3.1 Intervention 1: restorative approaches
What are restorative approaches?
Restorative approaches fundamentally shift how we think about conflict, behaviour and relationships. Rather than asking ‘What rule was broken and what punishment fits?’, restorative practice asks three key questions:
- Who was harmed?
- What do they need?
- How can relationships be repaired?
Why restorative approaches matter for racial equity?
Traditional disciplinary approaches have created significant disparities in how racially minoritised children are treated. In Session 4, Frances Akinde highlighted how Black boys in secondary schools are often misunderstood, with their behaviour interpreted as aggressive rather than as communication of unmet needs or frustration. She explained how many are punished before anyone seeks to understand or support them.
This punitive cycle is exactly what restorative approaches aim to interrupt. Instead of immediate consequences that often escalate situations, restorative practices create space for the following:
- Understanding context: What factors might be contributing to this behaviour?
- Hearing all voices: What does the child need to say about their experience?
- Building empathy: How can everyone involved understand the impact of their actions?
- Collaborative solutions: What needs to change to prevent similar situations?
Restorative circles are one of the tools within this approach. These are structured conversations where participants sit in a circle and speak in turn using a talking piece: an object that indicates who has permission to speak while others listen without interruption.
Marcucci (2021) found that restorative circles can transform typical power dynamics in educational settings. Instead of quick, transactional exchanges where adults direct and children comply, the circle structure encourages the following:
- Mutual respect: Everyone’s voice carries equal weight when they hold the talking piece.
- Shared focus: The circle creates physical and emotional containment for difficult conversations.
- Reflective rhythm: The slower pace allows time for genuine listening and thoughtful responses.
- Emotional safety: Clear structure helps participants feel secure enough to be vulnerable.
These conditions create what Marcucci (2021) call emotional energy and group solidarity, feelings of being valued, seen and genuinely connected to others. This sense of connection can be particularly powerful for racially minoritised children, who may often feel isolated or misunderstood in traditional school systems.
What restorative approaches look like in practice:
- In classrooms: Teachers use daily circles to build community, check in with students’ wellbeing, and address conflicts before they escalate. When problems do arise, the focus shifts to understanding and repair rather than punishment.
- At home: Parents and carers use family meetings or informal conversations to understand conflict between siblings or address challenging behaviour. Instead of immediate consequences families explore what everyone needs and work together towards solutions that strengthen relationships.
- With families: When schools adopt restorative approaches, meetings with parents become collaborative conversations about supporting children rather than sessions where families receive criticism about their child’s behaviour.
- In challenging moments: Instead of immediate exclusions or detentions, trained adults facilitate conversations that help everyone involved understand what happened and what needs to change.
- For ongoing relationships: Restorative approaches recognise that single incidents often reflect ongoing relationship difficulties that need attention and care to heal.
Restorative approaches are not simply ‘being touchy feely’ or avoiding accountability. Effective restorative practice:
- still maintains clear boundaries and expectations
- addresses harm seriously while focusing on repair
- requires proper training and ongoing support for practitioners
- takes time to embed within school or family cultures
- may not be appropriate for all situations, particularly where there are significant power imbalances or safety concerns.
The approach also requires practitioners to examine their own assumptions about behaviour, conflict and children’s motivations – precisely the kind of self-reflection you engaged with in the previous activity.
Activity 3 Restorative imagining
Task 1 Reflecting on past experiences
Think of a recent behaviour incident, disagreement, or breakdown in communication involving a child or young person in your context.
Analyse what happened by reflecting on the following questions:
- How was the situation handled initially?
- What was the primary goal: punishment, compliance or understanding?
- Whose voice was centred in resolving the situation?
- Was the child given space to explain their perspective?
- Were underlying needs or triggers explored?
Consider the outcomes:
- How did the child respond to the intervention?
- Were relationships strengthened or weakened?
- Did similar incidents continue to occur?
- How did other children who witnessed the interaction respond?
Write down one specific way restorative approaches could have changed that interaction.
Task 2 When and how to use restorative approaches
Before planning any restorative intervention, you need to assess whether this approach is suitable for the specific situation. Read the scenarios below and decide whether restorative approaches would be appropriate or not, and explain your reasoning.
Restorative approaches work well when:
- all parties can participate safely without fear of retaliation
- the harm caused was not severe or criminal in nature
- participants have some capacity for empathy and reflection
- there’s genuine willingness from those who caused harm to engage with the process
- power imbalances between participants are manageable within the circle structure
- the conflict involves relationship breakdown rather than one-sided abuse.
