Annual Conference 2026
Date: Thursday, 4 June 2026
Time: 9:30am to 6pm
Venue: Westminster Law School, University of Westminster
Booking Link
The 2026 College of Mediators Annual Conference embraces the theme of ‘Many voices, shared principles – uniting diverse practices across the mediation community’.
Book your place today!
A range of workshops include:
Where Community Meets Mediation – Solution Talk
This workshop will explore the realities of community mediation, where conflict is often emotional, long‑running, and shaped by history, identity, and power. These disputes involve people who continue to share spaces and relationships, making the work both challenging and deeply impactful.
You will work through scenarios drawn from real cases, designed to prompt reflection on practice, assumptions, and decision‑making. They are intentionally open‑ended, encouraging thoughtful exploration rather than quick solutions.
Our role as community mediators is to create a safe, impartial process; assess suitability and risk; manage strong emotions; and support communication that reduces harm. Success may mean better understanding, clearer boundaries, or a shift away from escalation – not necessarily a formal agreement.
As you move through the exercises, you can draw on your experience, training, and values, and learn from one another across different levels of practice.
Reflective Practice with Nancy Radford – Reflecting on the Effective Use of “Me” in Mediation
An interactive workshop which covers the theory of reflective debrief and character strengths. With practical exercises to highlight your strengths and use reflective debrief to consider how they have impacted your mediation practice and how you might “dial up” or dial down your strengths in future practice.
Child Inclusive Mediation – Lesley Allport and Jo Warren Sanctuary
Look out for more information to be confirmed soon of further workshops and the full programme.
Conference Details
2026 Conference Programme
Westminster Law School – Westminster University
4-12 Little Titchfield Street Campus – London W1W 7BY
9.30 – 10am
Networking with refreshments
10 – 10.15am
Welcome speech from Ryan Compton, Chair of the Board of Directors
10.15 – 10.45am
Keynote Speech by Brian Clark: AI – Mediation and Humanity
11 – 12pm
Workshops
Laura Kirkpatrick – Where Mediation Meets Community
Hugo Besterman, Katie Jolly and Chloe Evans
Different Roads, Same Destination? Rethinking SEND Mediation for a Changing Landscape
This session will begin by grounding delegates in the traditional model of SEND mediation — using Prime’s approach as a framework — before examining the pressures reshaping the landscape: budgets are shrinking, yet cases and appeals continue to rise. Against this backdrop, the SEND White Paper proposes an even greater role for mediation, though with much still to be confirmed, the direction of travel presents both opportunity and uncertainty. The session will then open up the debate around the pros and cons of the various mediation models currently in use. Central to this discussion is the principle that preparation is everything and the challenge of making models more efficient and economically viable without sacrificing quality. This tension sits at the heart of the current moment: LA budget pressures have already pushed many providers towards leaner models, raising important questions about what is lost in the process. The session will close by inviting delegates to consider not just the economic cost of getting SEND mediation wrong, but the very real mental health cost — to children, families, and the professionals working alongside them — when the system fails to.
Jan Coulton
Workshop Overview: Suitability for the Family Mediation Process
The workshop is designed to help family justice professionals, mediators, legal practitioners, and support workers understand how to assess whether family mediation is appropriate for separating or divorcing couples and families.
The session explores the key principles of mediation suitability, with a focus on ensuring that the process is safe, voluntary, balanced, and capable of supporting informed decision-making for all participants. Participants will examine the legal, ethical, and practical considerations involved in determining whether mediation is likely to be effective and appropriate in individual cases.
12 – 12.15pm
Break
12.15 – 1.15pm
Workshops
Nancy Radford
Reflecting on the Effective Use of “Me” in Mediation
Chris Makin – Just how much paper do you need?
Have you ever started a mediation with no idea what the dispute is about? Or a mediation where the solicitor has photocopied all the contents if their filing cabinet, and expected you to sort out the issues? There MUST be a happy medium!
There is. Be sure to have a Mediation Position Statement prepared by each party, and have it sent to the others and to you. So perhaps there’s a need for coaching beforehand. But be sure to be scrupulously impartial.
Marilyn Webster
A Response to System-Induced Trauma: A Sociological Perspective on the Role of the Mediator (based on Goffman)
This workshop explores mediation through a sociological lens, focusing on how individuals experience “system-induced trauma” when interacting with formal institutions. Drawing on Erving Goffman, it examines how institutional processes can shape identity, create stigma, and influence conflict dynamics. The mediator’s role is reframed as one of managing power, restoring voice, and reducing the impact of systemic pressures on parties. Participants will consider how mediation can humanise institutional encounters, support dignity, and enable more balanced engagement between individuals and systems.
1.15 – 2.15pm
Lunch
2.15 – 3.15
Workshops
Lelsey Allport and Jo Warren-Sanctuary
Explore children’s participation in mediation using the four elements of the Lundy Model, Voice, Space, Audience and Influence to ensure participation is meaningful.
