Our Restorative Approach

In the City of Wolverhampton statutory and voluntary sector agencies have agreed to adopt a common approach to working with people and each other. All partners are committed to working with children and families in a way that is helpful, enables them to overcome adversities, builds on the strengths within their networks and creates better futures for families and communities.

In order to achieve this all agencies have agreed to adopt a restorative approach. By doing so, we will embed a set of values and beliefs that promote building equal and effective relationships with children, young people, families, carers, colleagues, organisations and communities.

A restorative approach supports a culture of high support and high challenge and has an emphasis of working with people, rather than doing things for them or to them. It enables practitioners to communicate their concerns and worries clearly from the foundation of a respectful and supportive relationship.

This restorative approach also extends to the relationships within and between organisations.

A range of processes and tools are used including informal and formal interventions. These processes are designed to support effective communication between practitioners, managers, children, families, organisations and communities.

Our partnership aim is to equip all partners in the city who are working with children and families with a common language and approach which will enable us to work even more effectively with each other in order to achieve even better outcomes. Wolverhampton Safeguarding Partnership has committed to support implementing this restorative approach and will review the impact and effectiveness on an annual basis.

All partner agencies will endeavour to:

• Always attempt to work “with” children and families rather than “doing to” families or “for” them.
• Always work “with” people in a respectful and kind manner, building relationships that help families make the changes they need and want to make.
• Challenge one another to move to a position of working “with” people at the earliest opportunity when it has been necessary to “do to” or “do for” them.
• Be open and transparent about strengths and concerns and be clear about what is needed to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
• Respectfully challenge one another where people have not been given opportunity to share their views and contribute to planning.
• Respectfully challenge one another where it is felt the approach to people or partners has not been restorative.
• Be committed to resolving differences through listening to each other well, being respectful of each other’s opinions and escalating disputes appropriately where differences of opinion require this for everyone’s safety and wellbeing.