSCV in order to make ADR more accessible to communities that have a strong need for it. Specifically, DSCV has targeted areas with a "prevalence of serious neighbourhood disputes", and a low socio-economic index. By placing on-site project officers at local venues within its targeted geographical areas, DSCV is attempting to raise awareness and promote the use of mediation, while increasing its 'capacity and efficiency' in resolving disputes within these locations.
The aims of the Interim Evaluation of the Community Mediation Pilot at NJC and in Corio/Norlane report were to assess the effectiveness of the mediation pilots at NJC and in Corio/Norlane and make suggestions for program improvement. Using data collected by the DSCV, the evaluation aimed to comment on the following questions:
- Has the uptake of DSCV services (DRAS, mediation) in the municipality of Yarra and Greater Geelong City increased since the introduction of the mediation pilot at NJC?
- What are the demographics of the clients using the DSCV service in Collingwood and Corio/Norlane? How do pilot's education workshop attendees compare to other Collingwood and Corio/Norlane clients?
- Has there been an increase in the awareness of referrer groups about DSCV services and ADR?
- How long does it take to finalise cases in Collingwood and Corio/Norlane and how does this compare to other areas?
- Are the cases in processed by the DSCV in Collingwood and Corio/Norlane more complex than those in other areas?
- Is the project plan being followed?
- What has been done to engage the community?
- What difficulties were identified by the Project Officer?
- What difficulties were identified by mediators and other stakeholders?
Contact details
For any questions regarding this research project, please contact Professor Tania Sourdin or Dr Nikola Balvin.
Please note that if you wish to see the final report, you need to contact the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria directly.
Contact details:
t.sourdin@uq.edu.au or
n.balvin@uq.edu.au