Organisation: 
Open Circle
Focus: 
Restorative Practice
Restorative Justice

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About this Profile

Profile admin:
Renee Handsaker's picture
Renee Handsaker

Profile source: An interview on behalf of the NED Foundation.

Interviewee: Renee Handsaker
Interviewee role:
  • Facilitator

About the Organisation

Field of Interest: 

Open Circle is a service that brings people together to collectively acknowledge and respond to experiences of harm. Also undertakes research, policy and program design work in the areas of Restorative Justice and Restorative Practice.

Motivation: 

In 2014, CIJ undertook a research project into innovative responses to sexual offending. Following this, a pilot project was established in 2016/18 to offer Restorative Justice processes for people involved in serious motor vehicle accidents that resulted in death and serious injuries.

Additional Information: 

Open Circle puts people at the centre of our processes. We believe in people’s capacity to draw on their own resilience, wisdom and strength when they are faced with unwelcome and unexpected life circumstances. Open Circle’s restorative processes aim to respond to harm in ways that don’t make things worse. Open Circle recognises that harm occurs within a social and structural context. By bringing people together, Open Circle’s restorative processes can enable people to address the context of harm and work towards preventing future harm

Organisational Structure: 
  • University
Jurisdiction: 
  • Community based
  • Referrals from the justice system
Services Offered: 
  • Advocacy
  • ATSI health and well being
  • Child and Family support services
  • Coaching
  • Community Development/Education 
  • Consultancy
  • Education - University
  • Elder Abuse
  • Facilitation
  • Family group conferencing
  • Grief and loss
  • Group based relationship education
  • Human rights
  • Leadership development
  • Management Training
  • Peer support services
  • Policy development
  • Program development
  • Reflective practice
  • Research
  • Residential care
  • Responding to child sexual abuse
  • Restorative Circles
  • Restorative Conferencing
  • Rights of carers
  • Rights of older people
  • Rights of people who experience mental ill health
  • Rights of people with disabilities
  • Support groups
  • Team Building
  • Workplace Conferencing
  • Workplace Training
  • Responding to sexual assault/harm
  • Sexual assault

Organisation Location and Reach

Location: 
Carlton, Vic, 3053
Area Covered: 
National
International
State -Vic

Organisation Internet Presence