Restorative Approaches

Restorative approaches enables those who have caused hurt or harm to understand the impact of their actions and to put things right for those directly affected in a way that restore relationships.  CRESST believes the most significant change to young people’s relationships in school comes from adopting a whole school approach based on the theories and practice of restorative approaches. This way of working offers a critical opportunity for  the young person to develop understanding and learning from the impact of their actions, whatever their intent, and taking responsibility for repairing the harm caused.

Systems change

Schools that embed this way of working as part of their core business and impacting on all aspects of behaviour management.  Using restorative approaches in a school or youth setting empowers staff with a role to facilitate a solution, not simply impose a sanction. A planned systems approach, supported by CRESST, can ensure that restorative approaches align with other behaviour management policies and enable the school to realise their ambitions and values for reconciliation and for nurturing good relationships. Our experience supports the view that this approach needs to be embedded at all levels in the organisation to maximise the benefit.

Working in partnership

CRESST’s Programme Director first became inspired by restorative justice in 1985 as a mediator with the Leeds Reparation Project. He went on to apply his understanding of and commitment to restorative justice as a founder director of Remedi-UK, the single largest provider of RJ in the UK, where he continues as a trustee. Whilst there’s no formal partnership, the experience of RJ at Remedi, along with decades of experience working in schools, is demonstrated by the restorative values of respect for the worth of each individual and the recognition of people’s interdependence that underpin CRESST’s approaches.