Restorative Practice Resources Tagged With: sexual abuse

WHAT ARE LISTENING CIRCLES? Listening Circles provide time, a safe space and an authentic audience where the voices of those who have been impacted by the sexual abuse crisis within the Catholic Church.

Listening Circles are restorative in nature and they provide time, space and an authentic audience for the voice of those who have been impacted in some way by this crisis. The created space must be both sacred and safe. The voice of the process says, ‘we all care’ and ‘you matter’.

The process has agreements that guide interactions. The agreements are transparent and help establish and maintain respect and equity. Listening Circles are NOT occasions for discussion or debate or decision making. Within this domain, there are no attempts to solve problems or to level blame.

'This course introduces students to the main concepts and debates in restorative justice in an evidence-informed way. It explores the multitude of ways restorative justice can and is being used to respond to a variety of societal challenges. This includes the juvenile and adult criminal justice context, as well as areas as diverse as environmental protection, sexual abuse and health. We will also examine how restorative justice is being used within institutions to respond to concerns about harassment, bullying and sexual abuse. The course will also introduce students to relevant methodological tools for assessing the impact of restorative justice based approaches.'