The state of mediation in Spain: a descriptive analysis of the professional profile and practice

Abstract

The work presented aims to place the professional practice of Mediation in Spain. Adopting a quantitative methodology, based on the survey technique, responses have been obtained from 871 Spanish mediators on various variables such as: the training received, the institutions in which they work, professional experience, the most important areas of application, as well as its position on the proposal for a degree in Mediation -under the European research project KA203-079934- to re-establish this discipline in all European degrees. The results obtained allow us to affirm that the training of mediators in Spain is quite broad, although this level is not matched by job offers, which continue to require professionals to reconcile their Mediation activity with their professions of origin, if not with a voluntary activity. The degree in Mediation is perceived by the majority of the participants, as a commitment to academic and social support for a growing discipline, with a wide range of situations for which they can offer solutions to social problems, assuming, therefore, a opportunity to include this degree in European universities within the European Higher Education Area.