Restorative Approaches: a national overview

1. Restorative Approaches: a national overview Graham Robb YJB Board member. DCSF consultant

2. RA : where ?

3. What drivers for Restorative Approaches? Youth Crime Action Plan (July 08) - Safer School Partnerships Local leadership – Hull, Bristol, Swindon - Childrens Trusts • Schools Every Child Matters Duties : wellbeing, community cohesion, participation • LAA National Indicator set including Anti Bullying , First time entrants, emotional and behavioural health (LAC) • Police practice - Safer school partnership Police Performance Framework Youth Restorative Disposal

4. Readiness for Restorative Approaches in Schools (RAiS) • Leadership and management : RA and • the values of Governors and SLT • School Improvement Plan and Self Evaluation Form indicators • Every Child Matters and duties for wellbeing and community cohesion • Resources – • External facilitator (RAiS) • School Champion, • staff training, • Behaviour monitoring systems • the Curriculum link - SEAL, PSHE, Citizenship

5. Evidence 1 • RJ in Schools Youth Justice Board 625 conferences • 92% success • 96% agreements holding after 3 months • 93% fairness • Reducing Exclusions – a NW Local Authority • Permanent Exclusions 55% reduction • Fixed Term Exclusions 38% reduction • Fixed term total days 57% reduction

6. Evidence : process ands outcomes • RAiS Bristol (Restorative Solutions) • 608 staff trained inc 86 to facilitator level • 300+ Conferences • 40% involved pupils who would have been excluded previously • 96% of the conferences produced agreements • 93% of those agreements have resulted in no repeat of the incident with the pupil harmed

7. Why Not ? • “ It costs a lot in money and time” • Permanent Exclusion RA takes 14 hours less and saves £152 direct process costs RAiS Modelling 2008 • “ But I want to show disapproval of behaviour by punishing the pupil who has done wrong.” • RA changes the behaviour • 93% think the process is fair • The community knows the wrong is being put right

8. Safer School Partnerships • Partnership – School, LA, Police other partners • DCSF, Home Office, ACPO and YJB • six conferences • new guidance to partners in 2009 • Benefits (York University evaluation 2006) • Restorative approaches promotion.

9. Restorative processes in the Youth Justice system • Variety of restorative processes with face to face or indirect options • Panels -Referral Order youth offending panels • Restorative Conferencing • Victim Offender Mediation • Family Group Conferencing

10. YJB Draft revised National Standards YOTs processes to ensure victims are involved, as appropriate, in a range of restorative processes to put right the harm they have experienced. • Victim involvement to be maximised through an RJ justice strategy, to include, at minimum: • YOT-wide commitment to improving outcomes for victims through the use of restorative justice • RJ processes across all YOT interventions to ensure that young people and parents/carers known to YOT take responsibility and make amends for criminal/anti-social behaviour

11. Developing RJ in the Secure Estate • Two aspects- to improve behaviour management in custody and to address victim issues and reduce offending risk in respect of original offence • RJ developments in Ashfield • YJB pilots in YOI Brinsford and New Hall

12. Neighbourhood policing, youth restorative disposal • Aim to pilot for pre- reprimand low-level behaviour incidents • Suitable for immediate restorative, problem solving approach • Emphasis on involving victim • Diverting young people from formal youth justice system • If episode admitted, young person cooperative, minor offence suitably addressed in an informal way in situ

13. Research evidence : Sherman / Shapland report July 08 – Cambridge and Sheffield universities • restorative justice reduces the frequency of reconviction by an average of 27%. • For every £1 spent on delivering these conferences, £9 were saved • 10 out of 12 tests of restorative justice have reduced the frequency of repeat offending in the UK, US and Australia.”