Barnsley Neighbourhood Resolution has become one of fourteen organisations in the country to deliver Restorative Justice training to a standard set by the Restorative Justice Council (RJC).

This means that Restorative Approaches, a restorative justice training course run by Neighbourhood Resolutions, is now approved under the RJC’s Training Approval Scheme. The Training Approval Scheme enables providers of facilitation training to demonstrate that their courses meet RJC standards, and helps practitioners, service managers and commissioners identify quality training.

Neighbourhood Resolutions have a licence for the next five years to deliver the Restorative Approaches course.

Julie Oxley, Neighbourhood Resolutions co-ordinator said: “We hope to now use this opportunity to provide further training to other practitioners in South Yorkshire to ensure the county continues to deliver the best Restorative Justice opportunities to victims of crime and the residents of South Yorkshire.”

Neighbourhood Resolutions was set up in May 2012 as part of a Ministry of Justice pilot to set up Neighbourhood Justice Panels delivering Restorative Justice in the Barnsley community.

By using community volunteers as an innovative way to tackle anti-social behaviour and low level crime, it is a community partnership, supported and funded by the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, South Yorkshire Police, Barnsley Council and Berneslai Homes.

Dr Alan Billings, the Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “I would like to congratulate Julie and the Neighbourhood Resolutions team, for hard work in achieving this accreditation, but also the excellent work they do in the community.

“Neighbourhood Resolutions can offer a service to communities to resolve neighbourhood disputes and anti-social behaviour issues that could quite quickly escalate into something a lot more serious.

“Julie put a great deal of work in to providing evidence for the accreditation from the Restorative Justice Council and I am very pleased for her that it proved successful.”

Neighbourhood Resolutions was one of 18 organisations nationally to be part of the pilot.  They have been involved in national roadshows, delivered the concept of non-judicial punishment nationally to help local Community Safety Partnerships understand the value of Restorative Justice and how it can empower communities.

Volunteers from across Barnsley have been trained in restorative approaches and regularly deliver Restorative Justice in their local communities.

For more information on Neighbourhood Resolutions or to become a volunteer practitioner, please contact Julie Oxley on 07825 904927 or [email protected]