Restorative Confessions!

I have been designing a “Value Led Restorative Team” training programme. A programme that support teams to recognise:

1) The values needed to work with their client group

2) What values are strongest within the team and what needs further strengthening

3) What values each individual brings to the team and how they complement the others

4) What values the team hold for each other and how does they impact on others outside the team

I began working on a table (see Table One below) that demonstrated the unhealthy behaviours displayed by team members and the collective (External, Column one), the underlying feelings/issues underpinning the actions (Internal, column two) followed by what should be the external response (Column Three) of a healthy team and the intent/value of that response (Column four).

In all, I came up with 15 external behaviours from ‘gossiping’ to ‘self-worth tied to productivity’ and everything else in between. Below is an example of some unhealthy behaviours

Table One

Having completed the table, consider what you need to do next. Do you need to contact that person? Do you need to sit on it? Do nothing?
We have all been at the giving and receiving end of harmful behaviour. We, like others, bury our own indiscretions, most of which we can let go and put it down as learning. Some come back occasionally as reminders and others we carry with us internally in the form of guilt and shame. ***As practitioners I believe we need to get in touch with our own feelings of guilt and shame and where possible action them if we are to be fully restorative.***
I would like to explore this area of our self-development more and would appreciate feedback from anyone who was ‘brave’ enough to complete the exercise. You access the full range of exercises by emailing me at
jim@netcare-ni.com . This applies to the tables mentioned in this blog.

**About the Author**

Jim McGrath is a native of Northern Ireland and has worked in the Restorative field for 30 years. He is a trained mediator, restorative practitioner, Family Group Conference Co-Ordinator and a qualified Social Worker.

He founded NetCare 20 years ago and specialises in Restorative Approaches in Children, adolescent and family services. NetCare provide training, consultancy and practice to a wide range of organisations. For more details visit www.netcare-ni.com