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ABOUT US / NEWS / CONTACT
US
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About
CDSC
The Community Dispute
Settlement Center Inc. (CDSC) has
served the Greater Boston area since
1979, providing mediation and training
services to organizations and individuals.
The mission of CDSC is to provide and promote
effective, cost-efficient and participatory
approaches for resolving conflict, and to make
them accessible to all members of the community.
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What
We Do
MEDIATION
Each year, CDSC's roster of over 60 experienced
mediators serve an average of 1,000 clients,
mediating some 350 cases. Overall, 75% of cases
are successfully resolved through mediation.
Our mediators come from a variety of backgrounds
including the legal community, social services,
education, business, and mental health, and
contribute their services pro bono.
They are highly trained and experienced in
a variety of dispute resolution areas.
We
work with a network of community
agencies and conduct active community
education and outreach programs
to let people know about the
services we offer.
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IN
THE COMMUNITY
We help people resolve issues related to separation
and divorce, working with both traditional
and non-traditional families. Through a group
of specially trained mediators, we help gay
and lesbian couples deal with issues unique
to their circumstances. We mediate workplace
disputes, as well as issues involving neighbors,
landlords, and tenants. Our elder care services
help families make decisions about the changing
needs of older adults. We charge nominal fees
for these services, with a sliding scale based
on income.
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IN
THE COURTS
CDSC is an approved provider of mediation services
to ten courts, with a current focus on small
claims cases in District Courts in Cambridge,
Charlestown, Waltham and Woburn; divorce and
paternity cases in Probate and Family Courts
in Suffolk and Middlesex; civil cases with
indigent, unrepresented clients in Superior
Courts in Suffolk and Middlesex; family conflicts
between teens and parents in Middlesex Juvenile
Court (CHINS - Children in Need of Services).
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IN
THE SCHOOLS
CDSC trains students in middle and high schools
to mediate peer conflicts. As mediators, teens
acquire meaningful skills for handling conflict
throughout their lives. Our SCORE (Student
Conflict Resolution Experts) Mediation program
is in its tenth year at Northeast Metro Tech,
a regional vocational
school serving a diverse population of 1,175
students from 12 communities north of Boston.
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TRAINING
Over the past decade more than 600 people have participated
in CDSC’s training programs. We train people
to become mediators and help them develop skills
in specialized practice areas. We also offer skills-based
training in managing conflict for individuals and
groups.
CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
CDSC
designs and conducts workshops
on conflict managment and dispute
resolution for groups in both
the private and public sectors.
We customize the content and
format to ensure that we address
the specific needs of individuals
and organizations.
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