Restorative Practice and Trauma Informed Approaches are tools to build healthy communities, restore trust within communities, repair harm and restore relationships. They can assist in decreasing antisocial behaviour and crime and help everyone in a community to feel heard and valued. Both are also named as recommendations in the Geiran Report and actions in the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan.

This was the final event of Social Inclusion Week 2022 and was held in partnership with Louth Local Development Genesis ABC Programme. Held in the Barbican Centre on Friday 30th September it was extremely well attended with representatives from a broad range of sectors including the HSE, Tusla, youth, community, homelessness, addiction, social work, primary and secondary schools.

Gavin McGee, programme manager of the Genesis Programme and Emma Wheatley of the National College of Ireland’s Early Learning Initiative spoke about trauma informed approaches and developing restorative communities while attendees were also treated to a screening of a documentary on Resilience. The day was rounded off by an interactive activity where attendees looked at what resources may be needed and steps taken to develop a Restorative and Trauma Informed Community in Drogheda.