Submitting a case starts a review, not a guaranteed mediation outcome.

1. Acceptance and scope

These Terms govern access to the public website and operational case services. Additional written case rules, mediation protocols, confidentiality commitments, meeting instructions or partner-specific conditions may apply to a particular matter. If a specific written case protocol conflicts with general website guidance, the specific protocol will govern that case to the extent permitted by law.

2. What Youth Mediator is and is not

Youth Mediator provides structured intake, eligibility review, mediation, institutional facilitation, case coordination, responsible referral and related process support. A mediator facilitates dialogue and does not act as a judge or impose a binding verdict unless a separate lawful instrument expressly provides otherwise.

• Youth Mediator is not a court, police authority, emergency service or substitute for a competent public authority.
• Youth Mediator does not provide legal, medical, financial or other regulated professional advice through the general platform.
• Submission does not create a lawyer-client relationship, fiduciary relationship or guarantee that a mediator will be assigned.
• No settlement, response time, outcome, institutional action or participation by another party is guaranteed.

3. Eligibility and discretion to route a matter

Every submission is subject to review. Youth Mediator may request clarification, reclassify the route, require additional safeguards, decline the case, pause it, close it, or refer the applicant elsewhere where mediation is outside scope, unsafe, legally inappropriate, impracticable or unlikely to serve a responsible purpose.

Eligibility can change if new facts emerge. Acceptance at an earlier stage does not prevent later reassessment.

4. Emergencies, legal deadlines and competent authorities

Do not rely on Youth Mediator where immediate protection, emergency medical help, police intervention, a protective order, urgent legal advice or another time-sensitive authority action is required. The programme may pause or refuse contact if doing so is necessary for safety, safeguarding or compliance with a legal restriction.

5. Your responsibilities

Users must:

• provide information honestly and distinguish facts from assumptions where reasonably possible;
• not impersonate another person or submit a case without appropriate authority;
• disclose material safety concerns, active proceedings, contact restrictions and conflicts that may affect the process;
• avoid abusive, threatening, discriminatory, unlawful, malicious or deliberately misleading use of the platform;
• not upload malware, stolen material, irrelevant mass data or content they are not entitled to submit;
• protect OTP codes, case references and access credentials;
• respect meeting instructions and the dignity, privacy and safety of other participants.

Materially false information, misuse of the platform or attempts to circumvent access controls may lead to suspension or closure and may be referred to an appropriate authority where required.

Where a user is under 18, acts as a representative, or submits in an organizational capacity, Youth Mediator may require evidence of guardian consent, authorization, mandate or authority before the matter proceeds.

6. Applicant authorization and electronic signature

The case intake may require the applicant to verify an email address, accept specific declarations, type their legal name and provide a drawn electronic signature. By completing the authorization step, the applicant authorizes Youth Mediator, within its mandate and safeguards, to receive, store, review, classify and administer the submission; verify information and documents where reasonably necessary; perform eligibility, safeguarding and conflict-of-interest review; communicate with the applicant; and, if the matter proceeds, assign authorized personnel and undertake appropriate mediation, facilitation, coordination, verification or referral activity.

The exact scope of the authorization is the wording displayed and accepted at the time of signature. It does not appoint Youth Mediator as the applicant's lawyer or legal representative, does not create a power of attorney, does not authorize unlawful disclosure, and does not override court orders, safeguarding restrictions, another party's rights or applicable law.

The platform may retain the signed name, timestamp, authorization version, drawn signature and limited integrity records in the protected case file. Submitting false identity information, signing in another person's name without authority, or deliberately manipulating evidence may lead to rejection, closure or further protective action.

7. Confidentiality and its limits

Youth Mediator is designed around confidentiality and controlled access, but confidentiality is not unlimited. Information may need to be disclosed where required by applicable law, a competent authority, an immediate safeguarding need, platform security, or an agreed case process. The exact confidentiality obligations of participants can also depend on a written mediation protocol and applicable law.

Users should not secretly record sessions, publish another party's confidential case material or distribute protected Case Center content unless authorized or legally entitled to do so.

8. MDM cardholder priority

Verification of an active MDM card gives a submission operational priority in the queue. It does not guarantee acceptance, a favorable outcome, faster action where safety or due process requires more time, or preferential treatment on the merits. MDM priority must not compromise neutrality, safeguarding, conflict checks or the rights of another party.

9. Documents and submitted materials

You retain any rights you lawfully hold in documents you submit. By uploading material, you authorize Youth Mediator to store, reproduce internally, review and use it to the extent reasonably necessary for the case, complaint, security or governance process. You must not submit material unlawfully obtained or material whose disclosure would itself violate a binding restriction.

Files can be rejected, quarantined or removed if they are technically unsafe, irrelevant, excessive or prohibited by these Terms.

10. Suspension, refusal and closure

Youth Mediator may restrict access, decline a submission, reassign personnel, stop contacting a party or close a case when reasonably necessary for safety, neutrality, conflict management, repeated non-cooperation, abusive conduct, lack of jurisdiction or mandate, legal restrictions, data protection, technical security or responsible use of resources.

Closure does not determine who is legally right or wrong. It means the Youth Mediator process will not continue in its current form.

11. Responsibility, third parties and limitation

Youth Mediator will use reasonable operational care but cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability, successful delivery of third-party email, participation by another party, accuracy of information supplied by users, or a particular resolution.

Links to MYCDIC, MDM or other third-party services may be provided for institutional navigation. Separate services can have their own terms, privacy rules and availability. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Youth Mediator is not responsible for losses caused solely by a user's failure to protect credentials, comply with an external deadline, follow emergency guidance, or provide materially accurate information.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits responsibility where applicable law does not permit that exclusion or limitation.

12. Changes, severability and applicable rules

These Terms may be updated as the service develops. Continued use after publication of an updated version is subject to the version then in effect, except where a specific case protocol provides otherwise. If one provision is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions should continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.

Questions about these Terms can be sent to mediator@mycdic.org.