Macarena Mata
Analytical approaches to mediation: participants’ motivations and the underpinnings of anger
When a mediation participant tells you that they are angry… how can a mediator help? What about exploring what hides underneath? Discover anger as a secondary emotion with Emery’s five behavioural systems, goals of anger expression and the emotions behind that anger.
Emek Delibas
Mediator Privilege
What are the consequences of making mediation compulsory for the mediation profession? It is possible to argue that since disputants are compelled to reveal confidential information that may jeopardise their case in a mediation, greater safeguards are required to protect that information beyond the confidentiality agreement. Safeguards such as introducing a Mediation Privilege to cover communications would however make mediators part of the legal system and likely require changes to how the profession is governed and regulated.This workshop explores what a Mediation Privilege is and how the introduction of such a Privilege may affect the profession, possibly pushing it into the hands of lawyers like in many other jurisdictions.
3.15 – 3.30pm
Break
3.30 – 4.30pm
Panel Discussion
The limits of AI in and around mediation and what remains (or should remain) inherently human. Chaired by Emek Delibas Panel Members: Brian Clark Macarena Matta Lesley Allport Martha Monday
4.30pm
Closing speech with Ryan Compton
4.45 – 6pm
Networking and after conference drinks
- Expert Insights: Gain invaluable insights from leading experts in the field of mediation. Our line-up of speakers includes seasoned mediators, legal professionals, and conflict resolution specialists who will share their knowledge and expertise.
- Interactive Workshops: Dive deep into the latest trends and techniques in mediation through our interactive workshops. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, there’s something for everyone to learn and grow.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals and expand your professional network. Forge new connections, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships with fellow mediators from around the world.
- Exclusive Membership Benefits: As a participant of the conference, you’ll have the opportunity to become a member of the College of Mediators. Membership grants you access to exclusive resources, networking events, and discounts on future conferences and workshops.
- Our Annual Conference endorses 7 CPD points.
Purchase Tickets: Secure your spot at the conference by purchasing your tickets today. You can purchase tickets to the 2026 Conference on Eventbrite.
Become a Member: Elevate your mediation career by becoming a member of the College of Mediators. Membership offers a wide range of benefits, including access to premium content, networking opportunities, and discounts on events and resources.
Conference Venue:
Westminster Law School – Westminster University
4-12 Little Titchfield Street Campus – London W1W 7BY
Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to enhance your mediation skills, expand your professional network, and take your career to the next level. Reserve your spot at the Annual Conference of the College of Mediators today!
Official sponsors of the conference:
We are extremely grateful to Westminster Law School, University of Westminster, who will be hosting the conference venue, providing a professional space to welcome everyone and deliver a range of workshops.
2026 Conference Sponsorship Programme
The College of Mediators Conference Sponsorship Programme invites organisations and individuals to become partners in strengthening the mediation profession. Sponsors gain meaningful visibility and connection with our community – not just at the annual conference, but throughout the year.
By joining the programme, sponsors benefit from a sustained presence across our flagship conference, online events, The Digest newsletter, our website, and member communications.
More importantly, sponsorship opens the door to genuine engagement with practising mediators, sector leaders, and partner organisations who are shaping the future of conflict resolution.
This is an opportunity to stand alongside the College of Mediators, demonstrate your commitment to high‑quality mediation, and build relationships that last well beyond the conference itself.
Lead Conference Partner
Benefits include:
- Five complimentary conference tickets
- Exhibition stand in a prominent position within the conference venue
- 12 months of enhanced promotional exposure, including:
– Featured articles in The Digest newsletter (x2) – content to be provided by the sponsor and approved by the College of Mediators
– Inclusion in membership mailings and promotions (x4)
– Prominent company logo placement on the website as a conference partner (until the next conference) with backlink to sponsor website
– Company logo on the conference programme
- Networking opportunities throughout the face-to-face conference
- One digital workshop delivered during the year (details to be agreed between the College of Mediators and sponsor)
Cost: £1,250 (12-month sponsorship)
(Lead Sponsorship – limited to three)
Conference Partner
Benefits include:
- Three complimentary conference tickets
- Exhibition stand within the conference venue
- 12 months of promotional exposure, including:
– Social media promotion (x3)
– Feature in The Digest newsletter (x1)
– Inclusion in membership mailings and promotions (x2) content to be provided by the sponsor and approved by the College of Mediators
– Company logo displayed on the website as a conference partner, with backlink to sponsor website
– Company logo on the conference programme
- Networking opportunities at the face-to-face conference
Cost: £750 (12-month sponsorship)
Digital Partner
Benefits include:
- 12 months of digital exposure, including:
– Social media promotion (x3)
– Company logo displayed on the website as a Digital Partner, with backlink to sponsor website
– Inclusion in membership mailing (x1) or promotional communication
- Networking opportunities at the face-to-face conference (attendance optional; ticket not included)
Cost: £250 (12-month sponsorship)