Restorative practice

Principles and ethos of working restoratively

In Shropshire's early help, we believe in a simple and caring way of working - restorative practice. 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. It's a proactive approach - working WITH people, not doing things to them or for them and not just sitting back and doing nothing.

This approach helps us build good relationships with families and makes sure children are safe and families get the help they need. The processes used focus upon:

  • Removing barriers
  • Proactively promoting a sense of community
  • Understanding social responsibility and shared accountability

In Shropshire, we'd like to support everyone to work in this way so that we can develop a shared language, a common approach and a system-wide ethos. Early help is a way of working which is family led, jointly owned and created, achievable and builds sustainable change. It reduces the likelihood of dependency on professional services - and a restorative approach can help us achieve this together.

Our beliefs

We're working with L30 to ensure that as a local authority we're restorative in our approach.

Separating behaviour from the person

We think it's important to understand that everyone makes mistakes, but it doesn't define who they are. We focus on the behaviour, not the person.

Shifting the balance of power

Our goal is to let families take the lead in our work. We want to support them in making decisions and finding solutions that work for them.

Using family strengths

Families are strong, and we want to help them use their own strengths and resources to overcome challenges. We're here to support them, not take over.

Why restorative practice works

When we work together with families, instead of making decisions about them on our own, we see better results for children and families. It's like a team effort, and research shows that it makes everyone happier and more likely to make positive changes.

Restorative questions

Asking good questions is at the heart of restorative practice, and these fall into three broad categories:

What happened?

Everyone has their own unique perspective on a situation or event and needs an opportunity to express this to feel respected, valued and listened to.

  • What has brought us to where we are today?
  • What happened next?
  • What was going on?
  • What was happening before?

Thoughts/feelings

The thoughts and feelings are 'beneath the surface' and yet very important to understand. Tell us more about...

  • What were your thoughts?
  • What were you thinking?
  • How were you feeling?
  • What do you think about it now?
  • What else?
  • At that point, what were you thinking/feeling?
  • When that happened, what happened next?
  • What has brought us here today?

Impact

To live in harmony together people need empathy and consideration, so they understand who is likely to be, or to hove been, affected by their choice of action in any given situation and how.

  • How do you feel now?
  • Has anyone else been affected by this?
  • Anything else to add?
  • What has been the hardest thing for you?
  • How do you feel about it now?

Needs

Unmet needs con be the underlying cause of inappropriate or harmful behaviour. It's important that we try 
and help children and families identify what they need to help them move towards solutions.

  • What will it look /feel like when it's better?
  • What else needs to happen?
  • What do you need to move on from this?
  • If you can't do that, what can you do?

Ways forward

It's the people affected by a situation or event who are best placed to identify what should happen. They should actively be encouraged to explore what they feel would help them to move forward.

  • When will it be done?
  • Anything else to add?
  • What would that look like?
  • What will help you to move on from this?
  • What do you think about what has been suggested?

For more information, take a look at our restorative practice framework.