There is no doubt that lockdown has had a huge impact on the restorative work being undertaken across the globe. It has meant that service providers and practitioners have had to adapt quickly; finding new ways to work within the new virtual world we find ourselves in.

The Victims’ Code is the statutory document which sets out the minimum level of services that victims of crime should receive from criminal justice agencies and other organisations in England and Wales. It came into effect in 2006, having been required by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. It built on the support for victims within the Victims’ Charter, which was introduced in 1990 and which set out for the first time the levels of service victims of crime should expect. The Code was updated in 2013 and again in 2015.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a swift and immediate impact on the delivery of restorative justice across the United Kingdom. It has led to many service providers facing significant operational challenges and a need for practitioners to quickly adapt the way in which in they work to ensure that they can continue to support service users during lockdown. It is not unusual for practitioners to have to be adaptable; the environment in which we work often leads us to amend they way in which we work to ensure that participant needs are met.

Our CEO was recently interviewed by the European Forum for Restorative Justice as part of their #SolidarityOverDistance campaign. The interview focused on the current Covid-19 situation in the UK and our work in producing guidance for delivering restorative justice online.