Developing skills for safer communities

Rolling out the restorative practice qualification

Linda Millington and Kim Smith

RJC Practitioners’ Training Day

20 April 2010

Developing skills for safer communities

Qualification in Restorative Practice

Background

The qualification is NOT•A training course•Taught off the job•Assessed by exams• For brand new practitioners

The qualification DOES• Build on knowledge gained in training courses•Is a nationally recognised qualification•Assess what you do on the job on a regular basis

Developing skills for safer communities

Qualification Structure

Four mandatory units

• Assess the circumstances of an incident towards identifying a restorative response

• Prepare participants & agree an appropriate restorative process

• Facilitate participants’ interaction within a restorative process

• Evaluate the outcomes from a restorative process

One optional unit

• Make appropriate use of co-working within the restorative process

• Implement & monitor agreed outcomes from a restorative process

• Facilitate informal restorative processes

• Provide expert advice on restorative practice

• Contribute to the promotion of restorative practice

• Maintain quality assurance of restorative processes

Developing skills for safer communities

Who is the qualification for?

Everyone working in restorative practice

including paid workers and volunteers.

The award is designed for practitioners based in any field of restorative practice including those based in police, youth justice, schools, the workplace and the

community etc

Developing skills for safer communities

Stage 1 Roll out of the qualification

• Funding

• Four regions

• 50% of costs for candidates, trainee assessors & expert witnesses

• 10 candidates, four assessors, 4 expert witnesses per region

Developing skills for safer communities

Costs

Full costs:Candidate registration and certification fees: £200 - £250

Assessor training: £500 - £800

Expert witness training: £300 - £400

Back fill, travel and subsistence costs???

Developing skills for safer communities

Stage 1: Candidates

• Must have employer/line manager support• Be able to provide evidence for all four

mandatory units and one optional unit• At least one year’s experience• Willing to work from award both in work and own

time• Evaluation and case studies• Access to an assessor/trainee assessor

Developing skills for safer communities

Stage 1: Employers

• Promote the roll out and qualification• Evaluation and case studies• Provide facilities• Time for assessment and assessor/expert

witness training sessions• Travel and subsistence• Take an interest!!

Developing skills for safer communities

TimetableApril 2010 Information workshops

Late April 2010 Decision made on initial four roll out locations

April – May 2010 Set up assessment centres. Candidates, trainee assessors & expert witnesses identified

June 2010 Candidates start collecting evidence, trainee assessors & expert witnesses start training

June – December 2010

Expert witness training completed

June 2010 – February 2011

Candidates complete qualification in restorative practice; trainee assessors complete training

March 2011 Evaluation of stage 1 completed & case studies produced

Developing skills for safer communities

What if I’m not eligible for Stage 1

There is nothing to stop you registering for the qualification if you don’t meet our

candidate criteria for part-funding!

Developing skills for safer communities

What else do I need to know

How long it takes to complete the qualification

Assessment

National Register of Accredited Practitioners

Developing skills for safer communities

Questions!