Restorative approaches may not be suitable when:
- there are significant safety concerns or ongoing threats
- one party holds overwhelming power over others (adult-child abuse, severe bullying)
- participants are not developmentally ready for the emotional demands
- mental health crises require immediate clinical intervention
- the harm involves serious criminal behaviour requiring formal justice processes
- coercion or manipulation might occur within the restorative process.
Scenario A: Two eight-year-olds have been calling each other names during playtime. Both children are upset and their friendship has broken down. They’ve been friends before but are now avoiding each other.
Scenario B : A 15-year-old has been repeatedly threatening and intimidating a younger student, taking their lunch money and making them feel unsafe at school. The younger student is afraid to report it.
Scenario C: A group of Year 6 children excluded a classmate from their group project, making comments about their appearance and cultural background. The excluded child feels hurt and isolated.
Scenario D: A teenager disclosed that a family member has been physically abusing them at home. They’re struggling to concentrate in school and have been getting into conflicts with peers.
Scenario E: Two siblings, aged 10 and 12, had a heated argument that resulted in one pushing the other. Both are crying and upset, and their parent wants to help them repair their relationship.
Discussion
Scenario A (Name-calling friends): APPROPRIATE. Both children have hurt each other, they previously had a positive relationship, there are no safety concerns, and both are developmentally capable of understanding impact and repair.
Scenario B (Intimidation and theft): NOT APPROPRIATE. This involves significant power imbalance, ongoing threats, potential criminal behaviour (theft), and safety concerns. The victim needs protection, not mediation.
Scenario C (Exclusion with racial elements): POTENTIALLY APPROPRIATE. Could work if carefully facilitated with attention to racial dynamics and power imbalances. Would need skilled facilitator and strong safeguards to prevent further harm to the excluded child.
Scenario D (Family abuse): NOT APPROPRIATE. This requires immediate safeguarding intervention and professional support. Restorative approaches cannot address ongoing abuse situations and might put the child at further risk.
Scenario E (Sibling conflict): APPROPRIATE. Family context allows for ongoing support, both children are upset (suggesting mutual impact), and parents can provide safety and follow-through.
Now, if you’ve identified a situation where restorative approaches seem appropriate, imagine you’re planning the intervention.
Consider your preparation:
- How would you set up the physical space to feel safe and contained?
- What talking piece might you choose and why?
- How would you explain the circle process to participants?
- What ground rules would help create emotional safety?
Think about building connection:
- How might you use your tone of voice and body language?
- What opening question could help participants settle into the space?
- How would you handle silence or reluctance to participate?
- What would you do if strong emotions arose during the circle?
Plan for repair and moving forward:
- How would you help participants understand the impact of their actions?
- What questions might guide them towards collaborative solutions?
- How would you ensure everyone’s needs are considered in any agreements made?
- What follow-up would help sustain any positive changes?
Discussion
Using the talking piece effectively: Explain that whoever holds the object has permission to speak whilst everyone else listens without interrupting, judging, or preparing responses. This creates space for authentic expression and deep listening. Allow natural pauses – silence is not awkward in a circle but an invitation for reflection.
Managing strong emotions: If someone becomes upset, acknowledge their feelings without trying to fix or minimise them. You might say, ‘I can see this is really important to you. Take the time you need’. Strong emotions often indicate that someone feels truly heard, possibly for the first time.
Moving towards resolution: Ask open questions that invite collaboration: ‘What do you think needs to happen for everyone to feel safe and respected?’, ‘How might we prevent this from happening again?’, ‘What support do each of you need to move forward?’
Following through: Restorative work doesn’t end when the circle closes. Check in with participants individually and collectively to see how agreed changes are working and what additional support might be needed.
Remember: The goal isn’t to create perfect harmony but to build understanding, repair relationships, and develop skills for handling future conflicts more constructively (Marcucci, 2021).
Reflection prompt
Reflect on the following questions:
- What felt challenging about imagining these restorative responses? What does this tell you about your current approach to conflict and behaviour?
- How might your assumptions about children’s motivations need to shift to implement restorative approaches effectively?
- What support would you need (training, time, institutional backing) to begin using restorative practices in your context?
- How do you think the children and families you work with might respond to more restorative approaches? What would help them trust this different way of handling difficulties?