About SCMA

The Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates is a multi disciplinary cross-professional member trade association established to promote and deliver best practice and professional excellence in mediation advocacy through individual and corporate training and commercial activities. The practical objectives of SCMA are

• To provide a forum for discourse among mediation practitioners
• To deliver reasonably priced certificated and accredited skills training for mediation advocates
• To promote actively the expertise and experience of members in the marketplace
• To monitor and validate members' training and CPD records
• To engage with mediation service providers, clients of the process and academics researching in mediation and associated fields in disseminating news information and developments in best practice and commercial opportunties
• To create a recognisable brand and mark among consumers which will identify members' practices with the SCMA quality threshhold for mediation representation

Structure
SCMA operates through a Convenor and an appointed Advisory Board

Activities
SCMA owns and operates a number of domain names which point to different sections of the URL website generically entitled Mediation Advocates which acts as a platform/portal with links to other mediation organisations.

It provides domestic skills training through the use of senior practitioners and experienced authors and trainers in the field, and bespoke corporate training accredited with the Bar Council, Law Society, ILEX, and participates in the RICS Life Long Learning programme, and with other professional bodies. It promotes and seeks member discounts for other commercial and mediation organisations' products; it offers books and journals, discounted to members where possible.

SCMA markets the services of its members through its website, though it does not act as a direct provider or distributor of mediation work. The degrees of membership relate to CPD activity carried out during the preceding year by members, who are able to have either a link to their own or a corporate website with which they are associated.

SCMA hosts open meetings, seminars and other activities intended to culminate in an annual members' convention. It has international outlets and membership in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, the UAE, and the Far East. Since 2009 the SCMA has also advised governments and judicaries in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Belgium, Croatia and Canada. 

SCMA provides an e-newsletter to members and hopes to commission a full practice and academic journal in due course.

SCMA promotes its identity with a logo which has become established in the marketplace as a quality mark for Mediation Advocates. Its full members are recognised by the distinguishing letters SCMA Mediation Advocate after their name. Its charter corporate members use the SCMA logo on their letterhead.

Please note that SCMA operates as a trade association and does not have any regulatory function other than to promote best practice and the pursuit of excellence. Regulatory functions will be carried out by the member's 'home' profession i.e. lawyers, surveyors, accountants, engineers.