Mediation
Location | About Mediation Services | What Is Mediation | What Happens | What Types of Problems | Program Areas | Why Mediate | What People Say about Mediation | How cases are Referred | How to Request Mediation | History of Mediation | How to Volunteer for JCMS | Mediators' Corner
If you are an employee of Jefferson County or one of its agencies or municipalities, and wish to refer a case involving Jeffco residents, click here to email or fax a referral.
If you are an employee of Jefferson County, and wish to start a workplace case, go to the Jeffco intranet homepage, and click on County Conflict Resolution Program, which is under Quick Links on the left side of the page.
Location
JCMS is located at 700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 220, Golden, Colorado 80401. Please send all mail to that address, not to the Illinois Street location. The phone number is 303.271.5060. Our fax number is 303.271.5064. Email contact is available through Margaret at jsmediation@jeffco.us.
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About Jefferson County Mediation Services (JCMS)
Since its creation by the County in 1994, JCMS has provided professional dispute resolution assistance, at no cost, for persons referred by County agencies. Originally designed to handle neighborhood conflicts, JCMS has gradually expanded its services to include improving communication between government and citizens, and among County employees, and serving Jefferson County municipalities, courts and non-profits. JCMS' professional mediators provide a more personal, humane alternative to formal processes, such as going to court. Mediation helps the parties in conflict to settle their own differences.
Every two years JCMS completes a program report that outlines how our work provides benefits and cost savings to the citizens of Jefferson County. Click here to read our 2008-2009 Program Report.
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What is Mediation?
Mediation is an informal, voluntary process. A professional, impartial third party helps the contending parties exchange views and explore possible options for resolving the conflict. The goal of mediation is to help parties reach their own mutually- acceptable settlement of issues in dispute. Often, this will solve the problem, and usually will at least keep it from escalating. Any decision reached is through the efforts and agreement of the parties themselves. Mediation enhances communication, promotes responsibility, and helps people to acquire skills that can assist in preventing or resolving future disputes.
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What happens during the Mediation session?
The mediators first explain the mediation process. Each party is then encouraged to express his or her perspective in a safe, respectful environment. The mediator facilitates discussion and helps the parties to collaborate in reaching their own solutions. If the parties reach a satisfactory agreement, it is written up and signed.
The referring County Department and the parties usually receive copies of the agreement. If the parties do not reach an agreement, the mediation is ended. The mediator does not issue a decision or impose a resolution. The parties remain free to try other ways to resolve their dispute.
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What types of problems can be Mediated?
Almost any kind of human conflict can be mediated, including citizen complaints and disputes, workplace issues, and inter-agency disagreements. Disputes appropriate for mediation may involve a single difficult issue, multiple issues, a long-standing conflict, or a conflict that cannot be avoided because of continuing contacts between or among the parties.
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Program Areas
Community Mediation
* Animal Control - barking dogs, dogs at large
* Consumer Complaints - incomplete or faulty work
* Family Mediation - out of control children, aging parents, substance abuse
* Noise - stereos, motorcycles, children
* Planning & Zoning - new development, odors, nuisances
* Property Issues - damage, fences, drainage
* Schools - fights, parent-teacher and administration issues, truancy concerns
County - Internal
* Child Support Services - parenting time issues and support disputes
* Group Facilitations - planning, team-building, etc.
* Ombuds Services - for people who need help but don't know who to call
* Workplace Conflicts - personality conflicts, cultural issues, supervisory issues
Courts
* Low-income Divorce & Post-decree Issues - parenting plans and child support
* Protection Order Conditions Conferences - working out conditions to orders
* Small Claims Disputes - landlord/tenant, contract, domestic partner
* Victim-Offender Reconciliation - what the offender can do to make amends
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Why Mediate? 
Because mediation works.
Our services are
- confidential
- impartial
- cost-free
- time saving
- informal
- cooperative
- helpful in creating a respectful work place
Participants share responsibility for solving problems.
Mediation provides an efficient tool for solving employee, agency, and community issues. It costs nothing, and often results in positive outcomes for all parties.
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What our mediation participants say about JCMS
"The mediator helped us find solutions we hadn't thought of."
"Your staff was very concerned, very pleasant and professional."
"It was outstanding. This is a great service."
"To my pleasant surprise, I found out your department was no rubber-stamp or facade agency."
"It helped get old issues off my back."
"Mediation provided a more convenient option than going through court proceedings - saved taxpayers and parties involved time and money."
"It was above my expectations."
"I was wrong to assume that there was no solution...there is a solution, and that is communication."
"It was a good experience. I'm glad I participated."
"This is cool! The efficiency and effectiveness were amazing."
"Thank goodness we had this or we'd still be fighting over everything!"
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How are cases referred to JCMS?
Any governmental employee in Jefferson County (County departments, municipalities or courts) can refer cases to Mediation Services. (If no one is referring you, see How to Request Mediation, below.)
