Facilitating restorative group conferences. Trainer’s guide lesson 5: Further Development of Conferencing Skills.

Source: (2003) Saint Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Department of Corrections.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections has produced a set of practical materials to guide people who are training others in facilitation of restorative group conferences. Lesson 5 deals with the conference step by step. Subjects covered by this lesson include the following: preparation for a restorative conference (making telephone calls, meeting the various participants, preparing support persons); the role of the community in community conferencing; other specific steps in preparing for and conducting a conference (e.g., scheduling arrival times, preparation checklist, and the conference script/outline); forms of reparation; facilitator self-assessment; writing agreements; restorative community service; and materials for practice conferences as part of the training. Updated in 2003. The previous title was “The Conference Step by Step.”