Restorative approaches

Welcome to the Norfolk School Restorative Approaches section, which has been developed by the Children's Services RA Team

The aim is to provide you with more information about working restoratively to build relationships, resolve conflict and manage challenging behaviour.

Use the links above to read more about restorative approaches, where they can be used and what is currently happening in Norfolk.

If you want to know more, please contact the RA Team:

• Phone: 01603 679126
• Email: restorativeapproaches@norfolk.gov.uk

Restorative approaches (sometimes referred to as restorative practice) is a mindset, providing the foundation to build, maintain and repair relationships. The restorative 'way of being' creates a culture of high challenge and high support, and aims to work with people rather than doing things to or for them.

Relationships are at the heart of restorative approaches, built on mutual respect with individuals taking responsibility for their actions.

Norfolk County Council, Children's Services believes that a restorative ethos and restorative practices should underpin any work with children, young people and families.

Adopting restorative approaches into daily practice supports emotional and social development and literacy, and equips children and young people with problem solving skills as well as the ability to manage conflict when it occurs.

The principles of restorative approaches and affective questions

The following restorative principles together with the correlating affective questions underpin a variety of different practice models and techniques.

• Principle: An appreciation of individual perspectives
• Question: What happened?

• Principle: Promoting mutual understanding through making explicit the link between behaviour, thought and feeling
• Question: What are you thinking/feeling?

• Principle: A focus on impact, not blame
• Questions: Who has been affected, and how?

• Principle: Identifying underlying need
• Question: What do you need so that things can be better?

• Principle: Accountability and responsibility for self and others
• Question: What needs to happen to move thins forward/put things right?

Restorative practices

There is a range of well-developed restorative practices which are underpinned and supported by non-violent and non-confrontational communication. If you would like to find out more, we would encourage you to attend one of our one day Being Restorative training sessions.

Less informal practices include affective statements that communicate people's feelings, as well as affective questions that encourage people to reflect on how their behaviour has affected others.

More formal types of restorative approaches include circles and very structured restorative conferences, which require careful planning and preparation.

The important thing to remember is that restorative approaches is not something you do, but who you are, which means that you might be already working restoratively with people without even realising it.

Find out more

The Restorative Justice Council (opens new window) is the independent third sector membership body for the field of restorative practice.

Restorative practice gives a clear overarching mindset and strategic framework and supports any targets that depend on building, maintaining and repairing relationships.

It offers schools an alternative way of addressing discipline and behavioural issues. It also provides school staff with a consistent framework for preventing and dealing with problems.

The important thing to remember is that restorative practice should not be seen as a behavioural management tool and, if used as such in isolation, it's simply not effective.

Benefits of restorative approaches

The benefits of using restorative approaches are:

• Improved relationships and wellbeing among pupils and staff
• Staff better equipped to manage difficult situations
• Children and young people empowered to make their own decisions
• Pupils encouraged and supported to take responsibility for their actions
• Improved communication skills
• Improved emotional literacy
• Reduced exclusions and persistent absenteeism

Using circles

Circles are very useful in school settings. They provide an opportunity for every person in the circle to have a voice in an inclusive and supportive environment.

A variable number of individuals can participate in a circle, which helps everyone to be of equal status and encourages all to participate.

There are different types of circles such as check-in and check-out circles, community and relationship building circles, and problem solving and restorative circles, just to name a few.

Circles help to build relationships by practicing skills such as speaking, listening, turn taking, problem solving, and enjoying and appreciating each other's company. Some of these skills are key elements of socio-emotional effectiveness.

Restorative conferencing

A restorative conference has the potential to build understanding, empathy and positive relationships among individuals and communities.

It has the capacity to deal with the root of the problem, which can help to prevent the situation arising again.

Full conferences are used to deal with more serious incidents in settings such as schools, children's residential homes, the Criminal Justice System and in communities. They are formal meetings and require careful preparation and management by an experienced facilitator.

Conferencing can also be used to find resolution within families.

A mini conference, also called an impromptu conference, is less formal and can be held immediately when harm has been caused.

It follows the same principles as the full formal conference but is used generally for less serious incidences of harm and requires less planning.

The Restorative Approaches Team is able to develop and offer bespoke training to further develop the knowledge, understanding and use of restorative practices in Norfolk schools.

We also offer regular one day "Being Restorative" training sessions delivered in venues across Norfolk. This training is suitable for anyone working in schools who wants to develop non-confrontational, compassionate communication skills, strengthen their relationship-based practice and learn new responses to challenging behaviour and conflict. The course details including current training dates and venues (when available) are accessible through the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership's (NSCP) booking - training website (opens new window).

If you want to know more, please contact the RA Team:
Twitter: RAinNorfolk (opens new window)
Tel: 01603 679126
Email: restorativeapproaches@norfolk.gov.uk