Common Ground Mediation

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (amended 2009) requires education authorities to have in place arrangements for independent mediation to aim to resolve disputes between parents and the authority and/or school regarding a child who has additional support needs. The mediation service must be free of charge for families.

Mediation is a way of resolving conflict or disagreements by working with everyone involved to look for possible solutions and an acceptable way forward.

An independent and professionally trained mediator helps people talk to each other and listen to each other's points of view. The mediator doesn't tell people what to do, but helps them find a fair agreement.