Social Welfare implements a Municipal Mediation Service for conflict resolution

The Department of Social Welfare of Benidorm City Council will implement a free Municipal Mediation Service to try to “manage and resolve conflicts between two or more parties to reach an amicable agreement that is beneficial to all the people involved, thus avoiding the dispute is transferred to the judicial system ”, as reported today by Angela Llorca, councillor of the department.

The councilor has pointed out that "this mediation process, provided by qualified professionals in this matter, contributes to not overloading the work of the administration of justice, by addressing conflicts that can be resolved outside the courts." It is, therefore, "an alternative and complementary route to the judicial system in which the parties receive neutral and impartial professional help to resolve their differences through a process of reestablishing or improving communication."

The councillor has reported that "this Mediation Service will deal with cases derived by the judicial or arbitration body, or those proposed by professionals in Social Work of the City Council."

Llorca explained that the structure and operation of this service is set in the Regulations provisionally approved by the plenary session on November 30, and that "it is now final after completing the period of public exposure without having received any allegations to the document and published today in the Official Gazette of the Province (BOP) ”.

As noted, "this mediation program is included within the lines of action of EDUSI Benidorm, so with its implementation we advance in the implementation of this city strategy and we evidence the commitment of the City Council to promote actions contained therein, and which are aimed at improving the quality of life of residents and visitors ”.

Llorca has announced that this service "will begin to be provided shortly at‘ José Llorca Linares ’social center, and will be in charge of university experts in Family, Civil and Commercial Mediation attached to the Department of Social Welfare." Once the mediation has been granted, "there will be the possibility of it being carried out telematically".

According to the regulations, which can be consulted in the Social Welfare section of the municipal website (www.benidorm.org), the mediation process “will not exceed three months, unless the professional considers that there is a possibility of reaching agreements and request a two-month extension to achieve this goal ”.

The councillor has stressed that "the advantages of mediation are numerous, since it is a voluntary, flexible and fast process that reduces the emotional tension between the parties in conflict by reestablishing their communication." In addition, experience indicates that "the level of compliance with the commitments agreed between the parties is very high because the decisions adopted have been reached by them and not by a third party"; and she has stressed that "if an understanding is not reached, the arbitration way can be studied."