Restorative Approaches

@ TC

What is Restorative Approaches in Transylvania College?

Restorative approaches are a way of being that includes the perspective and everyday skills involved in preventing and anticipating conflict and harm. They develop and maintain relationships and community, while at the same time producing a reaction/response when problems arise.

Being restorative is a mindset. It is the way we think, feel, and act or respond in the relationships around us. A restorative approach involves working with others. It does not mean doing things for them or imposing yourself. Its aim is to meet the needs of others by promoting autonomy in solving problems.

Restorative approaches aim to prevent harm or conflict from occurring. A restorative approach considers both individual mindsets and whole-system approaches.

Expertise:

The TC staff have been trained in Restorative Approaches by the WRAP team of experts.

RA Practices

CHECK-IN and CHECK-OUT Circles

The use of circles plays an important role in restorative work. The principles by which circles are facilitated determine whether they are, or are not, restorative. Circles are a tool and method of communication that contribute to the development, maintenance, and repair of relationships.

Circles can be facilitated in a physical manner, in which all participants are positioned in a circle. This positioning allows everyone to clearly see the others and have an equal opportunity to contribute to the discussion, one at a time.

NEEDS exercice

"If we express our needs, we have a greater chance of getting them met. Once people start talking about what they need, instead of saying what is wrong with others, the possibility of finding ways to meet everyone's needs increases considerably."

(Marshall B. Rosenberg,

Nonviolent Communication)

Various groups in TC - staff, students, parents - practiced identifying and expressing needs.

BMR

...a relationship is like a bridge between two people that requires effort, trust, and communication to maintain and strengthen. It is built over time and can endure the challenges and hardships as long as both partners are committed and work together.

We contribute to BUILD, MAINTAIN and REPAIR relationships in our community.

Regulate, Relate, Reason

Botom to top:

Step 1: We need to help the person regulate their emotions. Often, we are in fight or flight mode.

Step 2: We need to strengthen the relationship we have with the person by showing empathy and developing the relationship so that they feel they can trust and are safe.

Step 3: We support the person to reason or find a solution to the problem. We can only do this effectively if steps one and two have taken place.

Restorative conversations

Restorative Questions are a set of five questions that we use to facilitate a restorative conversation.

These questions can be used one-on-one or with a group.

The questions are a framework for discussion, and it is a good idea to use your own language to make sure they fit the conversation you intend to have.

4 Choices window

If we consider the levels of CHALLENGE and SUPPORT in our relationships, we find ourselves in one of the following quadrants:

TO _ We do to others in our relationships. We are high on our challenge, rules, and boundaries within our relationships. However, we are less supportive, caring and nurturing. This can sometimes be seen as an uncaring form of communication; however there are circumstances where doing ‘to’ is necessary, such as for safety or legal reasons.

FOR _ We do things for others in our relationships. This is common in helping roles. We are very supportive, caring, and nurturing. However, we neglect boundaries and challenge in our relationships. This can create dependency and can come at the cost of our wellbeing as we spend all of our energy meeting the needs of others and neglect our own.

NOT _ We are not engaging in our relationships around us. We might be withdrawn. We don’t have challenge, rules, or boundaries and we are not particularly caring or supportive. There are many reasons why people may not engage in their relationships. We may not engage if we do not enjoy the relationship, for example if it is the last day at a job that has been challenging. Other reasons include experience of trauma, alcohol and substance misuse, mental health and more.

WITH _ We work with those around us. This means we balance having challenge, rules and boundaries with being supportive, caring and nurturing. Working with takes time, but can provide sustainable results. Working with others means that eventually they will be able to work without us, feeling empowered and able to share their skills and knowledge with others.

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