For a court ADR program to succeed, someone has to wake up every morning with a sense of responsibility for its success. That might be a judge, a court staffer, someone at an outside agency or company, or a staff mediator. At the very least, that person needs to keep an eye on how a program is operating, be the face of the program, ensure ethical operations of the ADR processes and the program, and maintain a high standard of performance for the neutrals. For almost all programs, someone also needs to administer the nitty-gritty details of scheduling, follow-up, data collection and reporting.
RSI's Approach
RSI knows what it takes to run a program. Our experience developing and operating mediation programs has given us the real-world experience that undergirds our advice. We know what research on court ADR says, but we also know what it is like to tailor reports that answer particular judges' questions, support and critique neutrals, and respectfully hold the line on program policies such as confidentiality. These tasks require a combination of tact, clarity of purpose, accuracy and understanding of the foundations of various ADR processes.
RSI's Services
Examples of our program administration services include:
- Creating and implementing online case management systems
- Scheduling mediation sessions and providing follow up
- Conducting mediator training and continuing education
- Providing mediator quality support systems
- Developing tools for tracking and reporting on outcomes
- Collecting program data, analyzing it and providing reports to stakeholders
- Managing stakeholder relationships, conducting outreach and developing promotional/informational materials
Sample RSI Successes
Eviction Mediation
- Secured funding and program partner support to develop three eviction mediation programs to mitigate a surge in cases resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Established and administer video eviction mediation programs in Kane (16th Circuit) and Kankakee (21st Circuit) counties and in the 17th Circuit (Winnebago and Boone counties), in judicial districts serving nearly a million Illinois residents
- Oversaw mediation of over 100 eviction cases in Kane County, Illinois, in the first quarter of 2022, 75% of which reached agreement
- Received overall positive feedback from program participants who completed surveys
Foreclosure Mediation
- Secured funding and program partner support to develop three foreclosure mediation programs serving jurisdictions handling 85% of Illinois foreclosure filings outside of Cook County
- Successfully handed off foreclosure mediation programs for in-house administration in the 17th Circuit (Winnebago and Boone counties) and Lake County (19th Circuit)
- Continue to administer a foreclosure mediation program serving Kane County, Illinois, as we have done since 2013
- Have helped over 750 Illinoisans stay in their homes
Child Protection Mediation
- Serve over 70 families, predominantly from historically underserved populations, in their efforts to provide their children a safe, stable and sustainable home environment
- Operate one of only three child protection mediation programs in the state of Illinois, helping to ensure children have safe, permanent homes
- Train volunteer mediators and use a co-mediation model to develop mediator skills and ability