Source: (2005) Restorative Practices e-Forum. July 7. Bethlehem, PA: International Institute of Restorative Practices. Downloaded 5 August 2005.
Shafer recounts her visits to the Community Service Foundation’s (CSF) foster girls’ group home in Quakertown, Pennsylvania and the CSF’s boys’ home in Hatfield, Pennsylvania in this poignant article about the benefits of the restorative approach to foster care. Those in the program, now including 16 homes, are court-ordered to be there, but each child learns of the program and makes the choice to be placed there. The goal of the CSF program is centered around restorative principles, with emphasis on achieving each individual’s goals set by themselves, their families and referral sources. The circle approach is also used in the homes to discuss any matters of general importance and as an opportunity to share with others within the group. Shafer noted the honesty of the participants and the use of responsible concern as the cornerstones of the success of the restorative practice in the CSF homes, and suggests implementing these principles into the overall justice system and everyday life. Abstract courtesy of the Marquette University Law School-Restorative Justice Initiative http://law.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?2130&pageID=1831
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