Your Name *
Your Email Address *
YOUR CANDIDATES
Phil Cawley My achievements over the past 3-years
Being a membership trustee of the RJC has given me a much broader insight into restorative work across varying organisations and sectors. Before this, my experience was limited to the criminal justice sector, in which I had delivered RJ for a wide range of cases, many of which can be classed as serious and complex under the RJC Guidelines (2020). I am a firm supporter of the standards set by the RJC in terms of service delivery and I set myself a personal goal to be an advanced accredited practitioner which I achieved and in December 2023, I was again awarded this status. I also encouraged colleagues to achieve these standards and members of the team have done so. Whenever I train RJ, I also spend a considerable amount of time during the training, discussing the standards to which RJ should be delivered and following the 6 RJC Principles (2020)
As an RJ practitioner I have been required to work many cases in conjunction with re:hub and I feel I have been able to provide the Board a clear picture of the issues that have arisen as a result of this. I know the CEO has been able to use my experiences (and others) to support his discussions with the MOJ for example.
Restorative work is though much wider than CJ though and from attendance at the various Board meetings and sub-committees, I learnt about the inspirational work that is being undertaken in schools for example. As a result of this, I contacted a member of SLT in a local secondary school and subsequently trained 12 staff in the school to use restorative approaches (RA) in their work. Following the success of this, I was approached to deliver RA across schools in the Blackpool area as part of a pilot project and training delivery has been completed and evaluation (which looks very encouraging) is underway.
As a Board Member I have benefitted from opportunities that have been presented. For example, I attended HMP Peterborough and saw first-hand the excellent restorative work that is being undertaken in there. I took this learning back to Lancashire and in conjunction with a governor in a local Cat B prison, we are promoting RJ in his prison for staff who have been assaulted by inmates. Assaults on staff are very common in some prisons, but they seldom advanced to prosecution. I have run 2 successful meetings in the first 3 months of the pilot and following the meeting, one officer observed, how beneficial it was and that he ‘felt he had now had his day in court’.
Whilst these are 3 examples of achievements, as someone who is employed to promote RJ/RA, I also use every opportunity in my work to promote the RJC, the work it undertakes and the principles of Restorative Justice
What I wish to achieve over the next term
Whilst the delivery of RA is progressing well in Blackpool Schools, during the 1st RJC Conference in Belfast, it became really clear to me that there needs to be a much wider approach that involves the community and other specialist services. In conjunction with the school ‘lead’ for the pilot, our next step is to identify and approach people in key positions in the area to progress this and to start to embed RJ in the community. I will be able to draw on the knowledge I gained from Belfast and other areas, to support this. I suspect this will be a ‘life-log’ task!
I attended my first meeting of the Research Advisory Group in December 2023 and I would want to work with the group to deliver the roll out of best practice for RJ and especially in those cases involving domestic and sexual violence. I believe we should have a ‘register’ of cases and practitioners who can provide ‘expert’ guidance on cases they have delivered. Whilst I have contacts in other areas who I can refer to, I believe the RJC should have a more formal network and I would be willing to progress this piece of work.
During the next 3 years, I will continue to assist the Board in promoting restorative approaches across more sectors and organisations and will continue to review policies and documents that support this expansion of the use of RA.
I will also assist in the development of the 3 year strategic plan and will provide support with its implementation as required.
Sarah Cairns My achievements over the past 3-years
As a volunteer in the field of restorative justice for the last 14 years I always strive to bring the perspective of volunteers to the Board. I try to balance constructive feedback, appropriate challenge and apposite critique to the CEO and RJC Team, whilst also offering my support to this small but incredibly hard-working and dedicated team.
During my time as a Membership Trustee, in building a full understanding the context of our work over time, I have been fortunate to be involved in the development of strategic planning decisions that will shape the direction of the RJC. During the last 3 years I have attended the majority of Board meetings and all of the strategic planning days where the Board and CEO set the direction for the charity. This has included supporting and contributing to the decision to participate in the APPG on Restorative Justice, which has produced some key recommendations that I believe will benefit the sector in the coming years and beyond.
