At CDI, our commitment extends to interpreting, translating, and sharing our knowledge. A vital aspect of this endeavour involves sharing our insights and discoveries with the academic community. Below, we present a selection of articles and journal submissions that reflect our ongoing contributions.
Resources
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Discover how RP can transform communities like Tallaght West.
Geraldine Conlon, a volunteer community leader in Tallaght West, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to:Key applications:
- Rebuild community spirit
- Tackle anti-social behaviour
- Improve parenting skills
- Enhance communication in community groups
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Discover how Anne Desmond, a Mental Health Support Worker in Carrigtwohill, East Cork, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to:
Key applications:
- Support mental health clients
- Address addiction issues
- Embed RP in the community
- Enhance youth programmes
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In Case Study Three, we explore how Tracy, a Development Officer in West Dublin, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to support vulnerable individuals looking to improve their lives. RP provides people with the space to tell their stories, feel listened to, and resolve conflicts in a positive way. One example involved a man under immense pressure, whose anger stemmed from fear. Through RP, Tracy helped him work through his challenges and find a resolution.
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Learn how RP transforms care settings. Geraldine Ward, a Social Care Leader in a respite service in Clare, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to:
Key applications:
- Support young people in respite care
- Improve staff relationships
- Handle workplace conflicts
- Create a safe and comfortable environment
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Discover how RP makes a difference in youth work.
Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Assistant Manager at Céim ar Chéim in Limerick, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to:Key applications:
- Support at-risk youth aged 15-25
- Handle challenging behaviours
- Improve conflict resolution
- Create a consistent, caring approach
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Case Study 6: Building Strong Relationships in a Training Centre for Young People
Discover how Kim Brown, a social education teacher in Céim ar Chéim, Limerick, uses Restorative Practices (RP) to:Key applications:
- Build trust and empathy in a youth training environment
- Encourage open communication and personal growth
- Reduce incidents and improve classroom dynamics
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Case Study 7: Using Restorative Practices (RP) to Share Experiences in Creative Arts
Explore how Tim Noonan, a creative arts facilitator in Limerick, integrates Restorative Practices (RP) with art and horticulture to:
Key applications:
- Connect individuals with their inner creativity
- Ground participants through mindfulness and circles
- Foster shared experiences for personal and collective growth
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Discover how Scoil Mhuire Naofa in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, under the leadership of Principal Anne Marie Moylan, transformed into a restorative school.
Key steps:
- Conflict Resolution: Developed a listening school using Restorative Questions
- Anti-bullying: Tailored RP to protect pupils in bullying situations
- Circle Time: Strengthened relationships between teachers and pupils
- Restorative Language: Introduced structured approaches to identify feelings and unmet needs
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Case Study 9: Restorative Practices Making a Safer and Happier School
Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Carrigtwohill, continues its restorative journey, now a co-ed school with around 500 students. Building on the practices highlighted in Case Study 8, this story delves deeper into the experiences of Special Needs Assistants Eithne Sheehan and Kate O’Riordan, alongside insights from 14 sixth-class students.
Key Takeaways:
- Restorative Practices (RP): Used to address conflicts, restore relationships, and build community through circle times and restorative meetings.
- Staff Support: Eithne supports staff, co-facilitating meetings and providing ongoing training to ensure all teachers are confident in RP approaches.
- Student Voices: Sixth-class students value RP for creating fairness, improving friendships, and providing a safe space to express themselves.
