Restorative Group Conferencing

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We can help with facilitation of a range of restorative group conferencing processes in organisations.

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A Restorative Group Conference is a formally structured conversation       between people who are affected by conflict. That conflict may be:

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• the result of a harmful act, the facts of which are not in dispute,          

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• associated with a series of unresolved disputes between individuals or groups,                                                                                                               

• an issue of shared concern between a group of people                            (we are ‘stuck’ in conflict and we’re not sure how to move forward)

 

The conferencing format enables everyone affected to consider:

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• What happened                                                                                        

• Who has been affected and how                                                                

• What is needed to put things right (repair harm; prevent recurrence; reset relationships).

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Key principles of Restorative Practices are: accountability, participant empowerment, collaboration, dialogue, respect, empathy. A conference seeks to transform conflict into cooperation by addressing needs which commonly occur in conflict. For example, the need to:                                                            

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• get a fuller/shared understanding about what’s happened                             

• have one’s story and feelings heard and acknowledged                                

• feel safe                                                                                                  

• accept responsibility/remorse/offer genuine apology                                                    

• contribute to individual and community healing/repair/well being

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This text is drawn from the field of Restorative Justice, with acknowledgement to the Restorative Justice Unit at Victoria University of Wellington; and Dr David Moore and Dr Alikkii Vernon at the Australian Association of Restorative Justice.

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