As a membership trustee I am passionate about standards to ensure that all participants receive a safe, quality service and have therefore been part of the Standards Sub-Group. Within this group I have contributed to the development of the supervision framework, which I believe is key to setting and upholding the professional standards required for the safety of all participants, whilst also considering the support for practitioners to develop their skills and practice.
Furthermore, I have also been a member of the Policy and Communications Sub-Group in which I have supported the development of the anti-racism statement in addition to consultation work to consider the use of restorative justice in cases of Domestic Abuse and Harmful Sexual Behaviour.
I enjoy engaging with RJC members across a variety of sectors and so have particularly enjoyed chairing sessions at the last two Annual Conferences, in which I made a positive contribution. Moreover, I relished the opportunity to attend and host at the inaugural Northern Ireland Conference in September 2023.
Overall, I consider in my last term I have acted in the best interests of the RJC, paying particular attention to the Charity’s strategic direction, resources and leadership team. As such, I feel I can continue to play an active role in the leadership and stewardship of our influential and crucial charity.
What I wish to achieve over the next term
I would be keen to continue to support the consultation and policy development in the area of Domestic Abuse and Sexually Harmful Behaviour. I would value the opportunity to engage with national stakeholders to ensure that we develop a robust policy for this complex field. Additionally, I am keen to support the implementation of the anti-racism plan .to increase the access to restorative justice for Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups.
I would also continue to participate in both of the sub-groups to develop practice standards across the field, paying particular attention to how we can ensure that our standards can be applied across a wide variety of sectors including community, education, social care and health settings. Communication and engagement with practitioners is a particular passion and I will continue to seek out opportunities to meet and speak to members to gain their views on the future direction of the charity.
I am also keen to continue to use my experience as a volunteer practitioner to benefit the field more widely and remain committed to giving my time to the membership, the CEO and the Board
Joanne Hughes The skills and experience I will bring to the RJC Board of Trustees
In 2011 my family suffered bereavement from things going wrong in healthcare. Navigating our feelings and needs in relation to our loss, alongside the knowledge that those responsible (in whom we had had no choice but to place our trust) did not knowingly cause harm, gave me an education in what healing and justice requires for relational human beings in the wake of healthcare harm and the unreliability of the systems on offer to deliver this. I draw on my lived experience, and the experiences shared with me by 100’s of patients and staff affected by patient harm incidents, to sensitively bring to life the theory of Restorative Justice and Practice and its application in health in my work.
Since that tragedy it has been my life’s mission to see the extra suffering caused to all parties and patient safety by ill-fitting response processes addressed. I have immersed myself in understanding relational theory, restorative justice, and restorative practice. I’m convinced that if we had Restorative Healthcare Organisations where the culture, policies, and practices were underpinned by restorative relational principles, values, and goals, we would see much swifter progress in addressing many of the costly (human and financial) problems the NHS faces, patient-centred and safer care, and improved staff satisfaction and retention. I’m encouraged by the evidence base from other sectors and the emerging evidence from healthcare.
I’m co-founder of the Harmed Patients Alliance**, working to embed Restorative Responses to Healthcare Harm. I have good relationships with stakeholders across the NHS, I speak at National Conferences on the topic of Restorative Approaches to responding to adverse events and I’m invited to influence policy and guidance on practices that impact harmed patients.
I was invited to give evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on NHS litigation reform, and the Restorative Justice APPG in relation to the Healthcare Sector.
I’m a member of the international collaborative for Restorative Initiatives in Healthcare, so have awareness of what is happening in other countries, with links to those leading the work. I co-authored ‘Humanising Harm’ * with other members of that group.
I’m a trained Restorative Practice Facilitator. I’ve also studied Restorative Foundations and Restorative Responses in Healthcare with VUW NZ.
I deliver training for NHS settings with Janine Carroll of Restorative Now.
What I wish to achieve as a Trustee
As a trustee I believe that my experience, skills, and knowledge will support the RJC to fulfil its charitable objective to raise awareness and embed RJ and RP within the healthcare system by:
Supporting the RJC to fully understand the context and needs in the healthcare sector and the potential for RJ and RP application, and to support its members to do the same.
Supporting the RJC team to gather robust evidence to influence ministers to support, and the government to properly fund, work aimed at Restorative Initiatives in healthcare.
