Wandsworth’s youth offending team (YOT) has won a prestigious national award for the work it does in helping victims of crime obtain restorative justice.
The Wandsworth YOT has become only the fourth in London to have been awarded the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM) by national charity the Restorative Justice Council.
The RSQM is a badge of quality that demonstrates that a service provides safe, high quality restorative practice which meets the RJC’s six Restorative Service Standards.
Restorative justice brings together victims of crime or conflict and those responsible, enabling all affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.
In many cases victims find that talking to the person who committed the crime helps in the healing process and allows them to achieve closure by “getting things off their chest”. Many offenders say too that the process helps them better understand the harm and upset they have caused and meeting their victims face-to-face acts as a strong deterrent to committing future crimes.
Chris Straker, the RJC’s interim chief executive, said: “I would like to congratulate Wandsworth Youth Offending Team on being awarded the RSQM. This achievement represents the commitment of all of its staff to ensuring the highest standards in safe and effective restorative practice.”
Cllr Sarah McDermott, lead member for Children’s Services at Wandsworth Council, said: “We are very excited to have gained recognition for all the hard work the officers put in to promoting restorative justice in the service. The recognition of the RSQM is a feather in our cap showing we take this essential part of youth justice extremely seriously’