Roster for Qualified Family Arbitration Screeners
The work of a committee of family arbitrators has led to the province’s first set of standards and forms for screening for family arbitrators, while creating new opportunities for qualified screening professionals. The Roster, the first of its kind in Ontario, is an important enhancement to ensuring that Arbitrators in Ontario have access to qualified screeners and a comprehensive report to inform the arbitration process.
Certificate in Online DR - CODR
FDRIO is continuing to support our members moving to provide online dispute resolution services, both for professionals who have been using online technology and those new to this service option. Members can now apply for a certificate in online dispute resolution. The aim is to provide members with the supports they need to establish a service for online dispute resolution.
Become a Certified Specialist in Family Mediation, Family Arbitration and Parenting Coordination!
FDRIO is Ontario’s only organization that meets all of your professional needs in the family dispute resolution field. With the lowest annual membership cost and the lowest certification cost.
For Family Mediators:
Our FDRP Med is fully recognized by Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General for court connected mediation services. And we offer a community of professionals in all areas in which you may wish to build your practice. And your training towards the FDRP Med will take you part way to your other designations, the benefits of your FDRP Med are clear.
For Family Arbitrators:
Our FDRP Arb is Ontario’s leading family arbitration designation. Join our community of industry leaders to be confident that your standards of practice are current; learn from experts with years of experience; and network with leading professionals from diverse fields to build your arbitration reputation and practice.
For Parenting Coordinators:
Our FDRP is the only professional designation serving Ontario Parenting Coordinators. As this challenging field grows and work opportunities increase, gain confidence and security from knowing your professional designation carries respect and integrity.
Certification FAQ's
Most FDR professionals offer a variety of services beyond mediation, such as parenting coordination, arbitration and financial services. At FDRIO you can earn certifications without having to pay multiple memberships.
FDRIOs certifications are:
- affordable ($300 for the first certification and only $100 for each thereafter).
- progressive, with all courses taught by leading FDR trainers and in accordance with current standards for adult education.
- designed for today’s professional realities, including flexible professional and educational backgrounds.
- accessible, with our approved courses accommodating multiple and contemporary learning formats such as e-learning.
- compatible, with harmonized certification criteria for different designations
If the standards of any designations are equivalent to the FDRIO standards, they will be recognized. Applicants must provide proof of the existing designation along with FDRIO membership.
All FDRP candidates must have a minimum of a university degree in a related field of study or equivalent (10 years) of relevant directly-related work experience in the human services field (at the discretion of the Certification Committee).
On our website we list the required courses for each designation and the courses or trainers that have been approved by FDRIO.
The administrative cost to apply for your first certification is $300. For every subsequent application the cost is $100. Those FDRIO members who hold one or more FDRP designations will then pay an annual membership fee of $225 compared to the regular membership fee of $175.
Members of our parenting coordination and arbitration sections, and all Certified FDRP Applicants, must carry professional liability insurance for all FDR services they offer with a minimum of $1,000,000 coverage per occurrence and $2,000,000 coverage in the aggregate. FDRIO has arranged extremely comprehensive coverage with competitive insurance coverage and rates through Lloyds of Canada; click here for the application form.
Members are responsible to arrange their own insurance and to ensure that it covers all their professional activities.
You must be a FDRIO member to apply. Please visit the Certification Application Page. The application forms can be accessed there. You will be asked to complete an application form, upload all supporting documents and pay the application fee. If your application is not accepted, we will refund 50% of the fee to you.
As courts become more clogged, and more people find legal services unaffordable, family mediation, family arbitration and parenting coordination are becoming better used.
The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General funds free family mediation in Ontario family courts, and subsidizes it for those who are not in court. This funding has created growing demand for accredited mediators, particularly those who speak the languages and understand the communities of the clients they serve.
Private family mediation, family arbitration and parenting coordination services are also growing, as more separating couples seek the many advantages of settling their disputes agreeably and confidentially, out of court.
At the same time, more people are taking family mediation, family arbitration and parenting coordination training.
Before you begin your training to become an accredited family mediator, arbitrator or parenting coordinator, we recommend that you consider the following:
- Do you have the necessary qualifications, training and background for the certification(s) you seek?
- Are you willing to work hard to build and grow your practice?
The costs, both in dollars and in time, of achieving an FDRP designation are significant. Taking the training does not mean that you will find an internship; and achieving the internship requirements does not guarantee certification.
We invite you to read our Standards of Practice and Complaints Policy carefully, before making any decisions about your own career path.
Speak with all the FDR organizations, colleagues and industry leaders. Learn as much as you can about the industry; what kinds of work is available and on what terms; and assess where you believe you can find an opportunity for your own skills and expertise.
We hope to see you here with us at FDRIO!
