Dr Belinda Hopkins Director Transforming Conflict

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Dr Belinda HopkinsDirectorTransforming
Conflict

• Restorative Approachesin Schools

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Victim /0ffender Mediation
1974
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Victim / 0ffender Mediation
1980s
1974
1980s
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key elements of these early victim/offender
processes

• face to face dialogue both sharing their story
• emotional catharsis on both sides
• recognition of shared humanity/common ground
• chance for empathy to develop
• accountability defined in terms of accepting
  responsibility and putting things right
• ownership of process by those affected
• reparation agreed between victim and offender

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Family Group Conferencing
1980s
1974
1980s
1980s
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Indigenous Practices
Indigenous practices
Indigenous practices
Indigenous practices
Indigenous practices
Indigenous practices
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key elements of a Maori/indigenous circles
(family group conference)

• Sharing stories, thoughts and feelings
• Shared accountability what may our contribution
  have been as a community?
• shared pain how have we all been affected ?
• shared agreement on reparation
• shared responsibility how can we all support
  wrongdoer to put things right?
• shared needs what do we all need to move on and
  put this behind us?
• shared lessons what have we learnt?

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Restorative Conferencing
1980s
1974
1980s
1990s
1980s
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Restorative Conferencing
1980s
1974
1980s
1990s
1980s
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What has all this got to do with schools?
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Whats happened? Who started it? What should I
do now to deter and punish the culprit?
The Traditional Approach
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Whats happened? Whos been affected or
harmed? How can I ensure that it is those
involved who decide how to put things right and
not me?
The Restorative Approach
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The Traditional School of Consequences
If you misbehave there will be consequences
.to you.
To me?
only if Im caught!
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The Restorative School of Consequences
If you misbehave there are
consequences to other people .. whether
you are caught or
not
We will listen to your side of the story and
then we also expect you to put things right
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• F.T.
  EXCLUSION !
• AFTER SCHOOL
  DETENTION
• Lunch time detention
• Break time detention

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• F.T.
  EXCLUSION !
• AFTER SCHOOL
  DETENTION
• Lunch time detention
• Break time detention

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• F.T.
  EXCLUSION !
• AFTER SCHOOL
  DETENTION
• Lunch time detention
• Break time detention

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• 
  OUT
• F.T.
  EXCLUSION !
• AFTER SCHOOL
  DETENTION
• Lunch time detention
• Break time detention

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• Punishment makes a young person resentful,
  not reflective.
• J. Braithwaite

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A new approach to rule making

• What do you need from each other to work at your
  best?

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What I need from others to work at my best

• support
• respect
• to feel valued
• a listening ear
• to be allowed to make mistakes
• a sense of humour
• a sense of belonging
• honesty
• enough time to do my work/job
• enough information to do what I need to do

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A new approach to rule breaking

• If needs are not met then
• Individuals can be adversely affected.
• Relationships can be affected.
• Community bonds can be affected
• Community safety can be affected
• ie Unmet need causes harm
• and that harm needs to be repaired

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• Wrongdoing is a violation of people not
  rules.
• Adapted from H. Zehr

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The Restorative Approachis underpinned by 5 key
themes
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Restorative Theme 1 Everyone has a unique
perspective on any given experience or issue
1

• Let everyone express how they personally
  experienced what has happened or is happening.
• self awareness / empathy/ social skills

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Restorative Theme 2 Thoughts influence Feelings
2
1

• Invite people to express what they were / are
  thinking and how they were / are feeling as a
  result of these thoughts
• self awareness/managing feeling/empathy/
  social skills

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I do not know what is happening or what has
happened earlier. I do not know who is involved,
whats going on beneath the surface or what these
young people need right now. If I impose a
solution I could make matters worse and waste a
valuable learning opportunity
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Restorative Theme 3Conflict and wrongdoing
impact on people and cause harm this harm needs
to be repaired
3
2
1

• Invite each in turn to consider who has been or
  is being harmed / affected by the situation/event
  and how. Encourage accountability and
  responsibility.
• self awareness/managing
  feeling/empathy/ social skills

