Facilitated Restorative Processes

 

What is it?

Facilitated Restorative Processes are a set of bespoke processes co-designed in alignment with Restorative Justice principles and values. These processes put participants in a harmful event or conflict at the centre of the plan for what should be done to respond. Restorative processes ask, "How can we repair the harm and prevent it from happening again?"

We seek first to understand and acknowledge the harm, and then to put it right.

Restorative processes are values-based approaches to conflict and harm which prioritise respect, responsibility, repair, and relationship. All restorative approaches seek to balance the needs of all who are impacted by a harmful event or conflict through processes that preserve the safety and mana of all involved.

The Process

  1. Meet with a facilitator privately and confidentially to talk through what happened, how you've been affected, and what a restorative process might offer towards repairing and preventing further harm. Sometimes a co-facilitation model is used, so there may be 2 facilitators involved. You are invited to bring along a support person of your choosing at every step of the process.

  2. Work with the facilitator(s) to identify your needs for repair, and put a plan into place to meet those needs. Some example repair plan items include...

    • Emotional support through coaching and/or counselling options

    • Facilitated or supported dialogues, letter-writing support

    • Repeat prevention efforts; support strategising how to prevent reoccurrence

    • Planning support for harm mitigation

    • Tangible harm repair towards practical needs

Restorative Processes are primarily intended to help meet your needs. The process can be adapted in many ways to make it work for you.

Requirements

All restorative processes are reviewed by facilitators and participants for the following requirements in order to proceed:

  1. Participation is voluntary for all parties,

  2. All parties take responsibility for the impacts of their own actions, and

  3. No further harm is caused in the course of the process.

Note: Every step of the process is voluntary and confidential.

When can I use it?

 

Issue or Incident Response Facilitation

Sometimes you need an outside facilitator (or 2) to help you through an issue. Whether it is an ongoing issue, a specific incident, or simply a tough decision you need to make, we can help guide you through a restorative process to reach resolution.

Restorative processes can be helpful at any stage of a conflict or incident - from the initial response through to the post-investigation stage, they are designed to support you to meet your needs for repair and prevention.

 
 
 

Conflict Coaching

Those most impacted by a conflict or a difficult situation are often the ones most equipped to find the solution. You may not require an external facilitator, but instead simply need some help thinking through ways to address the conflict on your own. We can help you apply a restorative lens to the conflict and give you the tools you need to reach resolution.

 
 
 

Group Facilitation

We can help your group identify key issues and discover innovative solutions using collaborative decision-making and interest-based problem solving (i.e. restorative practices).

You don’t have to wait for something to go wrong to bring a group together. We encourage groups to establish a healthy culture proactively through regular norm-setting sessions.