OPPORTUNITIES

Most mediators spend their careers resolving disputes over money, employment, or property.  At Southern California Family Mediation, volunteer co-mediators do something harder and more important - we help parents who may never agree on anything, agree on what matters most: a safe, stable life for their children. One dependency co-mediation can give you more life & mediation experience than some mediators accumulate in a year.

We have the highest family success rates.  That's not a coincidence - it's what happens when the right mediators show up the right way for the right reasons.

If you've been waiting for the work your passion and training have been pointing you toward - this is it.

We're looking for volunteer mediators ready to commit weekly for 48 mediations, and offering flexibility after that. 

We will invest in you. We ask that you invest in the families we serve, not just while it's convenient, but for the long haul.

 The next SCFM Class of 2026 begins now.  Live education sessions, evening 6:30-8:30pm PST, and Saturday morning Mock Mediations 9:00am-1:15pm PST, are included. These are when the Class comes together for Q&A and discussions.  You'll have the opportunity to learn a lot fast.

The children and parents who sit across from you will remember you.  Make sure it's for the right reasons.

1. If you're selected to join the team, you'll begin watching/listening to the pre-recorded courses, and we will meet together for live meetings online.   You'll learn our style-system of mediation, how we work together, and how dependency court works.
2. We'll have Court Security Services reach out to you for your security clearance.   You'll move quickly on this.
3. We'll work together to choose your mediation day of the week.  We have distinct teams of co-mediators, Tuesday through Friday.
4. You'll be invited to join our 7:45AM Pre-Mediation Meetings (the most practical and dense learning).
5. Next, you'll have the opportunity to observe two or three co-mediations.
6. In less than two months, you'll be co-mediating with a Lead Mediator, and be guided through the real world administration, co-mediation, and agreement writing processes.

• At dependency, every case is so uniquely filled with twists, turns, and unexpected challenges, that the majority of the learning takes place after you begin co-mediating.  
• Your knowledge and wisdom will grow and change your understanding of what it means to be human.

We create a Co-Mediators Schedule for each day of the week, two to three months in advance, taking into account  vacations & availability.   

Mediations are scheduled by courtrooms, three to five weeks in advance.  You will get confidential attorney & parent contact information, a summary of the orders of the Court and key issues to work on from attorneys, as well as confidential case history and orders.

Once a mediation has been scheduled on a particular day, the judge, four attorneys, the parents, the children and your co-mediator are all counting on you showing-up, no matter what.  We mediate sick and at the local coffee shop with headphones if our internet goes down.

On your day of mediation, all mediators scheduled that day and at least one Supervising Mediator will meet together online, at 7:45AM, to discuss and strategize the cases and to answer questions.

Morning chaos may include tacking down parents & getting them online and settled in a private location. Co-mediators (and interpreters if needed) will begin meeting with parents at 8:45AM - taking breaks as needed - and concluding no later than 3:30PM.

There's an agreement review and debriefing process, but we'll discuss that during our classes together.

When the mediation has ended, you're done.  There's no follow-up required, and any communication attempted from parents or attorneys get handled by a Supervising Mediator.