Working Restoratively in Schools

Children often have “fall outs” or arguments with their peers but occasionally, this can become a bigger more serious problem, if it is not dealt with quickly and thoroughly. If no resolution is found,  not only can  the problem grow but others can also be drawn in and the situation can quickly escalate.  Adopting the basic principles of restorative approaches to crime (focussing on healing the harm done, rather than concentrating on the punishment) our Restorative Justice Responders in Schools project is currently running in Oxon., Berks., and Bucks.

Our trained facilitators enable  disputes to be dealt with swiftly and in a school environment, rather than in a police setting.  There are many benefits to resolving issues in this way.  It encourages empathy and accountability in the children and has become more common in recent years as an effective way to resolve disputes and deal with challenging behaviour – offering an effective alternative to punitive responses to wrongdoing.   It helps avoid young people entering the criminal justice system where it is not necessary, frees up local policing so they can focus on other community issues, generally avoids escalation of the issue and can result in a more harmonious outcome for all concerned.   The service is run by our experienced team on our TVRJS programme.

Our Restorative Justice team also offer Training on Restorative Approaches in Schools.

For further information (and to find out more about Volunteering on this project or our wider RJ programme) please email ann.jansen-east@tvrjs.org.uk  or call the RJ line on 01844 487980.