The Restorative Practice training and development work VANEL has been contributing to for several years – seeking to embed Restorative Practice and Restorative Justice as underpinnings for professional practice throughout the working life of the Borough has started to be celebrated.
Yesterday in London our NELC Childrens Services won the Local Government Chronicle 2018 award for the Creating Strong Communities innovation model which VANEL, through Marcus Czarnecki and his work on Restorative Practice and Restorative Justice have contributed to over the past three years.
This unique, innovative way of working, draws on Restorative Practice as a framework for communication and an underpinning to understanding – coupled with ‘Signs of Safety’, ‘Family Group Conferencing’, ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ and ‘Outcomes Based Accountability’ it provides a powerful, equality centred and people focussed model where we do things WITH people rather than AT them, TO them or FOR them.
It started as a training for all professionals who work with and around children, young people and families – from pre-birth to adulthood – but now is a framework for the organisation itself – training administrators, accountants, lawyers, refuse collectors, adult care workers, civic receptionists and call centre workers.
Ultimately the work is about transforming and reversing the very fabric of the dependency culture and enabling families to make decision for themselves based on respect, empowerment and encouragement – with professionals modelling that empowering behaviour. That is largely why we have won – because this transformation in the lives of actual people is really happening.
Funded through various sources over a number of years, I have trained more than 700 NELC staff in Restorative Practice – including Social Workers, Family Hub workers, Domestic Violence workers, School Nurses, Family Health Advisors/visitors, Police Officers, Teachers, CVS partners.
The wider vision has included Restorative processes providing a model for all – including Restorative Schools, whole organisation change programmes, bespoke programmes for Probation, Mentoring, Teenage Pregnancy, Domestic Violence, Childhood Trauma, Trauma informed working, Conflict transformation. Victimhood, Neighbour Disputes and of course fully restorative community dialogues – open to all. The work continues…
Comment from Rob Walsh Chief Executive of NELC
“How proud we should all be of everyone involved in Children’s Services – all the hard work, effort, commitment and innovation was fully recognised last night with the announcement that we were victorious in the Children’s Services category at the LGC Awards 2018. On the back of last summer’s Ofsted judgement, this award affirms the amazing work being done by all involved in our services to children, young people and families, in the midst of some very difficult challenges and undiminished pressures. The Local Government sector has formally acknowledged that our innovative model , still in the course of development and implementation, is the right one and the sector wants to know more ! Superb achievement by all involved, proud to be around to see it happen and be recognised. Well done all.”