ABSTRACT
Mediation is also based on certain values that have justified its use, both for the disputants as well as for those who have chosen to become mediators. The values of mediation exemplified the spirit of the time – the importance of respect, dignity, fairness, justice, reciprocity, individual participation, consensus and party control. In arbitration, the parties invite the arbitrator to make this decision and agree to honour the decision even though it is not legally binding. Adjudication usually follows a hearing attended by formal rules and procedures and the parties are represented by professional advocates. The ideal of self-determination as one of social work's fundamental values may appear superficially to resemble the 'party control' that is the central tenet of mediation. The objective of the Family Group Conference (FGC) is to secure the co-operation of the family in planning for the future protection and well-being of the child.
