Ombudsperson and conflict resolution service
Ombudsperson and conflict resolution service
The ESIHMar offers an ombudsperson and conflict resolution service for all the students, offered by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (CRAC for its acronym in English) at the school. This service is conceived as a workspace in which to use communication between people to prevent and solve conflicts product of coexistence in learning spaces.
The principles on which the service is based are:
- Confidentiality
- Free will
- Privacy
- Neutrality
- Imparciality
Objective and scope of application of the ombudsperson and conflict resolution service
The aim is to facilitate dialogue between two or more people in conflict in order to reduce discomfort, unease and exhaustion, the escalation of the conflict, and find points of agreement.
The ombudsperson and conflict resolution service of the ESIHMar makes available to students the assistance of facilitators who will act under the principles of neutrality and impartiality or, in cases where facilitation is not appropriate given the complexity, nature, or other characteristics of the conflict, the assistance of mediators, who will act governed by the same principles.
Any individual who reports the existence of a conflict will have access to a safe space for support and listening. The facilitation or mediation process, depending on the case, will be initiated once the following steps have taken place:
- An individual meeting with the person reporting the conflict.
- Case assessment by the CRAC, determining that the conflict is relational in nature.
- Voluntary acceptance of the facilitation or mediation process by all parties involved.
The facilitation and mediation service will not be applied in cases of gender-based violence, sexual harassment, or discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other diversity-related cause. In such cases, the ESIHMar Equality and Diversity Protocol will be followed.
Characteristics and composition of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission (CRAC)
The CRAC it is formed by a minimum of 5 members of the ESIHMar, among whom there should be a professional of psychology. All of them will have received specific training in conflict resolution and mediation, they are ruled by the principles of mediation and, when faced with a service request, they will take an impartial and neutral position, guaranteeing confidentiality throughout the process.
Activation process of the ombudsperson and conflict resolution service
The service will commence once a student or a member of the ESIHMar community voluntarily submits a request through the designated channels and is directed to the CRAC. Upon receiving a request, the CRAC will evaluate the situation and explore its nature in a dedicated listening and understanding session. This assessment will guide the selection of the most appropriate intervention resource (internal or external).
Once the facilitation or mediation process is activated-based on the CRAC's criteria-consent from all parties involved will be required. The voluntary participation of all parties is essential for the process to take place. If any party decides to withdraw from the process, it will be terminated.
The initial meeting will always be individual, held separately with each party involved. During this meeting, the steps of the process, its principles, and the scope of facilitation or mediation will be explained. The right to terminate the process will also be communicated, and agreements will be made regarding session development and key issues to be addressed. Additionally, the individual will have the opportunity to express their perspective on the conflict and outline their specific concerns.
Follow-up meetings, with the agreement of all involved, will include one or two joint sessions where the conflict will be defined, and proposals will be developed to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution. If an internal facilitation process is used, meetings will be held in person at the Campus Universitari Mar facilities. If an external mediation process is used, meetings may take place either at the Campus Universitari Mar or at the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia, with whom ESIHMar has an established agreement.
Application for the ombudsperson and conflict resolution service
The student can send his request through this form.
Service requests will be addressed to the CRAC, who will assess which is the best course of action according to the situation.
In the case of assessing that the best resource is mediation, once the applicant has been notified, the process will continue through the partner entity managing the service, the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia.