We know that talking with the people involved and listening to their concerns is required before anything else. That’s why talking with the people involved is the first step in our process.
Why we Talk
We’re experts in talking and listening with people, but we’re not counselors or advocates representing you. We know that for most people, talking confidentially with someone they can trust is the most effective way for people to explain the issues they are concerned about. That’s why talking to everyone involved (for example, you, advocates or lawyers, the ACC staff), is the first step in our process. We do this as soon as people have formally agreed to use Talk – Meet – Resolve.
What we talk about
When we first talk to you, we explain that what you and other people say to us is confidential. Because people can trust us and our process is confidential, we can talk freely and frankly to everyone involved. This helps us to understand what people's concerns are and what people want to achieve to resolve the situation.
Once we have spoken to the people involved, our Conciliator can start planning the meeting and thinking about how best to help them resolve the issues.
When we talk to you, we will explain our process and how to prepare for the conciliation meeting. In particular, we will discuss our “Agreement to use Talk – Meet – Resolve" This agreement sets out the rules of the process (including confidentiality) which we all agree to. Everyone needs to sign the agreement (including support people) before the meeting starts.
When we first talk we’ll explain all of this to you and answer any questions you might have.
Once your application has been accepted the conciliator will be in touch with you and ACC. The first thing you need to do is complete the "Agreement to use Talk – Meet – Resolve".