The EFRJ invites its members* to participate in an experts’ meeting (Leuven, Belgium 18 December 9-16hr): find below all information about the reasons for such meeting and the online form to register (deadline 12 November).
*Please contact us if you have doubts about the status of your membership in 2017! The deadline for renewing your membership is 10 December, then we will close our financial year 2017.*
Background information
As part of the Forum 15 project, in 2016 the Board of EFRJ launched a new strategy with the aim of pursuing the vision that every person in Europe shall have the right of access to high quality restorative justice. To support its vision the EFRJ will focus on:
- raising public awareness of restorative justice and its benefits;
- influencing public policy so that restorative justice is available, is well resourced and accessible to all who need it;
- promoting excellence in research and practice including quality and best practices.
The EFRJ has defined restorative justice as an inclusive approach of addressing harm or the risk of harm through engaging all those affected in a dialogue to seek a common understanding and agreement on how the harm or wrongdoing can be repaired, relationships maintained and justice achieved. This means that restorative justice is and can be relevant to and effective in the contexts of criminal justice, peace-building, education, social development, family support, children’s rights and well-being, and organisational life.
Expertise within the EFRJ membership
To achieve this ambitious and wide-ranging vision, the EFRJ needs the help of its greatest resource, its membership. Our members include some of the most experienced and skillful practitioners, managers, policy makers and researchers in the field of restorative justice. The EFRJ would like to be in a position to offer this expertise to those countries, government departments, and organisations that need it.
We are inviting members who wish to contribute actively to our vision to come to a meeting so that we can:
1. Further explain this strategy and answer your questions;
2. Obtain your advice on how we can understand the needs in different European countries that we should respond to;
3. Inform you of the range of research documents and practice guidelines that the EFRJ has produced over the past 15 years;
4. Explain the significance of the new Council of Europe Recommendation on Restorative Justice;
5. Offer you the opportunity to consider what expertise you could provide;
6. Consider how we should organise the provision of expertise and assure its quality;
7. Consider how we should manage the finances involved in such transactions.
Join this consultation meeting!
If you would like to participate in this meeting (Leuven 18 December), please complete the online form (below) before 12 November. You will be asked to upload a file including a brief evidence of expertise in different categories: find here the Word document. The EFRJ will review the applications received on a rolling basis in order to fill the 30 places available for this event. If the demand is higher than 30, we will select participants according to range of expertise and location.
Please note that the EFRJ will cover most of your costs:
- Contribution to return travel (up to 150 euros): for this you will have to keep all receipts and tickets and request a reimbursement to the EFRJ
- Accommodation for 1 night on Sunday 17 December (organised by the EFRJ staff- practical info will come soon)
- Lunch and coffee breaks on Monday 18 December
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about this event. The selection committee will inform all candidates about their participation in this expert’s meeting in the week of 13-17 November, so that you can organise your trip to Leuven.
