Working restoratively with young people
This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Officer, Isabelle Gius.
July has been an exciting month of events here at Why me?! We held our bimonthly forum and a launch event for our new report on using restorative practices in Alternative Provision settings. Both events explored how restorative approaches can be implemented in collaboration with young people in order to reduce shame and stigma and support them to feel safer and more resilient.
On 10th July, Mark Hamill, our Training and Service Coordinator, led an engaging forum about Restorative Justice and Child First. Responding to the frequently voiced sentiment that Child First – the principles that inform current practice in Youth Justice in England and Wales – is opposed to Restorative Justice, this forum invited practitioners to share their own experiences and beliefs. Does Child First pose an obstacle to restorative practice or does it complement the restorative principles when working with young people?
The forum drew a range of participants, from youth justice practitioners to social workers to experts in trauma-informed practice. Most attendees agreed that Child First and Restorative Justice were complementary and should productively be combined in order to support young people and divert them from the justice system. However, breakout room discussions led to thought-provoking conversations about some of the considerations and difficulties when doing so – such as ensuring the safety of participants and the importance of thoughtful timing.
Building off of the forum, just one week later we hosted a launch event to celebrate the publication of our latest report: “The Role of Relational and Restorative Practice in Alternative Provision: Reducing violence and overcoming barriers to learning.”
This report is the culmination of phase one of our project, “Overcoming barriers to learning in Alternative Provision through relational and restorative practice.” The project aims to further discussions around the use of restorative approaches in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Alternative Provision in order to create a trauma-informed, restorative culture in schools. Dr. Belinda Hopkins, a leading expert in the field of relational and restorative practice in educational settings, explored how restorative approaches are currently being used in PRUs to prevent and address violence.
Her research findings are detailed and well worth a read. She found that senior leaders are familiar with restorative practice and were enthusiastic about the positive impact that it has made in their schools. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement and a need to develop a more cohesive framework and consistent philosophy.
Hopkins writes, “One very clear message that came through was about the importance of relationships and the role that relational practice played in creating a safe, stable environment for vulnerable young people.”
This report will inform the second phase of the project, where Why me? will work directly in schools to empower staff to move from ‘doing restorative’ to ‘being relational and restorative.’
To learn more about this project, visit the project page.
To learn more about Restorative Justice and Child First, read Mark’s blog.
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