Peerlink National Conference 17th April 2008 Cyberlink

Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution go Digital 

Please let the young people you work with know about the forthcoming Peerlink National Conference (11am-4:45pm, followed by the option to stay for the Peerlink National Awards, 6pm-8pm, 17th April 2008 at the Church House Conference Centre, London). This year’s theme is centred on how new medias such as the internet and social networking sites can be used positively and is entitled – Cyberlink – Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution go Digital. 

The young delegates will have the opportunity to take part in a Conflict Resolution workshop led by members of the National Steering Group, fifteen young people who shape, plan & deliver events and training for Peerlink. During the afternoon they will have the opportunity to construct a short role-play which uses some of the techniques they have learnt to demonstrate how conflicts can be de-escalated successfully. These role plays will be filmed and then uploaded onto Youtube and will be presented back to the conference at the end of the day. We hope that this will inspire the young people and others that view the films as to how new medias can be used positively whilst raising the awareness of Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution training.

In the evening, the Peerlink National Awards Ceremony will be held in which the positive efforts of young people from across the country will be appreciated. The conference is free to attend and food and refreshments will be served throughout the day. All the young delegates attending the conference are encouraged to stay for the evening so they can hear the positive stories of young people receiving awards.

Booking Form | Cyberlink Brochure

For further details contact: 
Oliver Chevreau
National Development Co-ordinator
email: oliver.chevreau@leapconfrontingconflict.org.uk

Leap Confronting Conflict is a national voluntary youth organisation and registered charity providing opportunities for young people and adults to explore approaches to conflicts in their lives, finding causes and new solutions for themselves.

www.leapconfrontingconflict.org.uk | Registered Charity No: 1072376 | Registered Company No: 3628271

Dr Belinda Hopkins has recently written a piece on restorative approaches in residential childcare settings’

http://www.ncb.org.uk/ncercc/ncercc%20practice%20documents/

restorative_approaches_tc_paper.doc

looking at what day-to-day opportunities there are for introducing the values, principles and skills of a restorative approach into a children’s home, drawing on recent research about what works best for staff and young people, from real case studies and from her team’s extensive experience in such settings.

She is also presenting a workshop at the 2007 annual NCERCC conference in Birmingham on Wednesday November 7th

http://www.networks.nhs.uk/uploads/07/09/ncb_ncercc_november_7_2007.pdf

based on a series of powerpoint slides

For further details of our courses please see our course page.
 

The Transforming Conflict team is proud to have been involved in the Scottish Restorative Practices in Schools pilot project

The Transforming Conflict team is proud to have been involved in the Scottish Restorative Practices in Schools pilot project, training over a hundred senior managers in schools in North Lanarkshire and Fife . Read the evaluation of the project of which this training was a part:

August 2007

Restorative Practices in Three Scottish Councils: Final Report of the Evaluation of the First Two Years of the Pilot Projects 2004-2006

In 2004 The Scottish Executive established a 30-month pilot project in Restorative Practices in three Local Authorities The pilot project was later extended until 2008. On 27th August the Scottish Executive launched the final report evaluating the 18 pilots.

The report indicates that Restorative Practices, "as they are developing in the pilot Local Authorities and schools, can offer a powerful and effective approach to promoting harmonious relationships in school and to the successful resolution of conflict and harm."

Executive  Summary:
 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/08/23161140

Full Report:
 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/08/24093135

new report from the Howard League highlights need for restorative approaches in schools

A new report has been written and published by the Howard League for Penal Reform - Children as victims: child-sized crimes in a child-sized world, it focuses on children as victims of crime and how low level crime is perceived and experienced. 

The recommendations in the report are of great interest to us - especially their recommendation of restorative approaches, including conflict resolution education and peer mediation schemes within education establishments. 

Here is a link to the full press release :
http://www.howardleague.org/fileadmin/howard_league/user/pdf/press_2007/

Children_as_victims_survey_10_October_2007.pdf

American Psychological Association Challenges School Zero Tolerance Policies and Recommends Restorative Justice

A report issued by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that zero tolerance policies in use throughout U.S. school districts have not been effective in reducing violence or promoting learning in school. The report called for a change in these policies and indicated a need for alternatives, including restorative practices such as restorative justice conferences.

An article by Doug Graves and Laura Mirsky provides details from the APA report.

