Restorative approaches

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.