Principles of Restorative Processes, December 2004

Processes
1/ Primary aim to be the repair of harm

2/ Agreement about essential facts of the incident and an acceptance of some involvement by the person who caused the harm.

3/ Participation to be voluntary for all participants and based on informed choice. This also applies to what is included in any outcome agreement, and any consequence for non-participation/ compliance to be made clear.

4/ Adequate time to be given to participants to decide whether to take part and to consult with others, if they wish.

5/ Acknowledgement of the harm or loss experienced by the person harmed, respect for the feelings of participants, and an opportunity for the resulting needs to be considered and where possible met.

6/ The person/s who have been harmed or suffered loss to be (if they wish) the primary beneficiary of any reparation agreed with the person who has caused the harm .

7/ Where harm is repaired or amends made, this to be acknowledged and valued.

8/ The person/s who has harmed and the person/s harmed are the primary participants of any restorative process.

9/ Restorative practitioners to be seen as neutral by participants, and to act impartially.

Equalities/ Diversity/Non-discrimination

10/ Participants not to be discriminated against for any reason.

11/ Diversity to be respected.

12/ Respectful behaviour to be maintained in restorative processes, whilst enabling emotions and needs to be expressed.

13/ The rule of law to be up-held .

14/ Respect for the dignity of all participants at all times.

Information, Choice and Safety

15/ Access to information and referral to other organisations who might offer assistance to participants, before, during, after or if they decline participation in a restorative process.

16/ Opportunity to participate in a restorative process, except where there is a significant risk of further harm, there is disagreement about the critical facts, or parties do not wish to participate

17/ Ensuring choice is available to the participants regarding restorative processes, including direct and indirect forms of communication and the nature of any reparation.

18/ Safety of participants before, during and after participation in a restorative process.

19/ Additional protection and support for the particularly vulnerable to enable full participation.

20/ Restorative Practitioners to keep confidential the content of restorative communications and personal information, subject to the informed consent of participants, the requirements of the law, and their agencies` policies .

21/ Restorative agreements to be fair, appropriate to the harm done and achievable.

Agreements/Outcomes

22/ Outcomes of a restorative process to be monitored and timely action taken should a problem occur. Any developments should be communicated to participants, unless they have asked not to be contacted.

23/ Evaluation of processes and outcomes to be carried out wherever possible.

24/ Learning from restorative processes to lead to a reduction in harm and the fear of crime; whilst encouraging cultural and behavioural change amongst individuals and communities. This in turn can lead to improved social harmony and safer communities. Therefore, where appropriate, practitioners and services are encouraged to find ways to safely promote this learning to others.

Organisation/policies

25/ Those agencies/individuals carrying out restorative practices to have a commitment to practice based on the needs of the participants.

26/ Organisations to be encouraged to use restorative principles in other areas of conflict, such as internal grievance, disciplinary systems, and external procedures e.g., client complaints, wherever possible.

27/ Organisations and practitioners to have a commitment to high quality restorative practice through appropriate training, services and support for practitioners, and complying with the best practice guidance available at the time.

28/ To provide best outcomes for participants, organisations carrying out restorative processes to ensure co-ordinated multi-agency working is established.

13th Dec 2004 | Principles and Values