Just care: Restorative justice approaches to working with children in public care.

Source: (2009) London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Restorative justice is an innovative approach to addressing conflict and bullying, as well as disruptive, challenging and criminal behaviour. A restorative approach in a care setting shifts the emphasis from managing and responding to conflict and anti-social behaviour, to the building, nurturing, and repairing for relationships. Everyone in the residential community or foster home supports each other in taking responsibility for the impact that behaviour has on those around tthem, and putting things right when they go wrong. In this photocopiable resource, Belinda Hopkins identifies the practical benefits of employing the restorative approach. In extreme cases, this can mean dealing with serious incidents effectively without recourse to the criminal justice system. For day-to-day interactions, the approach builds on the principles of social pedagogy and ‘restorative parenting,’ and offers a fresh look at encouraging greater involvement of the young people themselves in making choices that address everyone’s needs. (Publisher’s description).