About this Profile
Profile source: An interview on behalf of the NED Foundation.
- Head of Support Services
About the Organisation
Andrew worked in schools for many years before coming across Restorative Practice. Initially the versions he found were not practical enough however, once he was introduced to Marg Thorsborne, he found a process that was more applicable and now shares that, together with developments of his own, with others.
Andrew instinctively knew that the existing punitive methods being used so broadly in the education system, was at best a blunt instrument and not working effectively. So when he came across Restorative Practice, a process that was based on being human, not punitive. About undoing harm, and replacing it with growth and understanding. A process of generating rather than degenerating. He understood that this was culture building and would not only help students with behaviour, but properly developed, it was going to impact the learning environment ultimately benefitting Students and Staff equally. There are few opportunities to employ a framework of understanding which will support practice to be better at the same time it supports us to be better people.
Andrew's journey with Restorative Practice began in 2015/16, when he was invited to attend training in Townsville that was conducted by Marg Thorsborne. He then commenced searching online, and reading publications extensively, and discovered how extensive the topic and the breadth of practice around the world.
All staff at Ayr High now undertake a three-day training program, using materials developed by Marg and also incorporating work of his own, together with other material from his research and other practitioners.
One passion of Andrews is workplace culture and cohesion. Restorative principles help people to work at their best and be productive, whether at work or in the context of personal relationships and family. People need to be supported, to work as a team, and have a model to work from.
Another passion is connecting Restorative principles to education. More than just behaviour management, he takes the principles of Restorative Practice and uses them to help people understand about the deep connectedness to the processes of learning so important to quality teaching practices
Restorative principles underpin the best of our practices whether that is work related or in the rest of our lives because they support social cohesion and collaboration. Humans are built for connection, and so developing understanding and skills of relating enhances us as people, by giving us tools to help us address the issues we face and to enhance the ways we can support others around us as well. This can seem like topics we talk about at work, or when there are problems, but it is really about helping us to flourish as people, everywhere we are.
One of the realisations Andrew made in the process of working with people from different backgrounds and experiences was that training based on teaching people to use a script, was simply not enough. Without being involved in a process of development, (and sometimes even if they are in the process of growth), revert to type, particularly under stress. The real opportunity of Restorative Practice is to engage people in the process of becoming "Restorative People".
To that end, he has developed a "Relational Coaching" model to assist people in growing personally, problem solving and using empathic insight to help them in their professional and personal development.
- Government School
- Juvenile Justice
- Local police
- Referrals from the justice system
- Victims of crimes
- School
- Advocacy
- ATSI health and well being
- Child and Family support services
- Coaching
- Community Development/Education
- Consultancy
- Facilitation
- Faith Based Restorative Work
- Family Dispute Mediation
- Family Dispute Resolution
- Family group conferencing
- Family violence advocacy
- Gendered violence
- Group based relationship education
- Human rights
- Leadership development
- Peer support services
- Policy development
- Program development
- Reflective practice
- Responding to sexual assault/harm
- Restorative Circles
- Restorative Conferencing
- Restorative Practice meetings
- Rights of carers
- Rights of people with disabilities
- Rights of those experiencing mental ill health
- Schools 7-12
- Support groups
- Team Building
- Training
- Violence risk assessment
- Violence risk management
- Workplace assessment
- Workplace Conferencing
- Workplace investigations
- Workplace Training
- Youth justice