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Restorative justice - the evidence:
A pilot for the youth justice system of England & Wales

  • Project Overview

The RJ4All International Institute is pleased to act as the Delivery Partner for a ground breaking pilot project aiming to create the evidence needed for restorative justice in the youth justice system of England and Wales.

The programme is funded by The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), a leading funder of early intervention programmes aimed at preventing children and young people from becoming involved in violence. Recognising the current lack of consistent and comprehensive evidence on the impact of restorative justice within the Youth Justice System (YJS) (Gavrielides, 2011a), YEF is investing in this pilot project to address this gap.

The project will support a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) and a detailed Implementation and Process Evaluation of direct and indirect restorative justice interventions involving children and young people who have offended, conducted in partnership with evaluators Coram.  It is supported by the Youth Justice Board and delivered with 10 Youth Offending Services. The project has two core aims, the first which has been completed: 

  • Co-designed and developed a shared practice model of direct restorative justice practice for youth justice service in England and Wales alongside a Practical Guide and a capacity building programme (Phase 1)
  • Run a randomised controlled trial with pilots in youth justice services (Phase 2)
  • RJ4All's Roles

RJ4All has been selected as YEF’s Delivery Partner, tasked with designing and implementing the restorative justice shared-practice model in partnership with Youth Justice Services. 

Coram will act as the independent Evaluation Partner, responsible for the rigorous assessment of the intervention’s feasibility and outcomes.

Specifically, RJ4All, as the delivery partner, has been in charge of the following outputs:  

  • Developing a shared-practice model to frame direct and indirect restorative justice
  • Supporting the recruitment of Restorative Justice Practitioners to advise on the pilot
  • Coordinating the high-quality delivery of this model across the selected 10 YJSs
  • Collaborating closely with Coram, the independent evaluation partner, to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the model as well as ensuring the consistency of practices and data collected.
  • Project Timeline

This will be a multi-phased project, incorporating two ‘transition decision points’ that will be determined by (1) whether the shared practice model is feasible to implement and can achieve its intended outputs, and (2) whether the programme is evaluable and has potential for improving its intended outcomes.  

Co-Design and Planning Phase

1 June 2025 – 28 February 2026

Following key milestones achieved during this phase: 

  • Theory of Change created with Evaluator and YEF 
  • “Restorative Justice Practitioners Board” set up and ToR agreed 
  • Recruited 10 pilot Youth Justice Service Teams to co-design SPM 
  • Co-designed Shared Practice Model (SPM)  
  • Produced a Practical Guide to incorporate the SPM and assist with the evaluation.  
  • Co-designed a feasible Randomised Control Trial with evaluation partners, Coram. 

Delivery & Evaluation Phase Stage 1 from March 1, 2026 to October 1, 2026 (7 months) 

  • Preparation & Final Planning – Finalising trial design and implementation plans, establishing data sharing agreements, preparing evaluation processes, and designing the case management and training systems to ensure YJSs’ readiness for delivery. 
  • Upskilling & Training: Provide structured training and support to pilot YJS teams to build relative consistency in delivering the SPM within the RCT evaluation. 

Delivery & Evaluation Phase Stage 2: October 1, 2026 to June 1, 2029 (33 months)   

  • In-Person Placements & Online Consultations: Deliver hands-on support through on-site placements and ongoing consultations with pilot YJS teams, providing continued access to tools, materials, supervision, peer-support and specialist advice throughout the 33-month period. 
  • Implementation Support: Ensure consistent guidance and accessible support so teams can confidently implement the SPM in partnership with RJ4All (delivery partners) and facilitate evidence gathering with Coram (evaluation partners).
  • Case Registration for Trial Participation: Support YJS teams to register eligible cases to take part in the randomised controlled trial.
  • Support for Children & Young People: Work alongside YJS teams to support children through the restorative justice process (or Business As Usual where applicable), ensuring safe, consistent, and high-quality practice.
  • Implementation Fidelity & Quality Assurance: Monitor and support implementation fidelity, ensuring the SPM is delivered as intended while remaining responsive to local contexts. 
  • Evaluation & Outcome Measurement 
    • Outcomes of restorative justice 
    • Implementation fidelity and feasibility of trial 
    • Overall impact and best practices within the YJS context 
  • Preparing for Scale-Up: Generate robust evidence to determine whether a full-scale evaluation of restorative justice within YJS across England and Wales can follow the three-year pilot.
  • Upcoming Conference: Restorative Justice – The Evidence

