United Kingdom

The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) is dedicated to supporting improvements in youth justice, contributing to better lives for individuals, families, and communities.

Their vision is a Scotland where all individuals and communities are safe and flourish; and where Scottish youth justice practice, policy, and research are internationally renowned and respected. We contribute to this by developing, supporting, and understanding youth justice practice, policy, and research in Scotland, and through seeking and sharing learning internationally.

CYCJ supports the current Scottish Government Restorative Justice action plan which aims for Restorative Justice to be available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it at a time that is appropriate to the people and case involved. Their specific focus will be on ensuring there is a consistent approach to restorative justice in Scotland for victims of crime whilst supporting the added complexities and vulnerabilities and upholding the rights of children and young people in conflict with the law. Furthermore, CYCJ looks to promote the use of restorative practices and approaches in communities and education establishments.

Contact Pamela Morrison at pamela.i.morrison@strath.ac.uk

Established in April 2017, Community Justice Scotland is responsible for promoting world-leading standards of community justice across Scotland. We provide training, support and leadership to identify expertise, promote innovation and drive change. We will change the conversation about justice and the prevention of offending. Our aim is for a smarter, more effective justice system and our ambition is to reduce victims of crime, reduce offending and improve the lives of everyone.
Community Justice Scotland (CJS) has been supportive of a stronger position for restorative approaches in the justice system from our inception.

We are active members of the Scottish Restorative Justice Forum and the Scottish Restorative Justice Practitioners network. Also, Community Justice Scotland, in partnership with academia and the Scottish Government, has been invited to take part in the international Restorative Justice Strategies For Change Project alongside nine other European countries. This work ties in with the European Forum for Restorative Justice.

We wanted to join the European Forum to make links with our colleagues in Europe and to hear about good practices. We also want to learn about the different approaches to Restorative Justice taken in other European countries.

Contact: Gael Cochrane

Extern transform lives as the leading social justice charity across the island of Ireland. Operating since 1978, we believe another chance can change a life.

Each year they speak up for and support more than 20,000 children, young people, individuals and families. We enable them to overcome their challenges, empower positive change and support family unity.

They also support, house, and advise people who are:

• homeless or facing homelessness,
• refugees,
• the Traveller community,
• living with an offending past,
• living with the impact of suicide,
• dealing with mental health,
• dealing with drug and alcohol issues.

Resolve West (formerly Bristol Mediation) was founded in 1987 in direct response to rising social tensions in the city. They became a registered charity in 1991 and sought funding to train mediators and to raise awareness of mediation as a non-violent and highly effective means of resolving conflict without the need for legal action. They aimed to encourage and enable others to explore ways of coping with and resolving conflicts in their own lives and the lives of their community.

Restorative Solutions CIC (RS), are pleased and proud to return to the fold by joining the European Forum for Restorative Justice having previously been a member of Thames Valley Police.

We are keen to share and collaborate on the important issues in Restorative Justice which are best served by close links and cooperation.

RS has been working for over fifteen years in close partnership with a multitude of local organisations and police forces to make restorative approaches accessible to all. Our aim has always been to provide restorative solutions that reduce harm and resolve conflict.

RS manage Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) commissioned RJ services in Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Kent & Medway, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Merseyside, and Dorset we deliver RJ training and case supervision for other PCC commissioned providers in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. PCC commissioned Domestic Violence perpetrator programmes in West Yorkshire, and child-to-parent violence programmes in Cumbria, Kent and West Yorkshire. Deliver RJ training and case supervision to numerous other clients across the UK (local authorities, schools, universities, probation and prison services, and police forces).

RS are members of the Advisory Board to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Restorative Justice.

The Restorative Lab is dedicated to transforming organisations by providing exemplary training, consultancy, evaluation, and facilitation services in relational and restorative practices. We deliver training programs tailored to the unique needs of each organisation, fostering a more harmonious and compassionate work environment. We empower individuals to build strong communities that promote connection, collaboration, and communication.

The University of Gloucestershire has a longstading interdisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners working on restorative justice and restorative practice across criminal justice, education, community, and organisational settings. For a number of years, the group has contributed to the theoretical development of restorative justice, alongside applied research focused on the evaluation and improvement of restorative services and interventions.

Our work explores both the principles underpinning restorative approaches and the practical challenges of implementation, with particular expertise in evaluation, evidence development, and understanding how restorative practices operate within complex social systems. The team has undertaken collaborative research and evaluation projects with policy makers, justice agencies, and community organisations, helping to strengthen evidence-informed restorative practice in the United Kingdom and internationally.

The University maintains active partnerships with colleagues and organisations across Europe, Australia, North America, and the Africa, supporting international dialogue, shared learning, and the development of restorative approaches across diverse cultural and institutional contexts. Through research, teaching, and collaboration, we aim to advance restorative justice as a means of addressing harm, strengthening relationships, and supporting more just and participatory responses to conflict.

Contact: dr. Jonathan Hobson

Why me? are a registered charity fighting for victims of crime to have access to Restorative Justice across England and Wales. We have our own Restorative Justice service which facilitates meetings between victims and offenders. We also work with victims, offenders, police forces, prisons, probation services and other criminal justice organisations to improve access to Restorative Justice. We are working on several campaigns to increase understanding of best practices, and to persuade the UK Government to ensure that Restorative Justice is more widely used. We are also running three projects on the use of Restorative Justice with hate crime, covering different geographical areas and different types of hate crime.

The UK Victims Code says that all victims are entitled to information about Restorative Justice. However, only 7.5% of victims with a known offender recall being given this information. That is a problem which we are working to solve, to improve the lives of victims in the UK.

Our motivations for joining the EFRJ are to learn from other Restorative Justice organisations and to build fruitful Europe-wide partnerships on projects relevant to our mandate.

Contact: Sara Dowling, CEO at Why me?