BLENDED DELIVERY: 4 Session Restorative Practitioner Skills course

This is a blended course with the first two days provided as live webinars which are trainer led and the 2^nd two days provided face to face. The is a multi-agency practitioner course for all those working with children, young people and families.

Delegates MUST attend ALL 4 days

Delegates must have access to a laptop or a computer to attend the first two sessions and the course is not accessible via a mobile phone or ipad and it is necessary to set up a 'Microsoft Teams' account to access these sessions.

Course dates: Days 1 & 2 via live webinars from 9.30 – 4pm.

Days 3 & 4 - face-to-face training from 9.30 – 4pm 

Restorative practice is a term used to describe behaviours, interactions and approaches which help to build and maintain positive, healthy relationships, resolve difficulties and repair harm where there has been conflict. When we work with and alongside people, there is strong evidence to say that outcomes for children and their families are improved.

This 4-day course is suitable for those practitioners who want to develop in depth knowledge of Restorative Practice, including facilitating restorative conversations and restorative meetings. The course content has a large component of skills practice enabling participants to practice using restorative skills and exploring how this links to their own context. Learning resources / tools will be provided to all participants. Sessions run from 9.30 – 4pm and webinar course timings include both online training and a short time off-line for self-directed learning. In person training is used to deliver the second half of the course to support the large skillsbased element of the training. To meet Restorative Justice Council standards, participants are required to complete some reading and reflective tasks to support embedding their practice with the total study time amounting to 24 hours. (A maximum of 4 additional hours above the course attendance). Please do not sign up for this course unless you can commit to attending all 4 days and can be present for the whole course every day. This is essential for completing the course.

The course aims to promote a system wide approach to supporting children, young people and their families by participants developing a better understanding of the relationship between Restorative Practice and improving children and young people's mental health outcomes (as summarised in Future in Mind).

Course Objectives:

• Understand the principles and values of restorative practice and the philosophy and mindset that underpins the approach
• Understand how restorative practice differs from other ways of addressing harm and conflict
• Understand restorative language and themes that underpin restorative processes
• Learn and practice skills to have a restorative conversation with one other person
• Learn and practice skills to deliver informal and formal restorative meetings including the importance of risk assessment, follow up and review
• Explore a range of different restorative processes and how to adapt the approach to using within own work context
• Understand how restorative practice can be used to improve the emotional literacy and mental health of children and young people
• Understand relevant national standards including the Restorative Justice Council practitioner code of practice

Share expertise and knowledge with fellow participants

The training will be delivered by The Mint House, Oxford Centre for Restorative Practice in collaboration with Oxfordshire’s multi-agency training team. The training adheres to Restorative Justice Council standards.

Participants who complete this course will be provided with support to help embed their learning and consolidate practice skills and techniques through the provision of specialist support and mentoring from the Restorative Community of Support and Practice (The Mint House). Participants can continue to develop expertise as a practice champion within their service and / or become a Train the Trainer.

Target audience

• This 4-session course is suitable for all those practitioners working with children, young people and families who want to develop an in depth knowledge of Restorative Practice, including facilitating restorative conversations and meetings.

Please note that centre parking is for staff only. Please park at Edmonds Park, Park Road, Didcot, OX11 8QL, which is a free car park