Restorative Justice Stakeholder Group minutes: January 2020

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• Anna Donald, SG, Victims and Witnesses (Chair)
• Shasta Ali, SCOREscotland
• Catherine Bisset, SG, JAS
• Kyrsten Buist, COPFS
• Mike Callaghan, COSLA
• Fiona Dyer, CYCJ
• Nicola Fraser, VSS
• Louise Johnson, SWA
• Pamela Morrison, CYCJ
• Liz Murdoch, SG, Youth Justice
• Pam Stott, SG, Victims and Witnesses
• Zak Tuck, SG, Victims and Witnesses

Teleconferencing

• Liz McNamee, SPS
• Elaine Tomlinson, Police Scotland

Apologies

• Kirstin Abercrombie, SACRO
• Gemma Fraser, CJS
• Tracy McFall, Turning Point
• Joanna Shapland, RJ Forum
• Estelle Zinsstag, RJ Forum

Items and actions

Welcome

The Chair welcomed all to the meeting and explained this first meeting would focus on reviewing membership of the Stakeholder Group, and discussion of, and agreement to, the Group’s Terms of Reference. 

Update on RJ Action Plan

Pam Stott provided an update of activity since publication of the RJ Action Plan. This covered:

• passing of Victim Surcharge Regulations in November.  (Not an action in the Plan, but relevant as a restorative measure.)
• ongoing work on drafting regulation to enact Section 5 of Victims and Witnesses Act.  This will set in statute who should adhere to the Restorative Justice Guidance. Stakeholders will be consulted on the draft regulations
• consideration of how to make best use of £300k SG budget available for RJ in the current financial year
• SACRO currently developing project to test use of RJ within Alloa Sheriff Court – SG had provided feedback on initial outline
• proposal to support Restorative Justice co-ordinator post within Community Justice Scotland, and potentially an additional post within CYCJ to cover children and young people/youth justice
• these posts to be in place for duration of delivery of RJ Action Plan – i.e. to 2023
• views from Stakeholder Group sought on these proposals

Key points from subsequent discussion:

• the Group were supportive of having co-ordinator posts within both CJS and CYCJ
• agreement that both posts should begin at same/similar time
• connection/collaboration between both posts will be essential, and should be built in to job descriptions
• posts should link into existing networks – particularly in terms of links to local authorities
• oversight of both posts will be via Scottish Government and Stakeholder Group
• interest in how local areas would be able to access RJ and the level of support that may be available to facilitate local delivery of RJ

Action 1: PS to share information on CJS post with CYCJ

Terms of reference

Stakeholder Group membership

The Group agreed:

• delivery of restorative justice services across Scotland requires a balance between addressing issues at a national level, with effective local delivery
• input and expertise needs to be drawn from wide range of bodies (from national to grassroots)
• this will enable both strategic and practical challenges to be identified and addressed
• appropriate for membership of the Stakeholder Group to reflect this

It was proposed the following additional organisations should be invited to be on the Stakeholder Group:

• National Youth Justice Advisory Group 
• Social Work Scotland 
• Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration 
• Children’s Hearings Scotland 
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service 
• Judiciary

Action 2: PS to extend invitations to these organisations

Comments

Comments made about the draft Terms of Reference were as follows:

• introduction should include reference to commitment to have RJ available across Scotland by 2023
• remit should include Group’s role in managing delivery of actions, and ensuring consistency of service as RJ is rolled out
• remit should specifically refer to oversight of the role of the co-ordinators
• need to reflect monitoring of both satisfaction with the process, and outcomes (i.e. considering impact)
• to aid monitoring, additional role for Stakeholder Group could be to co-produce core questions / develop standardised data collection processes that build on (where appropriate) existing systems and practice
• raising awareness, and data collection and data protection to be added to initial priorities for group

Action 3: All invited to provide any further comments on the ToR to Pam Stott by end of week.
Action 4: PS to circulate revised ToR with note of meeting by Tuesday 21 January.
Action 5: PS to circulate the JAS ‘Uses of Restorative Justice: evidence review’

Other matters

Additional information shared / mentioned included:

• existing work done on practice elsewhere
• CYCJ plans to develop good practice guide
• potential to engage with Glasgow Youth Justice Court on RJ
• SG, CJS and RJ Forum representatives participating in European RJ project being run by Maynooth University – provides opportunity to share experience and learn from other European countries
• work being undertaken by Rania Hamad and Dr Steve Kirkwood (Edinburgh University) on RJ toolkit

Action 6: PS to circulate information on European project

Proposal for next meeting

The Group supported the proposal that the next meeting, to be held within the next 4-6 weeks, should be run as a workshop.  This will be facilitated by Scottish Government analysts, and will involve logic modelling the Actions.  The results of the exercise will help with the development of a detailed project plan for the Group.

Action 7: PS to circulate Doodle Poll 

Agenda

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