Ms Gael Cochrane

Description

I have been a restorative justice facilitator with the Edinburgh RJ and Hate Crime project since 2020. I have expertise in working in cases of serious harm and I am trained to work in cases of hate crime and sexual harm. Through my professional experience, I have expertise in sexual harm and domestic abuse risk assessments.

I worked for many years in the substance use field and in mental health. I have worked with young people, parents/carers, individuals with substance use issues, mental health problems and learning disabilities.

I am a trauma skilled practitioner who will be led by the needs of the participants in the restorative process.

I have been involved in the development and delivery of restorative justice training for the past 5.5 years to Justice Social Workers, Police Officers, Prison Officers, youth workers and workers in the third sector. I have developed and delivered Restorative Justice and Serious Harm as well as Trauma Informed Restorative Justice training.

I am a member of the European Forum for Restorative Justice's Gender Based Violence working group, I have interviewed survivors of sexual violence who have taken part in RJ interventions, in order to create a Guide for Survivors who may be interested in hearing more about or participating in RJ called "From survivors to survivors: Conversations on restorative justice in cases of sexual violence", which was recently launched.

I also (co)conducted research with men who have committed sexual offences about their perspectives on restorative justice. “ Restorative Justice and Sexual harm: the voices of those who have harmed” (Russell and Cochrane, 2023).