If you are a Jefferson County or municipal employee wanting to refer a case: Complete a Case Referral Form and fax or email it to the JCMS. Or, call and discuss the situation with a JCMS administrator, who can then create your case referral. JCMS staff will assess the case and contact the parties to confirm their willingness to participate in mediation.
If the parties agree to mediate, the case will be assigned to a team of mediators. They will contact the parties to schedule a mediation session at a time convenient for everyone - days, evenings or weekends. Mediations are typically held in County government buildings, and generally take 2-3 hours.
Some disputes may require more than one session. Once a case has been completed (either settled or not), the referring agency will receive a letter informing it of the outcome of the case. Actual information discussed during the mediation process is confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone.
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If you are an employee of Jefferson County, and wish to start a workplace case, go to the Jeffco intranet homepage, and click on County Conflict Resolution Program, which is under Quick Links on the left side of the page.
How to request mediation
If no one is referring you and you think mediation might be helpful for a situation you have, fill out the Mediation Request Form and email it to Margaret at jsmediation@jeffco.us. You can also call JCMS at 303.271.5060. We are happy to answer any questions about mediation, and discuss whether your situation fits our program guidelines.
History of Jefferson County Mediation Services
The mission of Jefferson County Mediation Services (JCMS) is to collaborate with local government agencies in serving the citizens of Jefferson County by providing effective mediation, facilitation and negotiation processes. We also offer conflict management training for County and municipal employees. These tasks are accomplished using trained, dedicated volunteers. The result is increased harmony within the community, while at the same time saving the County significant resources. Using nearly 200 currently active volunteer mediators, JCMS assists parties in settling disputes which would otherwise consume governmental personnel time in non-productive activities.
JCMS began in 1994 and has handled over 14,500 cases as of December 11, 2010. The overall settlement rate for mediated cases is 70%, with a settlement rate for community cases of 83%. See the section Program Areas (above) for a list of the types of cases handled by JCMS. One new, exciting area of conflict management is parenting-time and child-support cases referred to Mediation by Child Support Services. These mediations often improve the lives of children in Jefferson County by easing the tensions between their parents, and regularizing the time the children spend with each parent. These mediations have led to a significant increase in the payment of court-ordered child support. This benefits both the children involved, and the County, which has decreased the likelihood that the family will have to turn to public financial assistance. Other new programs include the Jefferson County Conflict Resolution Program which assists County employees in settling internal workplace conflicts. Facilitators for department group planning sessions, administrative hearing officers and arbitrators are also available.
Our highly motivated group of mediators all come to JCMS trained in mediation and have varied professional backgrounds including communication, education, environmental sciences, health, human resources, law, counseling and business, to name a few. Our volunteers typically work in teams of two, often pairing a veteran mediator with a less experienced partner. Some cases are assigned to just one mediator, thereby increasing the capacity of the Program. (This often occurs in Small Claims Court.) For reasons of convenience, Program neutrality and security, all mediation activities are scheduled in conference rooms in County or municipal buildings, libraries or the courts. Times for mediation sessions are arranged for mutual convenience of the v
olunteer mediators and the parties to the conflicts. Sessions are often held in the evenings or on weekends.
By January 31, 2009, a total of 620 mediators had contributed 39,126 hours for the benefit of the citizens of Jefferson County. At a conservative time value estimate of $75/hour (actual mediation fees range from $100-$250/hour), the County, its citizens and the courts have realized a cost avoidance over the last 15 years of $2,934,450.
JCMS saves County resources in three key ways. First, County personnel (e.g., Animal Control officers or Sheriff's deputies) avoid repeated trips to a particular address when parties reach a long-term solution. Second, the District Attorney's office and courts save costs when neighbors' disputes are mediated and resolved prior to the trial date. Third, JCMS saves the cost of lowered productivity and turnover caused by co-workers in conflict. From 2001-2008, just seven County agencies and municipalities (plus County Court for 2006-2007) saved a minimum of $113,466.
Thus, for a relatively small input of County resources, JCMS accomplishes its mission of contributing to the harmony of County citizens and saving valuable, limited resources for County government to apply to the many other pressing needs of its citizens.
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How to volunteer for JCMS
To volunteer for JCMS you must have taken a training in basic mediation practices (generally a 24 to 40 hour course), but you do not need to have any mediation experience. We match new volunteers with experienced mediators on each case, using a co-mediation model.
If you are interested in volunteering for JCMS, please send us the following documents:
- Brief cover letter describing your interest in volunteering with JCMS
- Resume
- Copy of your mediation training certificate
If you have special skills, such as fluency in another language, please note that.
You can email these documents to jsmediation@jeffco.us, or send them snail mail:
Jefferson County Mediation Services
700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 220
Golden, CO 80401
You must attend a volunteer orientation to begin working with JCMS. We offer these orientation sessions twice a year. Once we receive all of the needed documentation, we will add you to the list of people to be notified when the next orientation is scheduled.
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Governance
* C.R.S. 13-22-301 et. al.
Jefferson County Mediation Services Advisory Group
Last Modified: Apr 23, 2013 01:10 PM
