Projects

Source: Victorian Department of Education and Training

An evaluation of the experiences of Victorian schools involved in piloting Restorative Practices was commissined by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DE&T) in collaboration with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV). It was carried out by the Australian Youth Research Centre in 2004-2005.

Restorative Practices thematically describes a range of approaches used to reduce harms and repair damage caused by incidents. In a school situation it is about teaching and modeling ways in which young people can be effective citizens and about relationships between the people who make up the community.

Restorative Practices have been taken up in schools in Victoria as a way of addressing behaviour managemnet issues that can arise in school settings, including conflicts between students and bullying. The notions of relationship repair and accountability have particualr appeal in schools where issues of order, justice and punishment are closely linked to social relationship and educational inclusion. One of the key focuses of Restorative Practices has been the development and enhancement of relationships in schools and the teaching of conflict resolution and other problem-solving skills. Restorative Practices have been used across the whole school and have provided a means to question what is happening in the curriculum, the school environment, in policy and in community partnerships.

Schools implemented Restorative Practices for many reasons. It was possible to place the reasons for initiation along a continuum from prevention through early intervention to intervention. While some schools implemented Restorative Practices for particular reasons such as behaviour management, this changed over time as schools began to see the benefits of a whole school approach using Restorative Practices. The restorative approach was underpinned by a shift in emphasis from managing behaviour toward the building, nurturing and repair of relationships across the whole school. This brought about the use of restorative strategies in teaching, learning and the curriculum and the use of restorative language or language of choice (using affective statements and questions) throughout the school.

The schools that reported most evidence of implementation of Restorative Practices were those that had been involved in developing such approaches since 2002. This suggests that at least three years may be required to establish widespread support and relevant structural reform.

The final report of the review was submitted to DE&T and CEOM in 2005.

Contact: Helen Stokes

Contact: h.stokes@unimelb.edu.au