Kathleen Bolt Mediation Services

About Us

Kathleen Bolt Mediation Services Ltd is a new provider of mediation services in Scotland, led by Kathleen Bolt. Working with us provides the opportunity to take a fresh approach to resolving complex disputes and complaints wherever they occur. Through the use of mediation, and related services, we will work with participants to assist in dealing with disputes in the public, private and voluntary sector, of which we have extensive experience.

Our approach

Our approach to dispute resolution draws on Kathleen's experience as a litigator, and as an employment and discrimination lawyer across all strands of discrimination law in both the employment and non- employment context, as well as many complex employment disputes. We also draw upon the expertise of occupational therapists specialising in the use of workplace interventions to positively manage health and disability in the workplace.

Experience of representing those facing difficult and consuming legal problems, together with knowledge of the public, private and voluntary sectors, prepares Kathleen well for leading our mediation services - listening to all participants, building trust and rapport, and understanding the emotional underlay to legal problems. Equally she fully understands the legal aspects to the dispute, and the consequences of legal proceedings for participants. This expertise informs our approach and provides the tools that are needed to assist those in dispute to listen, assess, and move forward in the creative resolution of their differences.

Our people

Director
Kathleen Bolt is a solicitor and mediator with extensive experience as an employment and discrimination lawyer. She initially worked as a civil practitioner specialising in family and personal injury law. She then became the Principal Solicitor at the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre (EMLC) in Glasgow, specialising in race discrimination, immigration and refugee law.

As Head of Legal Affairs in Scotland for the Commission for Racial Equality she was responsible for the conduct of the Commission's legal work in Scotland. She worked with colleagues in the Equal Opportunities Commission and Disability Rights Commission to promote awareness of discrimination law and transfer expertise across all sectors. She had responsibilities for legal strategy in Scotland, working with policy colleagues to oversee the introduction of the race equality duty in Scotland. A significant part of this work involved promotional work with employers and service providers in the development of good policy and practice.

Kathleen returned to private practice where she was an associate at McGrade & Co Employment Law Solicitors. She advised and represented clients in relation to all aspects of employment and discrimination law. Kathleen then returned to EMLC, where she was responsible for establishing a new branch office in Edinburgh and developing a new employment, discrimination and immigration practice for EMLC.

She trained and accredited as a mediator with Core Solutions Group. She is a registered member of the Scottish Mediation Register. She has acted as an advisor in mediations involving complex employment and discrimination disputes.

Kathleen has the skills and expertise to understand the complex legal, emotional and organisational issues inherent in disputes wherever they occur. She has experience of the difficult, sensitive and time consuming legal problems facing employees and employers, service users and service providers. She understands the impact of such disputes on business and the workplace. She has worked within the private, public and voluntary sector. This gives her the ability to gain the trust and confidence of all participants and to work with them to assist them to find creative solutions to resolve their differences.

Consultants
We have access to a number of occupational therapists and certified specialists in work rehabilitation. They are widely experienced in work ability assessment and functional capacity evaluation of medical impairment and disability. They include a leading UK practitioner in vocational rehabilitation and work conditioning practice.

Occupational therapists are acutely aware of the impact of illness on daily life and work and are skilled in determining the impact on activities of daily living and work performance for the individual. Their experience in working directly with employers and workplaces means they have practical understanding of business need and the many commercial dynamics and the pressures that companies operate under.

They work extensively in the insurance field and with all major UK insurers. They are strong proponents of early intervention and a case managed approach to vocational rehabilitation.

Associates
Associate mediators and therapists will be called upon as required to assist in the provision of our mediation services and provide the necessary skills and expertise dependent upon the nature of each case. All associate and /or assistant mediators will be accredited. All associate therapists will be professionally qualified occupational therapists who have been work accredited.

Code of Conduct

Mediation
We practice in accordance with the Scottish Mediation Register's Guidelines for the Practice of Mediation in Scotland. This Code of is consistent with the European Union Model Code of Conduct for Mediators

Workplace Interventions
Occupational therapists practising in the UK must be registered with the Health Professional Council (HPC) . We work only with fully qualified occupational therapists who are registered with the HPC. To register they must have successfully completed an approved course leading to a diploma or degree or in occupational therapy. All our occupational therapy associates are also members of the British Association of Occupational Therapists. As such they adhere to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct produced by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, for and on behalf of the British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT) which is the national professional body and trade union for occupational therapists in the UK. This Code can be downloaded at www.cot.org.uk, the website for the College of Occupational Therapists.

Complaints Procedure

We strive to provide an effective and satisfactory service. We ask all service users to evaluate our service and welcome this feedback in reviewing and developing our services. We also reflect on the service provided on each occasion, which constantly adds to our learning and understanding. If you have any concerns at all about the service you are receiving then please speak to us as soon as possible, and we hope that these concerns can be addressed to your satisfaction. In the event that matters cannot be resolved in this way then we have a complaints procedure which you should follow .

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Mediation
We practice in accordance with the Scottish Mediation Register Benchmark Standards which require a mediator to plan, undertake and review at least 12 hours of continuing development and support each year. This CPD and practice support may include training, supervision, monitoring, mentoring, shadowing and peer review. We reflect upon, and carry out an evaluation of each mediation conducted.

Workplace Interventions
Occupational therapists require to meet the current standards of the Health Professional Council ( HPC) to which they must be registered to practice in the UK, and to retain continued registration. This includes adhering to the HPC’s requirements for continuing professional development ( CPD).