Restorative practice is based primarily on a set of core values and the explicit promotion and enhancement of particular skills such as the ability to empathise and to find solutions to specific problems. This practice allows for building trust between and with people. It provides a structured approach in the form of a scaffold, which helps build and sustain relationships, and provides a focus which allows for the potential growth of positive relationships to become established between people. It also provides a platform for dealing with conflict in a healthy manner when conflict occurs. In Limerick ETSS, we recognise that conflict is part and parcel of everyday life.
Staff in Limerick ETSS are trained in restorative practices . Restorative practice is a process which informs our Code of Positive Behaviour and how it is enacted in the school. A cornerstone of the implementation and integration of restorative practices in our school relates to the language we use to communicate with each other and students. In the context of restorative approaches this relates to both how we speak to each other and how we listen to each other.