Mediation and Advocacy, Research Paper Example

Shonna Clark (2008) says that “mediators and advocators are very important to the human services field because clients are often uneducated when it comes to knowing their rights and liberties that exist in this government.” Mediators are necessary in the human services field because they facilitate communication between two parties with differences and conflicts. Otherwise, the rights and liberties of minority groups may not be met and they live their lives unfulfilled. It is important to note that mediation does not involve influencing clients or making decisions for them, but rather helping them to reach positive agreements with which both parties can live. If a mediator has a conflict of interest in certain cases, such as divorce, then, perhaps that professional should be working as an advocator instead of a mediator.

Social Work Speaks Abstract states that social work includes helping people have sufficient financial resources to care for themselves and their dependents; to assess the capabilities of people to care for their children and dependents; counselling and psychotherapy; and connecting clients to resources, mediation and advocacy.

There are quite a few mediation firms, although many are not connected to human services, although they could be contracted by them for certain tasks. To show how well mediation can take place almost by happenstance is a somewhat humorous quote by Samantha Power about Sergio Vieria de Mello, the Special Representative to the UN Secretary General; namely, ”He had long since stopped believing that he brought the solutions to a place’s woes, but he had grown masterful at asking the questions that helped reveal constructive ideas” CDR Associates. The Case Management Resources Site lists mediators and advocators for various medical situation such as, for example, the advocates for the children of New York.

References

CDR Associates. Retrieved on May 07, 2012, from http://www.mediate.org/services/mediate.

Clark, S. (October 21, 2008). The challenges of being an advocate and neutral facilitator in the human services field. Retrieved on May 07, 2012, from http://voices.yahoo.com/the-challenges-being-advocate-neutral-facilitator.

Dorland Health. Case management resources guide. Retrieved on May 07, 2012, from http://www.cmrg.com/index.cgi?find_catl=1&final_cat2=4&cat1_2=1&c.

NASW: National Association of Social Workers. Social work speaks abstracts. Retrieved on May 07, 2012, from http://www.socialworkers.org/resources/abstracts/abstracts/socialService.