
The author highlights the proactive opportunities that restorative practices offer for people to understand one another, collaborate in decision-making and provide safe settings for conflict resolution.
Restorative practice and its applications
Examples of restorative approaches include circle processes, restorative conferences and family group conferences (FGC, also known as family group decision making), as well as other informal adaptations. There has generally been an (incorrect) assumption that restorative practices are used reactively in response to crime and wrongdoing. However, restorative approaches can also be used proactively.
The unifying principle behind all restorative practices is that they engage people in making critical decisions rather than relying on experts or authorities to do so. This is exemplified by the process of doing things with people rather than to or for them. This collaboration helps to build relationships and social capital (the trust, mutual understanding and shared behaviours that bind people together and make cooperative action possible), as well as strengthen social bonds.
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