The Safer Communities Team and the Youth Offending Service have been awarded the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM) by the Restorative Justice Council.
Restorative practice is a way of bringing people involved in conflict into direct or indirect communication to repair the harm caused by the conflict and to collectively find a way forward.
A restorative city
Brighton & Hove committed to becoming a ‘restorative city’ in 2015, led by Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police and the Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner.
The practice seeks to help people understand the impact of their behaviour and make amends for it. It is most commonly used within criminal and youth justice in the UK bringing together victims of crime with offenders.
The council’s Safer Communities Team has led this work in partnership with the Youth Offending Service. Both services work with people affected by crime, anti-social behaviour and hate incidents and the people responsible for this.
How it helps
Restorative practice has helped significantly reduce the number of young people entering the criminal justice system through diversionary activities such as reparation or face-to-face meetings between victims and the people responsible.
The Safer Communities Team take the approach to support people involved in neighbour disputes, anti-social behaviour, bullying in schools and hate incidents throughout the city. They also work with housing providers to help reduce the number of abandonments and evictions that can happen if issues are not addressed.
Councillor Emma Daniel, chair of the council’s Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities & Equalities committee, said: “It’s great news that we have achieved the RSQM. We have made significant progress in developing Brighton & Hove as a restorative city and it’s proved to be a really valuable way to resolve disputes.
“The RSQM is a badge of quality that guarantees that a service is consistently offering safe and effective restorative practice in our city.”
Find out more
If you'd like to find out more or think restorative practice could help you, please contact our Community Safety Casework Team by calling 01273 292735 or emailing communitysafety.casework@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
