Restorative Justice Action Plan 2019 - 23

Outcome 1: Restorative Justice is available across Scotland

Organisation

• On 26 June, a Restorative Justice (RJ) stakeholder meeting was held where the Policy and Practice Framework document was discussed in detail. The feedback provided during the meeting was overall positive and is currently being collated. Stakeholders had three weeks from the meeting date to submit any additional comments in writing. CJS and the Scottish Government are reviewing the feedback and will collaborate on necessary amendments to the policy. The revised document will be re-submitted to the group at the next meeting. Following this, a wider consultation will take place to further refine and finalise the policy framework. 
• Two Restorative Justice (RJ) cases were delivered by Space2Face. Joint meetings took place for both cases. CJS travelled to Shetland to undertake case evaluation activities and to better understand the needs, challenges and opportunities relating to RJ services in island settings. This involved working closely alongside Clair Aldington, Senior RJ Facilitator and Director at Space2Face, carrying out RJ participant interviews, as well as meetings with key partners such as the Community Justice Partnership Lead and a Justice Social worker. We are working on an evaluation report which will be shared with Scottish Government. To uphold the anonymity of the cases, we will not be able to share this report with stakeholders. The third case we were hoping to have delivered as part of the initial test case project did not go ahead due to resourcing issues.

• CJS is coordinating a short life working group in partnership with Scottish Prison Service to develop a protocol to ensure a consistent approach for when restorative justice is taking place in custody and to allow equity of access to restorative justice. We are grateful to Clair Aldington and Gael Cochrane who attend the group to offer their expertise as RJ Facilitators with experience of delivering RJ in prison, and to NHS and Prison Based Social Work colleagues who bring expertise on how RJ might connect with other prison-based services.
• Local Police forces in Edinburgh and East Renfrewshire have engaged CJS to discuss the potential role of Restorative Justice in addressing harm caused by antisocial behaviour (ASB) and enhancing community resilience. CJS participated in the Independent Working Group for Antisocial Behaviour stakeholder engagement event on 27 June, and it is hoped any developments across this work can inform the output from this review.
• CJS and CYCJ are collaborating on developing evaluation tools for a series of test cases currently being sought across Scotland. This effort is part of a broader strategy and action plan to test RJ delivery models, with funding available to support the identified cases. This evaluation will incorporate differing demographics and geographical settings of cases as well as the diversity and individual needs of participants. A call out for further potential Restorative Justice cases was shared with partners, on social media and at the CYCJ National Youth Conference in June. More information and contact details below: 

Organisation

Progress

• Lauren Emmerson commenced work this quarter as the full-time Restorative Justice Practice Development Advisor. Lauren has spent time engaging with key stakeholders and partners across both youth and restorative justice.
• CYCJ is continuing to work closely with Community Justice Scotland on the development of the evaluation tools for the test cases that are being identified across Scotland. CYCJ will focus on ensuring that cases include children and young people, both with them being the person who caused harm and being the person harmed. We will seek to evaluate the outcome of the cases and what model of restorative justice was used, and ensure that by working closely with CJS on this the data is collected and reported in a consistent format.
• This quarter CYCJ developed a survey to gather data and inform CYCJ mapping of existing practices with under 18s across Scotland. The survey is intended to identify strengths and gaps in service provision and also intended to identify partner agencies who could work with us on testing and evaluating RJ cases (as detailed above). The survey was shared with forums and partners across statutory and voluntary agencies and was included in May and June's CYCJ e-bulletin, which reaches over 2000 practitioners.
• CYCJ attended and presented at several forums this quarter, including the National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG), Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) Forum and the Diversion from Prosecution Forum, with the purpose of highlighting the new survey.

Outcome 2: Restorative Justice is delivered by highly trained and skilled facilitators

Organisation

Progress

• The Restorative Justice online learning module for frontline and operational staff was launched on 7 June and is now available to stakeholders and the public via the CJS Learning Hub. The content was developed by Prof. Tim Chapman and Tania Nascimento to offer a fundamental introduction to RJ and includes external links, downloads, videos and reflective questions to aid learning. Since its launch, 179 individuals have registered for the module, with 136 registrations occurring in the past quarter (June). To date, 90 users have completed the course and received their certificates. Feedback from 73 respondents who completed the online evaluation form has been highly positive, with most participants rating the module as excellent or very good. The data indicates a notable increase in participants’ awareness and understanding of RJ after taking the course. While feedback was predominantly positive, participants also offered valuable suggestions for improvement, which will help refine the module further, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of diverse audiences. Additionally, there is a considerable interest in receiving further information about RJ development and delivery in Scotland, reflecting the module’s impact and growing engagement with RJ practices.

Organisation

Progress

• The CYCJ RJ survey, published this quarter, may provide gaps in training that will highlight potential work in this area.

Outcome 3: There is a public awareness and understanding of Restorative Justice across Scotland

Organisation

      Progress

• In this quarter, the CJS learning hub’s section providing Restorative Justice content has been viewed 652 times by 412 individual users, and generated 2,590 engagements and 15 downloads.
• CJS team has participated in several stakeholder meetings and also provided inputs on RJ and restorative practices to local authorities in Stirling and East Renfrewshire, Community Justice Partnerships meeting at COSLA, and Drylaw Police Station in Edinburgh. Additionally, the team operated an information stall on RJ alongside CYCJ's RJ team at their conference in June.
• CJS team had prepared to deliver a talk and Q&A session on Restorative Justice in Scotland at the Spit It Out Festival in June. Unfortunately, the festival was cancelled. The team is now exploring alternative platforms, events, and festivals to continue public engagement and increase awareness and understanding of RJ among new audiences.

Organisation

Progress

• CYCJ published the CYCJ practice guide this quarter ‘Children and young people in conflict with the law: policy, practice and legislation’. This is updated on an annual basis and includes a specific Restorative Justice chapter. The practice guide is CYCJ’s most used resource.
• At our National Youth Justice Conference on 19 and 20 June, we hosted an information stall on Restorative Justice, where the information sheets were shared, and the survey promoted. In partnership with CJS, a call out for further potential Restorative Justice cases has also been shared with partners.  
• A poster designed by “Little Scotland”, who is on placement with us at CYCJ, was published this quarter. This provides a visual representation of the information gathered during an engagement session at a local Primary School. The poster will be shared within CYCJ’s RJ work moving forward and was included in the April CYCJ e-bulletin:

• CYCJ delivered a workshop at the European Forum for Restorative Justice annual conference in Tallinn, Estonia. The workshop “The future of restorative practice: engaging with children and young people” was attended by over 30 delegates and was well received, resulting in great discussion and interest in this area. Following the trip, a blog has been produced, sharing the experience and discussing future plans. Read it here: An Inspiring Journey to the European Forum for Restorative Justice.

Restorative Justice Animation

Useful documents

Stakeholder Feedback Form

Contacts