RJC 1st Annual Northern Ireland Conference 

The importance of Restorative Justice in creating sustained change and resilient communities

Friday 15th September 2023

Stormont Hotel, Belfast

The RJC are delighted to be hosting our first annual Northern Ireland Conference in Belfast on Friday 15th September 2023. You are invited to join us as we explore the importance of restorative justice in creating sustained change and resilient communities.

During this one-day conference, we will be focusing on the following themes:

• The importance of practice standards and quality assurance
• The Importance of Restorative Justice/Practice in policy decision making   
• The importance of Restorative Practice in early intervention initiatives
• The importance of Restorative partnerships

Ensuring high-quality, safe and effective practice is essential if restorative practice is to develop and thrive. It is a fundamental belief of the RJC, that clear standards of practice for those working across the restorative sector not only provides a quality framework but supports those in the field to build on their capacity. Therefore, our first theme will explore the importance of practice standards and quality assurance in developing sustained change and resilient communities.

Our second theme focuses on the importance of Restorative Justice/Practice in policy decision making. The RJC recognises the importance of raising the profile of Restorative Justice/Practice across the political landscape and the value of creating opportunities for policy discussions with policy makers, but we need to ensure that policy makers fully understand the economic and policy benefits associated with restorative/justice. We are interested in exploring what evidence already exists and how we, as a sector, can better support politicians, policy makers and wider public recognise the true value of Restorative Justice/Practice.

We will also explore the importance of Restorative Practice early intervention for both children and adults and what this looks like in practice. We know that effective early intervention can significantly improve the wellbeing of our communities and the life chances of those involved in or at risk of engaging in organised criminality and other social issues which lead to crisis. Understanding the root cause and supporting individuals to deal with this ultimately creates better lives for children, families and individuals. The use of restorative practice as part of early intervention initiatives within our schools, care homes and the community, teaches an understanding of others' feelings and provides opportunities to connect and communicate successfully. For young people, it empowers them to think for themselves, build trust and develop more mature responses to a difficult situation, all of which are Important skills they can take into adult life.

Finally, we will explore the importance of Restorative partnerships. Working in silos rarely leads to success and therefore reduces the likelihood of achieving successful outcomes. Developing effective partnerships with education, health care, community organisations, police, criminal justice services, local and national government avoids duplication, effectively uses resources and ensures that the individuals we work with receive the best possible support. We ask the question, why is it important to develop effective operational and strategic partnerships and how do we do this?

Call for Contributions

We are currently accepting abstracts to present at this conference. Abstracts can be submitted for consideration in one of the following session types that will run during the course of the conference:

You can contribute to our programme of presenters by submitting an abstract of no more than 500 words using the form below. You must indicate which session type you would like your work to be considered and which theme your abstract is to be considered.  All abstracts must be submitted in English.

The deadline for the call for abstracts is the 5^th May 2023.

All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by our communications committee and a decision will be communicated to applicants by the 19^th May 2023.

Where abstracts are accepted, the title, names and contact details of the presenters will be included in the final programme of the event.

For further information please email james.simon@restorativejustice.org.uk.