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Discover how Wicklow Sudbury School, Ireland’s first democratic school, has integrated Restorative Practices (RP) to:
Key applications:
- Resolve interpersonal conflicts through the Justice Circle
- Empower students in a democratic school structure
- Foster self-directed learning and personal responsibility
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In Case Study Eleven, John Madigan, a primary school teacher at Bishop Gavin National School in Dublin, shares his transformative 10-year journey with Restorative Practices (RP):
Key takeaways:
- RP builds confidence and facilitates connections
- Focuses on creating a positive classroom climate
- Uses circles and restorative questions to address conflicts
- Emphasises vulnerability and authentic relationships
- Requires 3-5 years for full school implementation
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In Case Study Twelve, discover how Principal Claire Matthews built a restorative school from the ground up, fostering a culture of RESPECT:
- Relationships
• Empathy
• Safety
• Personal Accountability
• Equity
• Community
• Trust
Key elements:
Restorative hiring practices
Continuous staff training
Regular use of circles for check-ins and problem-solving
Student ‘relationship keepers’
- Relationships
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In Case Study Thirteen, discover how Restorative Practices (RP) are transforming youth detention:
Key elements:
- Building positive relationships
- Using empathetic language
- Implementing restorative meetings
- Running structured weekly meetings
- Providing RP training for young people
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Teachers can use these two short courses (10 hours each) with students in 1st and 2nd years to train them to use Restorative Practices, values, and skills for strengthening relationships and resolving conflict. The courses are called “Friendship Champions” and “Friendship Masters” and can be delivered as part of a school’s wellbeing curriculum. They are designed to significantly improve four of the eight Junior Cycle Key Skills—Managing Myself, Working With Others, Staying Well, and Communicating—and all of these learning outcomes were met during the pilot phase of these courses. The teacher handbooks contain detailed instructions for delivering the courses, and the accompanying student journals will support learners in putting restorative skills into action in their class, school, home, and community.
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Teachers can use these two short courses (10 hours each) with students in 1st and 2nd years to train them to use Restorative Practices, values, and skills for strengthening relationships and resolving conflict. The courses are called “Friendship Champions” and “Friendship Masters” and can be delivered as part of a school’s wellbeing curriculum. They are designed to significantly improve four of the eight Junior Cycle Key Skills—Managing Myself, Working With Others, Staying Well, and Communicating—and all of these learning outcomes were met during the pilot phase of these courses. The teacher handbooks contain detailed instructions for delivering the courses, and the accompanying student journals will support learners in putting restorative skills into action in their class, school, home, and community.
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Thinking about how to put what we
learn into practice and how we communicate in our own daily lives is how we
grow, connect, and create positive change.
The intention of this Journal is to offer you opportunities to do this in meaningful
ways. -
As with your Student Journal in First Year, the intention of this Journal is to offer
you exercises for practising restorative skills and opportunities to reflect on your
learning as you progress in becoming a Friendship Master. -
This updated Quality Assurance Framework is an important contribution to developing capacity, systems, and infrastructure that support restorative practice’s growth, evolution, and sustainability.
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Download Here
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This review aims to inform the selection of such an intervention in the Tallaght region.
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This review provides an overview and comparison of the different delivery mechanism options currently available for delivering general, scalable, youth-focused psychological support to adolescents.
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A photovoice project by Dr Maria Quinlan and Patrick Bolger detailing the experiences of homeless families.
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A handbook based on the archiving of documents associated with CDI and in the process, establishing best practices in qualitative data archiving.
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A Framework for Ensuring Adherence to Best Practice Standards in Delivering Restorative Practices by Dr. Kieran O’Dwyer.
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Written by Dr. Brid McGrath and Robin Hanan, this toolkit sets out the processes, legislation, and best practices that can guide you in archiving data.
Journal Articles
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Authors: Catarina Leitão, Jefrey Shumba.
