An Interview with Caz, Practitioner at Restorative Solutions

Practitioners are at the heart of the Restorative Justice process, facilitating communication between the victim and offender, but what exactly does that entail?

We recently caught up with Caz Worthington-Hollowbread who gave us an insight into how and why she became a practitioner, plus the rewards and challenges that come with the role.

Can you tell me a little about your background and how you became a practitioner?

Shortly after retiring from my role as police officer in 2015, I was contacted by a police inspector to ask if I was interested in working on a one year project at Bradford College & University, which was being funded by Restorative Solutions.

Just as that project finished, Restorative Solutions were looking for more people to come and join them, as I'd spent a lot of my time in the police working with both victims and perpetrators of crime. I thought, yes, I'd love to be involved in it.

I started with Restorative Solutions as an administrator, a role that took all the pressure off the practitioners so they could focus on their work, without having to worry about the admin, which worked really well.

When one of the practitioners went on maternity leave, I thought “I’m ready to do that now”, and after covering her role for a year, another practitioner role was available so I slipped into it and carried on.

What were your motivations for becoming a practitioner?

I think my motivation for being a practitioner was that I wanted to help victims of crime.

“When I was in the police, helping keep people safe and moving on from crime was always what I really enjoyed doing, so I moved nicely into the Restorative Justice role”.

Do you feel like your time in the police has helped you a lot in the practitioner role?

“The practitioner isn’t trying to solve people's problems, it’s about enabling people to move on. They act as a link between victims and offenders, but don’t take sides”.

You’re enabling something to happen, giving the victim and offender the chance to have contact in whatever way they want. It’s not about sorting out people's problems, it's about helping people to do it themselves and being the person in the middle helping them.

What is the most fulfilling part of your role?

There are a lot of people who know nothing about Restorative Justice. It is lovely to be able to help them to have their questions answered and to have their voices heard, often for the first time since the crime occurred.

Are there parts of the process that are difficult?

There are challenges, for example, when one person opts out, it can be disappointing for the other. But we manage people’s expectations so they understand from the very beginning that it might happen.

The hardest part for me is on the rare occasion that we can't do Restorative Justice - the process is about relationship building - so if the reason the victim or offender is asking for it doesn't align with this, we have to tell them it’s not possible. They’re difficult discussions to have, but we assess each situation separately to decide whether it’s a relevant case for Restorative Justice or not.

If you have been affected by crime and think Restorative Justice could be helpful, please get in touch.

If you are interested in volunteering for Restorative Solutions, you can find out more here.