Opening Conference: Restorative Justice – The Evidence

Open Here
  • Co-designing the Shared Practice Model

The co-design project aimed to help shape a Shared Practice Model for Restorative Justice, ensuring consistent, high-quality, and victim-centred delivery across youth justice settings. Currently, the delivery of restorative justice varies significantly across Youth Justice Services, and there is limited publicly available information on what is delivered, how it is delivered, and with what outcomes. Evidence on its impact for children and young people in the UK also remains scarce (Gavrielides, 2007b, 2011a; Sherman & Strang, 2007). 

In response to this, the project developed a Shared Practice Model that will be applied across all selected services participating in the pilot. This involved identifying and defining the core components of restorative justice delivery, the minimum common elements that each service will incorporate into their practice. By grounding the model in practitioner expertise and aligning it with the needs of both victims and young people who have offended, the co-design process ensured the model is both practical and evidence-informed. 

Through extensive engagement and research, including focus groups, interviews and consultations, we have developed a model that is firmly grounded in the wider evidence base on restorative justice and aligned with current policy and regulatory frameworks. Alongside this, Coram have co-designed the Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), establishing a robust and practical framework to test feasibility and outcomes in real-world YJS settings. 

We selected Youth Justice Services across England and Wales to take part in this innovative national co-design project on restorative justice. Please see the list of participating YJS below. 

Implementing Restorative Justice in Youth Justice Settings: Shared Practice Model

This Guide incorporates a Shared Practice Model that was co-designed with Youth Offending Services in England and Wales. It forms the foundation for the RCT pilot and the framework for implementing the SPM. The Guide can also act as the “go to place” for anyone wishing to implement RJ for youth justice. It is organised under four sections:

  1. The legislating and policy framework for implementing the SPM
  2. The conceptual framework within which the SPM was developed and should be placed
  3. The evaluation framework for the RCTs piloting phase
  4. The practical framework (i.e. the SPM).
Read the Full Guide
Read Consolidated Version
Explore the e-course

Project update

As we move towards the Delivery and Evaluation phase, we are proud to reflect on the significant achievements of our co-design stage. Restorative Jstice for All International Institute (RJ4All) in partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund, Coram, the Youth Justice Board, 10 selected Youth Justice Services (YJS) teams, our Restorative Justice Practitioner Board, have successfully co-designed a Shared-Practice Model and practice guide for the YJS to embed best practice and strengthen consistency across services. Alongside which Coram have designed a rigorous Randomised Control Trial to evaluate the pilot and together we move towards creating evidence on restorative justice in the YJS. 

These milestones represent a strong foundation for the next phase. We are deeply grateful to all partners and associates whose expertise, commitment and collaboration have made this progress possible. 

  • Restorative Justice Practitioners’ Board & Research Ethics

RJ4All has established a Restorative Justice Practitioners’ Board (RJPB) in July 2025 to support both the Planning and Delivery phases of the project. Comprising five practitioners with experience in restorative justice within the youth justice system in England and Wales, the Board will bring independence, expertise, and critical oversight to the project. The RJPB will:

– Support the co-design and delivery phases with independent insight

– Provide expertise on equality, diversity, victimisation, and types of offences

– Act as a critical friend to the project and RJ4All

RJ4All is committed to conducting high-quality research in line with internationally recognised ethical standards. 

All fieldwork research, particularly when involving vulnerable individuals, requires formal Research Ethics Approval. RJ4All maintains a standing Research Ethics Committee, which reviews all ethics applications. This Committee adheres to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, providing a robust framework for ethical self-regulation across all disciplines and research settings. We also comply with the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) guidance, GDPR, and UK data protection laws.

