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Accreditation provides external recognition of your mediation skills. It is based on the Australian mediator and dispute resolution accreditation standards (AMDRAS) (PDF, 1MB). These standards aim to improve the quality of mediation services nationally.

Once you have completed Certificate of assessment—mediation, you can apply to become an accredited mediator.

Your accreditation is valid for 2 years. After this, you must apply for re-accreditation every 2 years.

It’s voluntary, but employers and clients are increasingly seeking accredited mediators.

To get national mediator accreditation under AMDRAS, you must meet the requirements in part 4, division 4 of the standards each 2-year accreditation period.

Under clause 48 of the Australian mediator and dispute resolution accreditation standards (AMDRAS) (PDF, 1MB), you may still qualify for re-accreditation if you have been unable to conduct the required hours of mediation, co-mediation or conciliation due to:

• lack of work opportunities
• health or career circumstances
• residence in a non-urban area
• other barriers (including socio-cultural) to accessibility or inclusion
• parental leave
• leave due to family circumstances
• other matters considered relevant.

To apply for adjusted renewal, you will need to:

• provide satisfactory reasons why you have not conducted the required hours of mediation, co-mediation or conciliation
• provide evidence to show you have conducted no less than 10 hours of mediation, co-mediation or conciliation during your 2-year accreditation period (e.g. in the form of a log book)
• attend any supplementary training, coaching and/or assessment that the DRB considers necessary, in addition to your required continuing professional development hours.

If you are unsure whether you qualify, contact us to discuss your circumstances.

Under the Standards, the types of activities accepted include:

• C1 Education and conferences (up to 20 hours)—participating in formal structured activities such a training seminars and workshops (up to 20 hours) or attending conferences (up to 10 hours)
• C2 Structured peer-based reflection (up to 7 hours)—participating in structured peer-based reflection on dispute resolution cases
• C3 Professional supervision or coaching (up to 8 hours)—receiving supervision in relation to practice issues
• C4 Providing professional development (up to 15 hours)—preparing and delivering presentations on dispute resolution or related topics (up to 5 hours) or providing professional supervision, assessment, coaching or mentoring of registered practitioners or trainees, and contributions to leadership in the field (up to 5 hours).
  Please note, leading mediators must provide a minimum of 10 hours for this CPD activity
• C5 Related professional CPD (up to 5 hours)—CPD completed to maintain professional licensing or accreditation related to your related practice, such as in law, the behavioural or social sciences, or in the professional field in which you mediate, such as building or engineering
• C6 Role playing in dispute resolution training (up to 4 hours)—participating in the Certificate of training, Certificate of assessment or other approved AMDRAS-related training provided by a registered provider
• C7 Representing clients in dispute resolution processes (up to 4 hours)—participating as part of a lawyer-client relationship or as a support person to a party (maximum of 2 hours can be claimed for each separate process)
• C8 Self-directed learning (up to 5 hours)—private study such as reading, listening to or viewing pre-recorded content such as podcasts, or writing articles or books relevant to mediation that are published in recognised journals or by recognised publishers
• C9 Publications and research participation (up to 8 hours)—writing articles or other publication types such as blogs, reports, submissions and the like, or participating in dispute resolution-related research (maximum of 4 hours can be claimed for any one activity)
• C10 Other activities the Mediator Standards Board approves on application by a recognised accreditation provider (up to 5 hours).

Read the Australian mediator and dispute resolution accreditation standards (AMDRAS) (PDF, 1MB) for more information on how to meet the requirements for re-accreditation.

To qualify for re-accreditation using this form, you must be currently accredited with the DRB.

If you aren’t and you would like to either transfer your accreditation or apply for accreditation, then please contact us by calling (07) 3738 7015 or emailing trainingdrb@justice.qld.gov.au.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) is collecting your personal information for the purpose of processing your application for National Mediator re-Accreditation. Your payment details will be provided to Smart Services Queensland and the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation to process your payment. If your application is successful, DoJ will provide the details of your re-accreditation to the Mediators Standards Board. For more information about how DoJ manages personal information please refer to DoJ’s Privacy Guide.

Under clause 66.2 of the AMDRAS (PDF, 1MB) there are strict requirements for handling complaints made about mediators accredited by the DRB, as a recognised training provider.

If you conduct private mediations outside of the DRB, you are managed under the DRB AMDRAS complaints management policy. Under this policy, you may be charged for the cost of managing complaints, which can include costs for:

• conducting an investigation
• any reviews of that investigation.

If you are a Department of Justice (DoJ) employee or mediator appointed by the DRB, you are managed under the DoJ’s complaints management policy. You will not be charged for complaints management.

If you have any questions, contact us by emailing trainingdrb@justice.qld.gov.au or by calling 3738 7015.