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• What do I need when Ive been harmed?
• An apology
• An empathetic listener
• Amends made
• The other person to understand what has upset me
• To be respected
• To be allowed to have emotion
• Support and positive reinforcement
• Reassurance it wont happen again
• To draw a line underneath it

• What do I need when Ive harmed someone else?
• To apologise
• Someone to talk to
• Time to put things right
• To make it up to them
• A chance to explain to other person and myself
• To feel better about it
• and about myself
• To be forgiven
• To reassure them/myself it wont happen again
• To get back on friendly terms

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Restorative Theme 4In the event of harm
everyone involved will have similar needs
3
2
4
1

• Invite each in turn to consider what they need
  now to repair harm/solve the problem, to feel
  better and to move on.
• self awareness/managing feeling/empathy/ social
  skills

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Restorative Theme 5Those harmed/affected need
to find ways forward for themselves
3
2
4
1
5

• Invite each in turn to consider how each of the
  needs expressed can be met, what support they
  might need to do this and how they will do things
  differently in the future.
• self awareness/ motivation / social skills

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3
4
2
1
5

• What happened?
• What were you thinking?
• How were you feeling?
• Who has been affected by this?
• What do you need now to move on?
• What needs to happen now, so that the harm can be
  repaired ?

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Whats happened? Whos been affected or
harmed? How can those involved be given the
opportunity to repair the harm and put things
right?
The Restorative Mindset
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1. Whats happened? 2. What was going
through your head? So how were you feeling
inside? 3. Whos been affected by all this?
4. What do you need right now? 5. And what can
you do/can be done, to put things right?
Restorative Questions
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1.What happened from my side was 2.What was
going through my head at the time was and so I
was I feeling .. 3.I think has been affected
by all this 4.What I need to put it right is
.... 5.OK so what I can you do is.. Do you
agree?
1.What happened from my side was 2.What was
going through my head at the time was and so I
was I feeling .. 3.I think has been affected
by all this 4.What I need to put it right is
5.And what I can you do is.. Do you
agree?
Restorative Conversations
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1.Whats happened? 2.What was going through your
head? So how were you feeling inside? 3.Whos
been affected by all this? 4.What do you need
right now? 5.And what can you do to put
things right?
Mediation (corridor conferences)
What happened from my side was What was going
through my head at the time was and so I was I
feeling .. I think has been affected by all
this What I need to put it right is .. OK
so what I can you do is..
What happened from my side was What was going
through my head at the time was and so I was I
feeling .. I think has been affected by all
this What I need to put it right is .... OK
so what I can you do is..
Mediation
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1.Whats happening? 2.What was going through
your head? So how were you feeling
inside? 3.Whos been affected by all
this? 4.What do you need right now? 5.And what
can you do to put things right?
Informal group mediation/conference
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could .
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could .
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could .

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1.Whats happened? 2.What was going through
your head? So how were you feeling
inside? 3.Whos been affected by all
this? 4.What do you need right now? 5.And how
can the harm be repaired?
Formal restorative conference
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could .
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could .
1. Well, . 2. I was thinking . 3. .. was
affected 4.I need . 5.Maybe I could
some questions differ according to role in the
circle (wrongdoer/wronged/supporter)
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Hello everyone we are here to talk about a
problem affecting us all and find a way
forward together .
1.Whats been happening from
your perspective? 2.What has been going through
your head? So how have you been feeling
inside? 3.Whos been affected by all
this? 4.What do you need right now? 5.And how
can we move forward?
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4
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1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
Circles Circle time classroom
conferences Staff problem-solving circles
parent circles etc
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Interaction with others
Skills
Values
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Emotional articulacy, empathy, open-mindedness,
active non-judgemental listening, conflict
management skills
Mutual respect, empowerment, collaboration,
valuing others, integrity, honesty, openness,
trust, tolerance
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If we are not modelling what we teach then we
are teaching something else. Helen Flanagan
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Schools

• To read more about restorative approaches in
  schools please visit our website on
  www.transformingconflict.org
• Also recommended
• Just Schools (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004)
• Peer Mediation and Mentoring Training Manual
• (Optimus Education 2007)
• Residential Care
• To read more about restorative approaches in
  residential child care settings visit the NCB/
  NCERCC website and look for
• NCERCC Practice Documents
• Restorative Justice

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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