Restorative Approaches in Residential Settings

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Restorative Approaches in
Residential Settings

• A presentation by Belinda Hopkins
• Director, Transforming Conflict
• National Centre for Restorative Justice in Youth
  Settings
• Wendy Thompson
• Deputy Head of Service
• Walsall Youth Offending Service

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SETTING THE SCENE
The PAF C18 indicator is a comparison between the
proportional role of the LAC (Local Authority)
aged 10 to 17 years and the equivalent rate of
young people in the wider population. MPC12
(Supporting PAC C18) measured in September of
children aged 10 or over who have been looked
after continuously for at lest 12 months, who
were given a Final Warning/Reprimand/Caution or
convicted during the year for an offence they
committed whilst they were looked after (insert
date)
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• Research shows
• Episodes of violence assault on staff, young
  person to young person
• Police involvement
• High levels of staff sickness
• Sanction and theme culture
• Punitive regime loss of privileges
• Hands off approach
• Criminalisation and sanctions have little effect

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ANALYSIS OF WALSALL YOS DATA 2003 - 2005

• Significant offences committed by LAC were
  firstly Criminal Damage followed by Assault
  offences and breach of statutory Orders
• The use of Reprimands, Final Warnings and
  Referral Orders were in the main imposed to under
  14 year olds
• The majority of post Court Orders had been
  imposed on young people aged 14 years plus
• Local research by Mr Manley Gordon and Mrs
  Michelle Selvey

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• In our favour
• In post September 2006 met with Alison Glover
  December 2006
• ROLAC Worker already in post and RJ trained
• Visit to Hertfordshire then reciprocated to
  meet residential staff
• Establishment of Steering Group
• Draft protocols
• Training financial implications

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• WILDERNESS
• No Rolac worker from November 2006
• No budget
• Training need minimum requirements for managers
  and staff
• -4 day course for Managers plus 2 Police
  Officers, 1 staff member
• from TLC, Alison and myself
• 3 day training identified for all staff
  including night staff, sessional,
• TLC, Outreach, Foster Carers, Police, LAC Peer
  Mentors..

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• WHERE WE ARE NOW, LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
• Rolled out training to all residential staff in
  three identified homes, as well as, related
  professionals including Police, Outreach, TLC,
  Foster Carers, LAC Peer Mentors, etc
• ROLAC Worker in post
• Exploring the possibility of a trainee
  Restorative Justice post to go alongside this
  post
• Identifying champions within the homes to help
  lead and drive RJ forward
• Stronger links with the Police
• Out of borough placements need to look at how
  we address this
• Made DVD to use across different
  agencies/departments within Walsall to promote
  the use of Restorative Justice.
• Launch planned of the project
• Willenhall School use Restorative Justice
  training peer mediators links with Spindletree

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Growing interest

• - NCERCC taken an interest, commissioned two
  pieces on restorative approaches in Residential
  Child Care settings
• http//www.ncb.org.uk/ncercc/ncercc20practice20d
  ocuments/restorative_approaches_highlight.pdf
• http//www.ncb.org.uk/ncercc/ncercc20practice20d
  ocuments/restorative_approaches_tc_paper.doc
• and run two conferences in partnership with
  Walker and Walker
• - Hampshire County Council soon to publish an
  evaluation of its implmentation of restoratve
  aproaches in resindetial settings
• - Elsewhere some residential homes leading the
  cross Childrens Services initiative
• - Restorative cities, authorities, counties .
  Will involve the RCC sector
• .. Light the blue touchpaper .

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• Transforming Conflict
• National Centre for Restorative
• Justice in Youth Settings,
• Mortimer Hill,
• Mortimer
• Berks
• RG7 3PW
• Tel/fax [phone]
• info_at_transformingconflict.org
• www.transformingconflict.org

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Wendy Thompson Deputy Head of Service