Pre-Mediation Safety & Risk Assessment
Screening before structure.Safety before resolution.
A structured, trauma-informed screening tool designed to support safer, more informed mediation decisions and early case triage.
Safe To Mediate™ is a secure professional initiative designed for mediators, attorneys, mental health professionals, and court-connected systems to evaluate safety considerations prior to mediation.
Flat annual membership · No client names ever stored
Our Mission
To improve safety, structure, and consistency in pre-mediation screening and court intake processes — helping professionals identify warning signs early enough to reduce preventable harm.
Why Structured Screening Matters
Many mediation and intake environments proceed without standardized risk screening, which can result in:
- Undetected coercive control dynamics
- Unequal bargaining power between parties
- Emotional or procedural retraumatization
- Inappropriate mediation referrals in high-risk situations
- Inconsistent intake decisions across professionals and jurisdictions
Safe To Mediate addresses this gap through structured, consistent, decision-support screening.
What Safe To Mediate Is
A structured, professional decision-support tool that helps identify potential safety, behavioral, and relational risk factors prior to mediation or other dispute resolution processes. It also supports court intake and mental health–informed triage by helping professionals recognize urgency levels, safety concerns, and appropriate referral pathways.
It is intended to enhance — not replace — professional discretion.
Who Safe To Mediate Is For
Mediators & Dispute Resolution
Facilitating structured negotiation across family, civil, and institutional settings.Attorneys & Legal Professionals
For litigation, settlement, intake evaluation, and case strategy involving risk considerations.Judges & Court Intake Professionals
Early case assessment, triage, and informed procedural decision-making.Mental Health & Clinical Evaluators
For clinicians conducting behavioral, relational, or risk-informed assessments — including therapists working with clients prior to or anticipating litigation.Guardian ad Litem & Court-Appointed Professionals
Supports child-focused advocacy roles requiring structured risk awareness.Court-Connected & Institutional Programs
For court systems and mediation programs requiring a higher standard of intake and screening practices.Organizational & Workplace Conflict Resolution
Supports HR, workplace mediators, and leadership managing internal disputes.Training & Academic Programs
For certification tracks and training institutions in law, mediation, behavioral health, and conflict resolution.
Purpose & Benefits
This platform is designed to help professionals:
- Identify potential safety concerns prior to mediation
- Support structured intake evaluation and triage
- Recognize patterns of coercion, instability, or elevated risk
- Apply a consistent screening framework across cases
- Improve participant safety and procedural appropriateness
- Support ethical decision-making in high-conflict matters
- Document risk-informed decisions with clarity and consistency
Trauma-Informed & Safety-Centered
Safe To Mediate recognizes that risk may not always be immediately visible, coercive control often requires structured identification tools, and emotional safety is essential to procedural fairness.
Structured screening enhances — never replaces — professional expertise and judgment.
Risk Indicator Framework
Results are organized into structured risk categories to support consistent interpretation.
Low Risk
Minimal risk indicators; protective factors evident.
Moderate Risk
Elevated concerns; structured safeguards recommended.
High Risk
Significant risk factors; individualized safety planning and procedural adjustments should be strongly considered.
Override / Do Not Proceed
Immediate safety concerns identified; referral to emergency or crisis resources may be warranted and mediation should not proceed.
Confidentiality & Data Security
Built with strict confidentiality and professional-grade security standards, including:
- Role-based access controls
- Encrypted data transmission and storage
- Restricted professional-user access
- Audit-friendly documentation structures
Client names are never stored — participants are identified by practitioner-assigned numbers only.
Where applicable, Safe To Mediate aligns with HIPAA-adjacent security principles for handling sensitive behavioral and health-related information.
Board of Directors
Safe To Mediate is led by a founding board with expertise spanning behavioral health, family mediation, information security, and higher education leadership.
Board opportunities
John Kennedy, BA
Vice President
- Senior IT Engineer
- Founder of Forge IT Consulting
- 12+ years in Information Security and Technology Infrastructure
Elyse Kennedy, MA, BCBA, LBA
Founder & President
- Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator
- Guardian ad Litem · Parenting Coordinator
- Founder of Serenity Family Solutions
- 13+ years in behavioral health
Jacquelyn Otero, MA
Secretary & Treasurer
- Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator
- Dean at Valencia College
- 20+ years in higher education leadership
What's Next?
Safe To Mediate is designed for expansion into a secure mobile application (iOS / Android), court and institutional licensing frameworks, multi-user organizational systems, case management integrations, advanced intake reporting, and training and certification tools.
Get Involved
Provider access
Already a member? Sign in to your secure portal to screen clients and review results.
Provider sign-inInstitutional & professional inquiries
Currently onboarding institutional partners and authorized professional users — licensing, pilot programs, or system integration.
Use the inquiry formSupport our work
Safe To Mediate is a pending 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your gift will be tax-deductible upon approval.
SupportSend an inquiry
Prefer email? info@safetomediate.com