Using my own network of relationships to support the RJC to build working relationships across the healthcare sector.
Supporting the RJC team to become recognised within the healthcare sector as an important voice and advisor in the development of NHS responses to complaints, harms, and conflicts.
Supporting the RJC to develop clear restorative principles and standards for Restorative Initiatives in Healthcare
Supporting the development of RJC materials that guide NHS organisations to become ‘Restorative Organisations’ and promote RJC ‘Restorative Organisation’ as a desirable accreditation amongst NHS leaders.
Supporting the RJC to encourage more NHS employees to become knowledgeable and skilled in Restorative Ethos Principles and Practice Facilitation, and evidence their work in relation to RJC standards.
Support the RJC to have a comprehensive Healthcare Sector ‘Hub’ on the RJC website
Dr Abu Zaman The skills and experience I will bring to the RJC Board of Trustees
I possess a profound dedication to restorative justice (RJ) and actively engage in advancing its principles. My educational background includes an LLB in Law from Middlesex University, an LLM in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice from Birkbeck University of London, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Greenwich, and a PhD from Middlesex University. These credentials equip me with a strong foundation of legal expertise and a deep understanding of quality, diversity, inclusion, standards, and practice development within the field.
For over eleven years, I served as a Law and Criminology teacher and an RJ facilitator in the Further Education (FE) sector. I received specialised training and accreditation in 'Level 5 Restorative Approaches – Theory and Practice' from the University of Greenwich and the Restorative Justice Council (RJC). Since January 2022, I have been a Lecturer in Law and Criminology at the University of Greenwich, focusing my research predominantly on RJ, Young People, and Education. My work aims to enhance standards, practices, and the prioritisation of RJ within sectors dealing with young people and ensure comprehensive education of RJ practices for future practitioners.
In my role, I have developed RJ modules grounded in restorative pedagogy, offering students unique training opportunities. These modules, which include training approved by the RJC, are designed to cultivate a cohort of RJ facilitators equipped with the necessary standards and practices. Notably, our undergraduate RJ module, coupled with an RJC Foundation level certificate, stands as a pioneering initiative in UK universities, ensuring that students not only learn RJ principles but also possess the skills to apply them effectively in society.
As part of my doctoral research, I investigated RJ practices within the Further Education sector, exploring staff and students' perceptions and experiences. Additionally, I am a member of the Advisory Board for the RJ All-Party Parliamentary Group (RJ APPG) and chair the Young People and Education Working Group. As the chair of this group, I have initiated an evaluation of RJ practices and standards across youth and education sectors in England and Wales, providing advisory briefs to governmental departments and stakeholders to enhance standards, practices, commitment and investment in RJ.
As an educator and academic, I am deeply committed to fostering equal opportunity and inclusivity in my teaching and research practices. I adhere strictly to Equal Opportunity Policies and strive to provide a professional service that reflects the diverse society I serve.
What I wish to achieve as a Trustee
As a Trustee of RJC, my aim is to advance the Charity’s mission of promoting the use and understanding of RJ principles in all sectors. One of my key aspirations is to increase awareness and accessibility of RJ practices across diverse communities and sectors. This involves advocating for policy changes that prioritise RJ practices within legal frameworks, as well as collaborating with stakeholders to integrate RJ principles into various institutions, including schools, Further Education Colleges, Universities, workplaces, and community organisations. Additionally, I aim to contribute to the ongoing development and evaluation of RJ models, drawing upon research, best practices, and lived experiences to continually improve effectiveness and outcomes. By promoting innovation and collaboration within the field, I seek to advance RJ as a viable and transformative approach to addressing harm and building safer and more connected communities. Therefore, I am committed to fostering a supportive environment for individuals affected by harm and conflict empowering them to participate meaningfully in the restorative process and facilitating their healing journey. Overall, my vision as a Trustee of the RJC is to help create a society which focusses on healing, reconciliation, and meaningful restoration for all individuals impacted by harm and conflict, through education, advocacy, and partnership. Thus, I aspire to make RJ principles integral to our collective approach to addressing conflict and harm.
Not a member of the RJC?
