The Restorative Justice APPG is undertaking an inquiry into the current state of Restorative Practices in England and Wales. The first phase of the inquiry took evidence from key stakeholders in order to reflect on quality and availability of restorative justice and practices. the report for that first phase can be found here: https://rjappg.co.uk/inquiryreport/
This investigation considers issues related to findings outlined in the original APPG report which states:
The report has also identified some important further questions which the APPG will consider within their future workplan, particularly around the broader use of restorative practices in schools, forensic mental health, housing, and a range of other key sectors.
We will do this by:
- Undertaking an investigation to identify the current use, benefits and/or barriers to using restorative practices in education, health and social care settings.
- Producing a report with recommendations for effectively implementing restorative practices in education, health and social care settings.
Whilst this investigation is focusing on education, health and social care, we intend to acknowledge other potential sectors and/or contexts outside of the criminal justice sector where restorative practice could potentially have a positive impact. This includes for example workplaces, parenting, housing and community-based practice.
For the purposes of this investigation, the Group have adopted the following definitions of restorative justice and restorative practice:
Restorative Justice is the broad philosophy which argues that those most affected by harm and conflict should be involved in communicating the causes and/or consequences and empowered to make decisions about how to respond to that harm and/or resolve conflict. This can take place in any setting i.e. criminal justice, education and health settings and even the workplace.
Restorative Practice includes all those activities used to create a culture to proactively prevent harm and create resilient communities. This can include, but is not limited to, restorative dialogue, restorative leadership techniques, direct and indirect restorative processes. It is noted that in some settings the term restorative approaches are used to describe restorative ways of working. For the purposes of this investigation this will also be referred to as restorative practice.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to this survey. Your contribution to building knowledge of Restorative Practice in the UK is important and is appreciated. Please answer all questions that are relevant to your organisation. If any question is not relevant, simply leave it blank.