Council’s relationships training receives national recognition
This prestigious status recognises the team's commitment to delivering high-quality restorative practice training which has delivered significant benefits for schools, young people and their families.
Restorative Practice involves principles, behaviours, and approaches that build and maintain healthy relationships and a sense of community. It can resolve difficulties and repair harm where there has been conflict, working with and alongside others to create sustainable change.
A restorative approach has proven benefits at multiple levels in schools. Practically, it provides a structured and consistent framework for building positive relationships and communication in schools and teams, including constructive ways to deal with conflict, leading to reduced disruptions in teaching and learning, improved relationships, and a calmer school environment.
The council is actively supporting 38 schools to implement their Relational Schools programme currently, with another 15 leaders signed up for the next cohort. Over the last seven years they have worked with more than 75 schools across the county, embedding elements of Relational and Restorative approaches to create more inclusive and nurturing school communities. They are also supporting Oxfordshire, Staffordshire and Portsmouth councils to adopt the approach in their schools.
The training is also changing how council teams approach issues. For example, the council’s Preparing for Adulthood team changed its approach to preparing young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to travel to school independently on public transport at age 16.
By following a restorative approach, support towards this big step which historically caused anxiety for families, is introduced much earlier. It now starts at age 11 allowing more time to build relationships and work with young people, their families, and schools to create personalised goals.
The team has worked with families to co-produce an interactive programme which has seen the number of young people they support each year increase from 27 in 2017, to 187 in 2023, and built trust with parents. Other local authorities are keen to explore and mirror the service in their area.
The RJC commended the county council for its excellent training, highlighting how it has embedded restorative principles throughout its programmes and successfully adapted its support to suit different contexts and various organisations.
Cllr Philip Robinson, cabinet member for education at Gloucestershire County Council said: “I am delighted that the achievements of the Restorative Practice team have been recognised at a national level. The training they provide to schools is having a positive impact on children, young people and their families and the wider school community who all benefit from this fresh approach to building and maintaining healthy relationships.”
The RJC’s Chief Executive, Jim Simon, also celebrated this achievement, stating: “This is a well-deserved acknowledgment of their commitment to providing high-quality restorative practice training, which is vital in raising the bar in restorative standards and ensuring participants have access to high-quality and safe restorative processes.”