IIRP's 11th World Conference set for October 22-24, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The 11th IIRP World Conference, "Restoring Community in a Disconnected World," to be held October 22-24, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This interdisciplinary conference will provide an international perspective on restorative practices theory and practice in a variety of settings, from education to social welfare to criminal justice.

More information here.

10th IIRP conference, November 7-9, 2007, in Budapest, Hungary

About 350 participants from 18 countries attended the IIRP's 2007 conference in Budapest, Hungary, on November 7-9, 2007. This interdisciplinary conference provided an international perspective on restorative practices theory and practice in a variety of settings, from education to social welfare to criminal justice.

More information here.

Journal Reclaiming Children and Youth Publishes restorative practices issue — August 1, 2007

IIRP president and founder Ted Wachtel is guest editor of the summer 2007 issue of Reclaiming Children and Youth, a publication of the Reclaiming Youth Network. The issue, which focuses on restorative practices, includes articles by Ted Wachtel, IIRP professors Beth Rodman and Frida Rundell, communications coordinator Laura Mirsky and many restorative practitioners. Subscribe by June 22 to receive the restorative practices issue as the first issue. If subscribing after that date you must specifically request that issue.

More information about Reclaiming Children and Youth here.

International Institute for Restorative Practices approved as a graduate school by Pennsylvania Department of Education

On June 26 the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education signed the Certificate of Authority for the International Institute for Restorative Practices to operate as a graduate degree-granting institution. By this action, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has officially recognized "restorative practices" as a new discipline. The IIRP is the world's first graduate school wholly dedicated to restorative practices.

Courses will be offered on weekends to accommodate working adults and those traveling substantial distances. Summer weekday courses will be offered to accommodate teachers' summer break.

More information on the IIRP Graduate School here.

"Family Voices" video available for purchase

"Family Voices" is a collaborative effort of Family Power and American Humane's National Center on FGDM. Moving, candid, at times even humorous, this 18-minute video follows nine culturally, economically and geographically diverse American families on their journey of discovery of family group decision making (FGDM), from their initial fears, questions and hopes to their joy in seeing the process work. In the empowering spirit of restorative practices, "Family Voices" lets families speak for themselves. It's an ideal way to acquaint both families and professionals with FGDM. The video premiered at the American Humane's 2004 National Conference on Family Group Decision Making, held in June 2004 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Click here for information or to order.

Family group decision making/family group conferencing articles available in the IIRP Library

Here's a list of some of the articles and links to articles on FGDM/FGC available in our Library:

A Family Plan Forged Out of Commitment and Love:
An FGDM Story
Lynn M. Welden, IIRP

Family Group Conferencing Worldwide
Part One    Part Two    Part Three
a three-part series by Laura Mirsky, IIRP

Family Group Decision Making Reunites a Family
Laura Mirsky, IIRP

New Study Reports on Success of Family Group Conferences in Schools in Hampshire County, England, UK
University of Sheffield, England

Hampshire County, U.K.: A Place of Innovation for Family Group Conferencing
Laura Mirsky, IIRP

The Family Group Conference 14-Year Journey: Celebrating the Successes, Learning the Lessons, Embracing the Challenges
Shannon Pakura, New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family Services

Family Group Conferencing as a First Choice: Empowerment Versus Intervention
Robert van Pagée, Eigen-kracht Centrale, Voorhout, Netherlands

Addressing Child Protection and Group Care Issues Through the Use of Family Group Conferencing
Karin Gunderson, Northwest Institute for Children and Families, University of Washington School of Social Work, Washington State, USA

Family Group Conference Connections: Shared Problems and Joined Up Solutions
Paul Nixon, former commissioning officer for FGCs for the Hampshire County Council Social Services Department, England, currently Children’s Service Manager in West Berkshire, England

Mainstreaming Family Group Conferencing: Building And Sustaining Partnerships
Joan Pennell, North Carolina State University

Long Term and Immediate Outcomes of Family Group Conferencing in Washington State U.S.A. (June 2001) Nancy Shore, Judith Wirth, Katharine Cahn, Briana Yancey, Karin Gunderson

Restorative Justice in New Zealand: Family Group Conferences as a Case Study
Allison Morris and Gabrielle Maxwell, Institute of Criminology, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand

Background Paper On New Zealand Youth Justice Process
Judge Michael J.A. Brown, Principal Youth Court Judge, New Zealand

The Family Group Conference – 10 Years On
Mike Doolan, Children, Young Persons and Their Families Agency, New Zealand

Special volume on FGDM research available from American Humane Association

A special double volume of Protecting Children, the journal of the American Humane Association's National Center on Family Group Decision Making, is now available. This volume, entitled Promising Results, Potential New Directions: International FGDM Research and Evaluation in Child Welfare, contains reports on FGDM research from around the world and offers "considerable support for the advancement of FGDM and good reasons to explore ways to mainstream its practice." A PDF of the volume's 10-page introductory article is also available.