Restorative Practice for Families Seminar presented by Kristy Elliott (B.Ed, MAPP)
Why are schools adopting Restorative Practice? Restorative Practice in schools is about managing the relationships across the school community with processes & techniques that help to build, maintain, deepen, & repair relationships. Building positive relationships among the people in schools (students, staff, parents, parents, carers) contributes greatly to positive student and community outcomes. The purpose of restorative practice in schools is to “Facilitate learning communities that nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all.” (Evans & Vaandering, 2016) Schools embracing this philosophy prioritise building positive relationships, developing social-emotional capabilities, community wellbeing, creating supportive learning environments, and establishing fair, democratic systems.
How is Restorative Practice different to other approaches used in schools? Traditional approaches to conflict and inappropriate behaviour in schools were typically concerned with enforcing rules and providing punishments to students who were identified as breaking the rules. Over the last two decades science (and firsthand experience in schools) has shown us that the traditional approach has failed to produce good outcomes for students or schools. In fact, focusing on rules and punishment tends to harm relationships, decrease student academic outcomes, and increase conflict. Restorative responses to conflict and inappropriate behaviour uses a different approach - an approach that values and honours relationships and the people within school communities and recognises that humans are imperfect, and students are consistently learning how to have better relationships with others. 1