Providing support to parents in the early years can enhance their engagement in children’s lives. In Ireland, research on parenting support has been limited, highlighting the relevance of reviewing the interventions available. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of parent- and child-focused policies and research-supported parenting interventions for families with children up to six years old in Ireland. First, the Irish context is described in terms of comparative statistics, and parent- and child-focused policies and services. Second, research-supported parenting interventions are analysed in terms of characteristics and potential to support families at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The identified interventions included elements that have been considered to be effective in parenting support, such as a focus on prevention, addressing more than one area of need, easily accessible services, and continuity between universal and targeted provision. These elements are discussed in the context of Ireland. -
Author: Catarina Leitão
Providing support to parents in the early years can enhance their engagement in children’s lives. In Ireland, research on parenting support has been limited, highlighting the relevance of reviewing the interventions available. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of parent- and child-focused policies and research-supported parenting interventions for families with children up to six years old in Ireland. First, the Irish context is described in terms of comparative statistics, and parent- and child-focused policies and services. Second, research-supported parenting interventions are analysed in terms of characteristics and potential to support families at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The identified interventions included elements that have been considered to be effective in parenting support, such as a focus on prevention, addressing more than one area of need, easily accessible services, and continuity between universal and targeted provision. These elements are discussed in the context of Ireland.
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Peer research has the potential to increase community engagement in research and improve understanding of the data coproduced.
However, there is a dearth of research on how to effectively conduct peer research with parents. The current study aimed to collect the views and experiences of parents who were peer researchers in the evaluation of a parenting support intervention. Four parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed via thematic analysis. Results indicated that peer research tasks were perceived as becoming easier with practice. Benefits of peer research included increased awareness of the organisation’s work, enjoyment of the process, exposure to learning new things, and continued networks among peer researchers. Facilitating factors for peer research included the availability and accessibility of the organisation’s support, and opportunities for knowledge and information sharing among peer researchers. Main challenges experienced related to the training provided, previous experience in qualitative research, coding difficulties, and procedures regarding the organisation of the peer research process. Parents also shared ways of improving the peer research process in the future regarding structures to support the coordinating researcher and continued involvement of the same pool of peer researchers, given the acquired experience. Studying the peer research process has the potential to increase the understanding of peer researchers’ needs, preferences, and resources, and to inform research aimed at supporting families.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted families’ socio-emotional well-being. Understanding the experiences of families from diverse socio-economic backgrounds can help identify their specific needs and resources during this time. This research aimed to explore the perspectives and experiences of families in the Republic of Ireland, including those in disadvantaged areas.
In Study 1, 168 parents of children under six shared their experiences through an online questionnaire, revealing common concerns such as social isolation, negative impacts on emotional well-being, and uncertainty about the future, alongside some positive changes in family time. These experiences were linked to factors like parents’ age, employment, and family income.
In Study 2, focus group discussions with 50 children (aged 8-17), 17 parents, and 20 service providers highlighted challenges related to online education, food poverty, and children’s socio-emotional health.
Overall, the findings underscore the need for measures to support families’ socio-emotional well-being, address educational inequalities, and ensure economic and employment security.
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Author: Quinn, M
A non-research perspective on sharing data. Archiving Evaluation Data Children’s Research Digest, Volume 4, Issue 3 -
Authors: Casey, C., McNally, S., O’Keeffe, A., and Quinn, M.
This article first appeared in The Irish Review of Community Economic Development Law and Policy, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2013, pp. 63–70, published by the Northside Community Law and Mediation Centre. -
Author: Casey, C.
This article was published by the Edward Kennedy Institute, Maynooth University, in their Journal of Mediation and Applied Conflict Analysis, Issue 1, Volume 1, January 2014. -
Authors: McNally, S. & Smith, G.
This article first appeared in An Leanbh Óg: The OMEP Ireland Journal of Early Childhood Studies, Volume 7, April 2013, pp. 119–127.
An Leanbh Óg is edited by Rosaleen Murphy, Patricia Radley, and Anna Ridgway. It is published by the Irish committee of OMEP, l’Organisation Mondiale pour l’Education Préscolaire/The World Organisation for Early Childhood Education. -
Becoming a new parent is a significant change that can be both rewarding and challenging. It’s normal to feel unsure at times and to experience a range of emotions from joy to confusion. Reflect on the type of parent you want to be and consider what support you might need. If you have a partner, discuss how a baby will change your lives and how you can support each other.
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Authors: Kelly, M., and Reid, A-M.
This is an article published in the Reading Association of Ireland journal.