Restorative Approaches can and do work in any context. When adopted on an organisation wide basis the best and most enduring results are seen.
Many organisations and agencies, education based staff, youth, health and social care professionals in the UK and internationally are already operating from this restorative philosophy, as it is about effective best practice. It is important to remember that RA is concerned with the whole organisational way of working and its ethos– staff, and their client groups, and all the diverse members of communities. It can facilitate a staged organisational culture change over time, when there is consistency in values, practice and policies. Strategic support, with quality assurance is essential to sustain effective delivery.
It can offer a consistent framework and language for how systems work together effectively.
We advise that training begins with management and we offer support during and following this to look at policy, strategy and implementation. This grass roots approach is effective in ensuring sustainability. Restorative management is an emotionally literate model of management to reduce stress on managers and staff. It is solutions focussed and problem solving.
Training then moves to core team throughout an organisation and delivers very experiential learning with full participation and equality of all involved. This values based, replicable learning can be rolled out beyond the team and client experiences to other areas including supervision, appraisal, complaints and disciplinary matters. This is incredible for team building as an exercise in itself, not to mention the ongoing benefits.
A key part of our training includes having difficult conversations, this is something that can provide reassurance and ensure good relationships even when the inevitable conflict that is human nature arises.
Restorative working adopts a range of practical core skills and processes that can be developed through training and ongoing professional development. It can offer an overarching framework, mind-set and simple language for multi-agency collaboration, to engage in a consistent way with clients, enabling inclusive problem solving for all parties involved in an issue.
This mind-set applies a social discipline principle of high support and high challenge in all interactions with clients and staff. The purpose is to collectively work to meet everyone’s needs, but not at the expense of others’. All are accountable and responsible for the effects of their behaviours, and for deciding outcomes to put things right and move forwards.
Your customers can benefit from even better relationships with your team and its products and services. Conflict will be reduced and where it does arise, which is natural, it is dealt with in a healthy way, so everyone feels heard and is a part of reaching SMART, trackable agreements following conversation.