I first trained as a Mediator in 1995 and was accredited as a family law mediator by the Law Society of Scotland in 1996. Beyond family mediation I have trained in Special Educational Needs mediation and Restorative Justice. This gave me a broader understanding of mediation as an alternative dispute process. In the period 2000- 2004 I worked as a Children’s Reporter at the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA). This brought me into contact with extremely serious, and at times, desperate situations.