To read the article, please go to:
http://www.safersanerschools.org/library/apareport.html

To download the PDF version of the article, please go to:
http://fp.enter.net/restorativepractices/apareport.pdf

Implementing a restorative approach in schools

Learn from Dr Belinda Hopkins’ doctoral research and the Transforming Conflict team’s experiences.
Several useful sheets about implementing a whole school approach are freely available. (for more info. click links below)

Implementing a restorative approach in schools

Implementing a restorative approach in a local authority

Developing an emotionally literate relationship and behaviour management policy

5 steps to implementation

Oxford Lunchtime Talk

On Sept 26th 2007 Dr Belinda Hopkins gave a lunchtime talk at Trinity College Oxford as part of a series of talks on Restorative Justice and related issues organised by Peter Wallis from the Children, Young People & Family section of Oxford Youth Offending Team. The power point slides of her talk - 'An Introduction to Restorative Justice in Organisations' is available. More ......

For details of the Oxford Lunchtime programme e-mail Peter: 
Peter.Wallis@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

A successful restorative meeting

BeAfter a recent restorative meeting between a supply teacher and a student following a disruptive incident, the member of staff concerned wrote the following to the facilitator:

‘Thank you for the meeting earlier with Sally Williams*. That was my first experience of this procedure and it proved to be a very positive experience. What I think was very good about it was that I was able to express to Sally how her behaviour had made me feel which is something that does not usually happen. Usually the incident is taken out of our hands ie. Isolation, we just set a detention etc. I could see that Sally was surprised and a little upset when I told her how I felt at the time of the incident and also directly after the incident. Also Sally was able to tell me that she has lots of things on her mind and I was able to understand her personal situation a little better and maybe why she had reacted in such a hostile way. This does not usually happen. The meeting ended on a very positive note and I think both parties really benefited from the experience. ‘

* a fictional name

Powerpoint slides from the Barnet multi-agency day 

Belinda Hopkins and Dave Eglin gave an introduction to restorative approaches in an authority to multi-agency staff in Barnet. The powerpoint slides that Belinda used as the basis for pair and group discussions is available here for people to use if they want to pass on the information they gleaned from the day.  Click here

JOB AVAILABLE - SCHOOLS RESTORATIVE APPROACHES CO-ORDINATOR

Lambeth Mediation Service is looking for someone to deliver peer mediation and other restorative techniques in schools in Lambeth. click here for more info

A restorative anti-bullying policy

Senior Manager Mel Stanley from Deptford Green School (a mixed comprehensive school) in Lewisham has been willing to share their Anti-Bullying Policy. click here for more info

Exciting new evaluation from the North West of Ireland about some pilot projects in schools there.

a)   A report about restorative practice in Letterkenny Vocational School by ex-headteacher Patrick O’Connor click here

b)     An interim evaluation on restorative practices. click here

c)     An executive summary of the pilot project in North-West Ireland click here  

Restorative Approaches to Bullying - breaking the cycle of power and control

Alternatives to punishment for bullying are urgently needed in order to make schools safer for those on the receiving end of bullying and to engage with young people drawn into bullying behaviour. Belinda Hopkins makes the restorative case. click here to view

Director of Transforming Conflict, Belinda Hopkins, has now completed her doctoral research at Reading University on the implementation of restorative approaches in schools 

After nearly six years of part-time study Belinda has now successfully defended her thesis on the implementation of restorative approaches in schools and is now Dr Hopkins. Using a unique synthesis of participatory action research and narrative enquiry which she has termed ‘restorative research methodology’ Belinda has explored in three distinct case studies, the journeys of educationalists as they implement restorative approaches in their schools. The findings are timely and will benefit all those trying to do something similar in their own school or area.

A book on this research will be following in due course but in the meantime if anyone wants to read the thesis please e-mail Belinda on Belinda@transformingconflict.org and she can send you the pdf ‘read only’ version.

European Forum for Restorative Justice
Bi-annual conference in Barcelona June 15-17

Belinda Hopkins gave a plenary speech, using a powerpoint presentation (click here) which you are welcome to look at.

Here is a full version paper adapted from the presentation. Click here

ROTHERHAM 

This set of powerpoint slides was the basis of a training day that Dr Belinda Hopkins, Director of Transforming Conflict, led in Rotherham on October 30th 2006. Click here to view

NATIONAL DATABASE ON RESTORATIVE Approaches IN SCHOOLS - questionnaires

Please click the link below to fill in the questionnaire for Schools and Agencies.

www.restorativeschoolsurvey.co.uk

NATIONAL EVALUATION
Read the recent evaluation of the Youth Justice Board funded project
Restorative Justice in Schools, in which 8 Youth Offending Teams took part:
Click here

TWO SHORT FILMS HAVE BEEN MADE RECENTLY BY THE NEW DIGITAL CHANNEL TEACHERS TV.
The first features Hariet Wall at Drayton School using restorative approaches to deal with issues that arise in classrooms and corridors at her school.

The second is a film of some restorative work done in a school in Twickenham, focusing especially on a conflict between a group of Year 8 girls.

They can be viewed on the teacherstv website: Click here to view the films