Restorative Justice Practitioners' Board Advisors

Andrea L, Jones

Andrea is a behavioural health, juvenile justice, and organisational development professional with 20 years’ experience across clinical, executive, and policy roles. She is skilled in implementing evidence-based treatments, designing corporate training, and providing trauma-informed consulting. Her advocacy highlights include lobbying for the Violence Against Women Act and serving as Juvenile Liaison in the Steubenville case.

Restorative Justice Practitioners' Board Members

Rick Rhodes ​

Dr. Rock Rhodes is an Executive Trust Lead in Secondary Schools, specialising in restorative practices with disadvantaged young people, informed by his doctoral research. He is also a law lecturer and Head of the Law Department, bringing in-depth knowledge of justice systems.

Delphine Duff

Delphine is an experienced Criminal Justice Practitioner with over 35 years’ expertise across probation, youth justice, safeguarding, restorative justice and education. An accredited Conflict Management and Restorative Justice Practitioner, she specialises in complex and high-risk practice and currently leads community safety initiatives supporting young people, women and girls.

Marian Liebmann

A pioneer in mediation and restorative justice, recognised with an OBE, she has over four decades of experience from founding Bristol Mediation to directing Mediation UK. She introduced victim–offender mediation into probation, expanded community and school-based programmes, and trained practitioners worldwide.

Stephen Czajewski

Experienced senior leader in criminal justice with expertise in restorative justice, probation, and youth justice frameworks. Proven track record in developing restorative justice provision, including national probation lead for restorative justice and engaged in rollout of Wait Til Eight. Leadership and operational criminal justice and youth-focused roles in UK, Canada, and Czech Republic.

Pete Wallis

Pete Wallis worked for 25 years as the restorative justice lead with Oxfordshire’s Youth Justice Service. He established the charity SAFE! Support for young people affected by crime and is a founding trustee of The Minthouse Centre for Restorative Practice. Pete has written and co-authored a number of books and guides on restorative justice and related issues including two graphic novels for teenagers.

  • Frequently Asked Questions by Youth Offending Services Teams

We invite you to read the FAQs to learn more about the project’s design, implementation, and evaluation methodology.

Read the project FAQs

About RJ4All

RJ4All is a charitable, user-led international institute with a mission to promote restorative justice, equality, and human rights. We are globally recognised for translating complex criminological and social justice concepts into practice through real-life pilots and community-led projects.

We are proud to lead this pioneering initiative alongside our partners and invite you to join us in shaping the future of restorative youth justice.

About Youth Justice Board

The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and are responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales.

Its vision is for a youth justice system that sees children as children, treats them fairly and helps them to build on their strengths so they can make a constructive contribution to society. 

YEF logo

About Youth Endowment Fund

The Youth Endowment Fund is a charity with a mission that matters – we’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. Through our strategy, we do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

About Coram

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity, established in 1739. The organisation draws on its long-standing experience and evidence to identify effective approaches for supporting children and young people. Coram works in collaboration with government bodies, local authorities, professionals, and families to inform and improve policies, practices, and systems that affect young lives.

NEWS

UK Government’s Press Release: Expansion of restorative pilot across England and Wales

The UK Government has published a press release announcing the expansion of a national Restorative Justice pilot across England and Wales. The article highlights RJ4All’s leadership in delivering the project, alongside the Youth Justice Board and the Youth Endowment Fund, to test a shared practice model across 10 youth justice services and strengthen the evidence for effective Restorative Justice with children.

Read more!

Press Release: Expansion of restorative pilot across England and Wales

The Coram Institute for Children has published an article on the expansion of a national Restorative Justice pilot across England and Wales. It highlights RJ4All’s leadership in delivering the Shared Practice Model across ten Youth Justice Services, while Coram independently evaluates its implementation and potential impact on youth justice policy and practice.

Read more!

Press release: Pilot trial to assess restorative justice for children in the youth justice system

The Youth Endowment Fund has published a new article announcing that RJ4All will lead a pilot trial of Restorative Justice for children and young people across Youth Justice Services in England and Wales. The article highlights the need for stronger UK evidence and explains how the trial will test a shared practice model, with support from the Youth Justice Board and independent evaluation by Coram.

Read more!
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