1 Issue 64: Summer 2019 Issue 64: Summer 2019 Resolution Restorative policing – a snapshot Paul’s story Carol’s story Arts and restorative practice Restorative justice in Lincolnshire schools Patron: HRH the Princess Royal Company no 4199237 Charity no 1097969 Resolution 2 Contents News if brief 3. Introduction from the chief executive Save the date – the RJC’s AGM and conference! The RJC’s 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and first 4. Letter from our patron HRH The Princess annual conference will be held in Nottingham over Sunday Royal 17 November and Monday 18 November to celebrate the start of International Restorative Justice Week. Join us for a 5. Restorative policing in England and Wales – a day of fantastic speakers, engaging workshop sessions and snapshot an opportunity to network with others in the restorative 7. Paul’s story practice/justice field. There will be a discounted conference rate for all RJC members. 10. What’s new in restorative Further information and booking available here research? 11. Help! A problem page for practitioners Dame Vera Baird announced as new 12. Empowering individuals through merging Victims’ Commissioner the arts with restorative approaches Dame Vera Baird has been appointed the 14. Reducing conflict and improving new Victims’ Commissioner and will take relationships in Lincolnshire schools over the role from Baroness Newlove in mid-June 2019. As Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, Dame 16. Carol’s story Vera was a champion for restorative justice, hosting an RJC event in Newcastle last year where she shared the challenges, successes and learning from delivering a victim-focused restorative justice service across the region. We look forward to working with Dame Vera to progress access to high-quality restorative justice for all affected by crime. About the RJC RJC hosts London restorative justice network meetings The Restorative Justice Council (RJC) is the independent third sector membership body The RJC hosted its first London restorative justice networking for the field of restorative practice. It provides meeting in May. These meetings are run as part of the quality assurance and a national voice advocating new Mayor-funded pan-London victim service contract, the widespread use of all forms of restorative led by Victim Support. The meetings will be held quarterly practice, including restorative justice. The RJC’s and are free to attend for anyone involved in restorative vision is of a restorative society where everyone justice in London or the surrounding area. They are an has access to safe, high quality restorative excellent opportunity to share best practice and network practice wherever and whenever it is needed. with organisations working in the field of restorative justice. Resolution is the RJC newsletter. Please get in The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 10 September at touch if you have any feedback or you would like Broadmoor Hospital in Beckenham and will include a tour and to submit an article. networking lunch. Register via the events page on the RJC The articles in this newsletter express the website. personal views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the RJC. © 2019 RJC. Not to be reproduced without RJC change of address and telephone number permission. Editor: Fionnuala Ratcliffe Staff can be contacted by email directly or atenquiries@ Graphic designer: Daniel Wood restorativejustice.org.uk, or you can call us on 0203 5815717. Restorative Justice Council Please direct post to the Restorative Justice Council, KLIC, KLIC Innovation Drive, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5BY. Innovation Drive King’s Lynn Norfolk, PE30 5BY E: [email protected] www.restorativejustice.org.uk 3 Issue 64: Summer 2019 Introduction there are some exciting articles in this more pupils remaining in lessons and issue that highlight that very point. a significant reduction in detentions. These include an article submitted There were also many unquantifiable by Lincolnshire Behaviour Outreach benefits. Interactions between staff Support Service (BOSS), which outlines and pupils improved. Pupils began to how they are using restorative recognise the impact their behaviour processes to reduce conflict and was having on others around them, improve relationships in Lincolnshire and they started to take responsibility schools. Another article written by for their actions. It was a long journey Space2face explores how individuals are with many hurdles to overcome, but being empowered by combining arts the outcomes made it worthwhile and with restorative approaches. increased my belief that, when carefully planned and executed, restorative For the past five years, I have had processes can make a significant the privilege of working for the RJC difference. as an RSQM assessor. However, my involvement in restorative practice dates Whilst I will not forget the RJC’s roots, back to early 2003, shortly after taking it is time for us to ensure that we Welcome to the Summer 2019 up my first headship within a secondary expand our focus from restorative edition of Resolution. Within this issue I special school. It was during my first day practice within criminal justice settings, am delighted to share with you a letter in post that I saw how negative many promoting the benefits of implementing from our Patron, HRH The Princess of the relationships between pupils restorative practice within our schools, Royal, which celebrates the progress and staff were. It was an environment public services and workplaces. By made in restorative practice in recent in which confrontation and aggression, entrenching restorative skills within years and reflects on visits our patron both verbal and physical, had become the daily workings of our institutions, has made to RJC members over the the norm. Previous school leaders we will arm individuals with the past year. You will also find articles, case had adopted a robust, albeit punitive, necessary tools to resolve conflict in studies and examples of good practice, approach to managing behaviour that peaceful ways. Furthermore, we will which I hope you will find useful and clearly was not having an impact and create environments that allow deeper informative ution. This issue is packed most certainly did not empower staff or and more meaningful relationships to with articles, case studies and examples pupils to repair the harm caused. emerge. Crime represents a failure in of good practice, which I hope you will each of these areas, so it is imperative find useful and informative. It was during an event run by the that we place much more emphasis on local constabulary that I met with restorative practice going forward. The RJC is currently going through a restorative practice trainer who a period of change and I am proud introduced me to restorative concepts. As such, I will be working closely with to have been appointed as the new This chance meeting sparked my the board of trustees, our members Chief Executive Officer to lead the interest in restorative practice, which and other key stakeholders to ensure transformation of the organisation. in turn led to radical changes in the that we actively engage with a far wider Our central aims remain unchanged: way behaviour and relationships were range of organisations and practitioners. we will continue to set and champion managed within my school. clear standards for restorative practice, Staff, pupils, parents and the local Over the coming months, I hope to raise public awareness and confidence authority were all sceptical when have the opportunity to meet with our in restorative processes and stimulate restorative practice was first introduced. members. An ideal opportunity will be growth in restorative practice. To I seemed to spend hours explaining at our AGM and restorative practice achieve this, it is important that our that restorative interventions were conference scheduled for 17 and 18 standards, guidance and services not an easy option, that they entailed November: I hope to see you there. are fit-for-purpose and accessible more than simply saying sorry and that to practitioners not only within the individuals with behavioural, emotional Jim Simon criminal justice sector, but also from and social difficulties could access CEO across education, health, social care and restorative interventions successfully industry. with appropriate support. The potential impact that restorative Over time, there were noticeable practice can have in these settings is an differences, the most obvious being area of great interest to me – indeed, reductions in external exclusions, Resolution 4 Letter from our patron, HRH The Princess Royal There is much to celebrate about the progress made in restorative practice in recent years. The evidence that restorative justice leads to high victim satisfaction and reduced reoffending has propelled its availability across England and Wales. In many areas, victims of crime, from low-level offences to the most complex cases, can contact their local service and experience a high quality restorative justice service. I visited two such services in 2018 (in Torquay, Devon and Wallsend, Northumbria) where I met passionate staff and volunteers, committed commissioners and heard a shared language of restoration. How we relate to each other is more important than ever. In schools, restorative practice provides a key opportunity to embed the importance of relationships with others at an early age. At a celebration with restorative schools in Cornwall last year, I spoke with school pupils and university students about how restorative approaches help them to articulate their feelings, feel empathy and resolve conflict. We are holding our children back if we do not equip them with these skills that are so essential for them later in life. At a visit to Enfield Youth Offending Unit in north London last summer, a young girl described to me how participating in a restorative community panel helped her take responsibility for the harm she had caused and take action to set things right.