Restorative approaches enable everybody’s voice to be heard. 

Restorative approaches enable those who have been harmed to convey the impact of the harm to those responsible, and for those responsible to acknowledge this impact and take steps to put it right. 

The six principles of restorative practice are:

1. Restoration – The primary aim of restorative practice is to address and repair harm.
2. Voluntary – Participation in restorative processes is voluntary and based on informed choice.
3. Neutrality – Restorative processes are fair and unbiased towards participants.
4. Safety – Processes and practice aim to ensure the safety of all participants and create a safe space for the expression of feelings and views about harm that has been caused.
5. Accessibility – Restorative processes are non-discriminatory and available to all those affected by conflict and harm.
6. Respect – Restorative processes are respectful to the dignity of all participants and those affected by the harm caused.

What are the five steps of restorative practice?

1. Tell the story - What has happened?  Start from the beginning…
2. Thoughts and Feelings - What were/are you thinking?  What were/are you feeling?
3. Ripples of harm – Who has been harmed and how have they been harmed?  What has been the most difficult thing for you?
4.  Needs – What do you need in order to find closure?  What do you need to move forward?
5. What next?  What do you think will make things better?  What needs to happen?

Restorative Practice promotes empathy and understanding and works to bring a sense of closure/repair to difficult situations.  Ongoing risk assessments are undertaken by trained facilitators to ensure no further harm is caused and those who have caused harm accept responsibility for their actions before restorative work is pursued.