Continuing Professional Development Workshop Programme 2012

Introduction

The Restorative Justice Council is delighted to launch our new programme of Continuing Professional Development workshops for 2012. 

Building on our hugely successful Practitioner Network Days, our CPD workshop programme brings the learning to your area, making continuing professional development accessible to practitioners across the country.

Each half day workshop focuses on a key practice issue identified by practitioners, led by leading practitioners and experts in the field. These workshops will:

• Introduce and give you the chance to practice enhanced restorative skills

• Give you the latest research and practice thinking on the topic

• Allow you to share your experience and network with practitioners in your area.

The CPD workshops will be held throughout the year in Warwick, Sheffield/Manchester, Bristol and London giving you the opportunity to attend a session where and when it works for you.

The 2012 programme workshops cover:

• Working with victims

• Sensitive and complex cases

• Creative ways of engaging with young people 

• Making inclusive restorative practice happen

• Working to implement a whole school approach

• Effective restorative policing

For RJC Registered Accredited Practitioners, these workshops are available at a discount and will enable you to evidence your continuing professional development to maintain registration with RJC.

Working with victims

Outline

This workshop is aimed at restorative practitioners who wish to build on their skills and knowledge when working with victims of crime. The workshop content will be informed by the latest research evidence, Best Practice Guidance for Restorative Practice (2011) and practitioner expertise. Delegates will hear about both negative and positive experience of victims who have been involved in a restorative process and the impact this has had. Hearing from Ray and Vi Donovan, delegates will learn from their experience and story. The workshop will through interactive learning, build the skills needed, not only to engage victims on initial contact/early stages of a restorative process, but also  to support victims’ journies throughout the restorative process.

Facilitators

As a former Prison Governor and former Director of Why Me?, Sian West has extensive experience working with a wide range of crime victims who have experienced restorative justice. Sian is now a trained practitioner and freelance consultant whose work focuses on advising and managing projects around the development of restorative justice. She is also a trustee of the Chris Donovan Trust, the charity founded by Ray and Vi Donovan. In 2001 Ray and Vi Donovan’s son, Christopher, was murdered by three young men who were convicted and sentenced for the crime. In July 2011, Ray and Vi took part in a restorative meeting with one of the young men soon after he had completed his eight year sentence. Since 2004 Ray and Vi have worked extensively with prisoners through the Sycamore Tree Programme as well as setting up the Chris Donovan Trust which aims to educate young people on what it is like to be a victim of crime. Their experience of restorative justice will also inform this workshop.

Dates:

London - 13 November 2012, morning

Creative Ways of Engaging with Young People

This workshop will enable delegates to develop new practical and creative techniques for engaging and working with young people. It aims to provide delegates with a good understanding of how ‘the mask’ can be used as a tool to explore behaviour, build emotional understanding and engage young people in the restorative process. This creative workshop will look at how the mask can be used in a group context and there will be an opportunity to look at potential issues in using the technique and ways to take it forward. The workshop will give delegates the opportunity to practice a range of ways of working with young people, to enable practitioners to engage effectively and try out tools to enable young people to express their own thoughts and feelings, using creative drama-based techniques. The workshop is suitable for anyone working with young people restoratively.

Facilitator

Tom Mellor worked for five years with the BAFTA award winning Geese Theatre Company using mask and active methods to explore issues around offending behaviour. He has worked as a facilitator on the Community Sex Offender Programme and the Domestic Violence group work programme, as well as a freelance trainer and facilitator. Tom has spent the last three years working as a Restorative Approaches coordinator within Cambridgeshire Youth Offending Service where he has developed the use of creative techniques in restorative practice.

Dates:

 London - 14 November 2012, afternoon

Working to implement a whole school approach

Many teachers and other school staff have been trained in restorative approaches, but they may be the lone voice or the sole restorative champion at their school. This workshop will look at how we can work together to develop a whole school approach and includes learning on encouraging the reluctant and inspiring all. This interactive session explores how a school can truly embed restorative approaches across the whole school rather than just simply having ‘pockets’ of good practice. Wherever your school is at with restorative practice, attendees will leave the workshop with fresh ideas, to begin, or continue a journey which takes their school to a higher level of emotional literacy and a more restorative ethos towards behaviour management.

Facilitator

Accredited Practitioner Heather Skelton is an experienced practitioner and trainer in restorative approaches. She has specialised in carrying out restorative processes, both informally and formally in schools, pupil referral units and other educational settings. Heather works for Project Salus which offers a range of innovative services for children and young people in Kent.

Dates:

London - 15 November 2012, morning

Sensitive and Complex Cases

The workshop will use a variety of methods to explore the nature and meaning of sensitive and complex cases in the context of potential restorative approaches. It will consider the RJC’s Best Practice Guidance for Restorative Practice (2011) and explore the additional factors that are relevant to the delivery of safe and effective restorative practice in these cases. The workshop will also examine assessment approaches and reflect upon potential difficulties and benefits of this work. Delegates attending this workshop should be experienced practitioners with some experience of working with complex and sensitive cases. 

Facilitator

Vince Mercer is an experienced restorative practitioner who has trained as a mediator, restorative conference/family group meeting facilitator and undertaken serious case mediation training in the United States under the guidance of Mark Umbreit. Vince is the restorative justice coordinator at the AIM Project which undertakes restorative work with adolescents who display sexually harmful behaviour. Based on this experience, the AIM Project works to encourage a wider application of restorative practice in complex and sensitive cases.

Dates:

 London - 15 November 2012, afternoon Only a few places remainaing 

Making inclusive restorative practice happen

Outline

A core restorative value is respect for diversity, and to have any validity, restorative practice has to be open and accessible to all. This can create a challenge for a restorative practitioner or service. A key element of the restorative approach is communication. Identifying and adapting the process to the needs of participants, particularly any with special needs, will ensure that everyone who wishes to can participate and benefit from a restorative approach. The workshop content includes exploring how the restorative approach can be adapted to be more inclusive, discussion of real case examples and practical support. This workshop will give you practical tools to reflect on and build your own restorative practice, and is suitable for all restorative practitioners across agencies.

Facilitator

The workshop will be delivered by a team of practitioners from Oxfordshire County Council. Jo Brown is the Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator whose role includes developing restorative approaches in schools, youth settings and the wider children’s service. Jo is also a lead restorative trainer for Oxfordshire. Eric Fast is based in the Youth Offending Service (YOS) as a Restorative Justice Practitioner. He has assisted parents and families in understanding the different communication and behavioural dynamics they may encounter when their children are challenged with autism. Eric is also a lead restorative trainer. Peter Wallis is a senior practitioner with the YOS and is a well known author of several guides to restorative practice. His extensive experience includes working as a secondary school teacher, EBD teacher and care worker, drugs worker and with prisoners and the homeless.

Dates:

London - 13 November 2012, afternoon

Effective restorative policing

Outline

This workshop is aimed at police officers who have completed restorative facilitation training and are using restorative processes in their role. The workshop will build on their core skills and knowledge showing how they can take forward restorative practices within their force. The course content includes identifying and maximising restorative opportunities and positive engagement with potential participants. Delegates will also look at how they can develop their restorative language, for example, building on the scripts they may use to conduct a restorative meeting.

Facilitator

Accredited Practitioner James Watson is Kent Police’s Restorative Lead. He has taken forward the force’s introduction of restorative approaches in youth offending and was responsible for a multi agency approach to neighbourhood delivery of restorative practice. This led to the whole of Kent Police trained in restorative processes with James at the forefront of this strategy.

Dates:

London - 14 November 2012, morning