This is a really common question I get asked by people finding out about Restorative Justice and especially from those that may have previously looked at other forms of mediation. The answer is that you don't have to use a script but it sure is easier to and has a number of really distinct advantages for those with little previous knowledge and experience; it also has benefits for those with loads!

Where did the idea of scripting come from? Well in the late 1980's an Australian Police Officer called Terry O’Connell, together with Macdonald and Moore developed a ‘script’ for conferencing. It was designed so that Police Officers could be taught a model of facilitated meetings very quickly and with no other mediation training which would ensure consistency and the neutrality of the conference facilitators. It was also relatively cheap to train in using a 3 or 5 day training course and still get very high quality outcomes without requiring a large amount of skill from the facilitator. I know that I can almost anyone to facilitate in 3 days! The original script has since been tinkered with but remains true to it's original ethos. I have of course adapted the language to use in a Christian setting and added in prayers etc (I would never minimise the impact of bringing God into the center of any conflict!) but any trained RJ facilitator would probably feel comfortable using it as the differences do not change the nature of the meeting, the process or the expected outcomes. Let's now break down some of those benefits.

Consistency

A great bonus to anyone who has ever tried to teach other people a new system is the ability to achieve consistency easily. If you are looking to introduce RJ to your church it would only need one conference to go really badly to stop you in your tracks. Unless you are going to go it alone (not advisable!)then at some point you will need to train others and this is where differences in what you are running can start to creep in and in no-time at all your very neat programme is being run in 10 different ways; any one of which has the potential for disaster in a batch of minimally trained and experienced practitioners.

Neutrality

We all go into any meeting with our own agenda but by being neutral in a conflict we can really help those involved feel safe to attend and know that even though you are not on their side, neither are you on the 'other side'. The only agenda that you have is also shared by everyone else there - to make peace work! It is very easy to ruin a meeting by being seen to take sides; even if you agree with one party! To attend a meeting to explain how you have been hurt or hurt someone else requires people to put themselves in a vulnerable position to being hurt again and unless they feel safe they just won't go into the room. In my experience the participants view of the neutrality of the facilitator can make or break a meeting and the outcomes agreed. Therefore if you can't remain neutral or stick to the script then maybe you shouldn't be a facilitator in this meeting but a participant!

Cost of training

None of us has an unlimited budget for training and so cost has to become a factor. Mediation training is quite rightly a long a costly one to achieve the level of skill to go it alone and generally is out of the reach of most church organisations outside of state supported and the odd mega church. Whilst 3 days sounds a lot of training and very few would call RJ training cheap it is very much an achievable target for many individuals and organisations.

Experience of facilitators

As you only need to be taught how to use a script rather than how to do it 'off the top of your head' it does not need previous experience or learning to reach a good standard. There is no minimum standard and the only requirement is to want to see harm repaired and peace restored. However what I am not saying is that experience is not vital to facilitating a difficult meeting. There are lots of similarities between the training and a driving test - you might be able to legally 'drive' afterwards but will still be learning to 'drive' for sometime afterwards!

It works!

I have now been using a scripted model of conferencing for the past 3 years either directly or through team mates in a Youth Justice setting and I still ALWAYS use a script or see my colleagues use it regardless of experience. We all know that it absolutely works without fail as long as we have prepared the meeting properly. I have yet to see a scripted conference fail to leave participants feeling better than when they went into the meeting. I have heard of plenty of occasions when people tried to cut corners or thought they knew better than the script and the meeting fell apart or failed to reach a positive outcome. One of the exercises we run in training is the use of role-play conferences and on every course we have someone who says something like "This is what I do already" or "I understand how it works so I won't use the script". I have NEVER seen one of these role-plays reach a successfull conclusion and the the reflected learning afterwards is always along the lines of "OK, next time I will use the script".

This article was not designed to tell experienced mediators that they should be using a script or that you shouldn't think about the benefits of undertaking a full mediators course but that learning a scripted model of conferencing can be a really effective solution to many organisation seeking to develop new peacemaking and problem solving skills within it's body at a cost in time and effort that is very achievable. It also doesn't mean that anyone can just pick up a script and then use when they bring together two parties - preparation is the most important part of any restorative process and will also condemn a meeting to failure if not done correctly. Keep an eye out for a future article on that subject! If you want to find out more about running a training course in your area then please feel free to contact me.

Matt Wilcox: June 2007