Join us at this one day online conference as we explore what it means to be a relational and restorative organisation and practical ways to embed restorative approaches in our culture and ways of working. We will think about what this means for us as individuals and how we can influence our organisations to be more relational.

The format will be varied and interactive, including presentations, breakout room discussions, conversations with experts, and opportunities to reflect on and share learning.

Sessions will include:

• Restorative Practice in HR (Heather Skelton - Head of Restorative Resolutions, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust)

• Relational Leadership: in conversation (Ruth Cane - Leadership and Career Coach and Facilitator, Dr Nomahaza Mahadi - Associate Professor, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Rita Symons - Master Practitioner Coach and Supervisor)

• Relationship Makers’ Toolbox (Rosa Friend - Co-Lead, The Relationships Project)

• Humility and Hope: Reflection Aids for Restorative Leaders (Rosie Chadwick - Chair of Trustees, The Mint House)

• Embedding Restorative Practice: topic discussions (see below)

• Reflective and interactive summary session

Breakout sessions on the topics related to ‘embedding restorative practice’ will include:

• Creating (psychologically) safe spaces: is it possible to create an environment where people can be open and honest? 
  facilitated by Noreen Blanluet (Freelance Facilitator and Consultant)

• More than one way up a mountain: making common cause with related movements 
  facilitated by Dr Jon Reid (Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow, Oxford Brookes University)

• It starts with you: the importance of senior leaders modelling a restorative approach and what this might mean in practice
  facilitated by Dr Anna Gregory (The Restorative Lab)

• Turning our thinking on its head: restorative practice as a tool in organisational development and culture change 
  facilitated by Sarah Horner and Sue Orwin (Restorative Practice Facilitation Leads,  Leeds City Council)

The full schedule and speaker list can be found here - we will update this as more speakers are added!:

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This conference has CPD Approval from the Restorative Justice Council: UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: RJCMH180625 (4.5 CPD Hours)

Please note: to receive a certificate from the RJC for the CPD hours you will need to attend all of the sessions at the conference.

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Tickets are £55 (full price) or £50 (Early Bird price) and can be booked on Eventbrite. Early bird price has been extended to 4 June 2025!

Many employers will cover the cost of the conference as CPD. If you would prefer to pay via invoice, especially if multiple team members will be attending, please email joy@minthouseoxford.co.uk to arrange this.

(A limited number of free tickets for students are available upon request. Please email joy@minthouseoxford.co.uk for details.)

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Noreen Blanluet (she/they) is a facilitator, trainer and public services consultant, with over a decade’s experience in group and team dynamics, relational approaches, collaboration, meaningful engagement, involvement and co-production, compassionate communication, inclusive facilitation and values-based work. They help people delivering public services make things better for the people they support. A biologist and systems thinker by training, they are skilled at holding the wider picture while bringing attention to detail, with a head for systems and processes and a heart for people and relationships.

Ruth Cane works as an executive and career coach and facilitator helping people develop their unique leadership qualities and presence and make a positive impact through everything that they do. Her broad professional experience in learning and development, Organisational Development and HR has included senior roles in local government and the wider public sector, including the voluntary sector, as well as research and training consultancies. Ruth currently supports four police forces and two multi-academy trusts with leadership development and facilitates international leadership programmes with the Windsor Leadership Trust.

Rosie Chadwick is Chair of Trustees at The Mint House. As Director of crime prevention charity Crime Concern, Rosie led, and helped secure funding for, restorative justice projects. Now a charity consultant, Rosie has a particular interest in what restorative approaches mean for organisational culture and development.

Rosa Friend is the Co-lead of the Relationships Project – an organisation striving to create a shift towards a world designed for and around good relationships. A world where building and nurturing relationships is considered the first mile, not the extra mile – because the evidence is clear; Better relationships lead to better outcomes. She was previously Director of Projects at the Cares Family, where she led initiatives that built relationships across divides in London, Liverpool and Manchester.

Dr Anna Gregory is one of the co-founders and co-director of The Restorative Lab, an organisation dedicated to transforming schools and organisations by offering high-quality training, consultancy, evaluation, and facilitation services in relational and restorative practices. She is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and researcher with extensive experience leading peace education projects and implementing relational and restorative culture change programmes in schools and Local Authority teams. With over 13 years of experience supporting schools across the UK and Europe in developing relational approaches, Anna specialises in whole-school strategies informed by peace-focused restorative practices.

Sarah Horner is a Restorative Practice Facilitation Lead in Children & Families at Leeds City Council following seven years with neighbouring authority Kirklees Council. Sarah first became aware of Restorative Practice when working as a Housing Manager in Leeds City Council earlier on in her career, however it was at Kirklees Council where her knowledge, skills and passion for the work grew, initially as Transformation Project Manager, and later as Learning and Organisational Development Partner, supporting services in the transformation towards a restorative just culture and relational practice. Sarah now works with leadership teams to navigate the complexities of working in Children’s Services post-pandemic, coaching and facilitating across the continuum of relational and restorative practice.

Dr Nomahaza Mahadi is an Associate Professor at Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Kuala Lumpur. Her work revolves around emotional intelligence, leadership, organisational behaviour, and workplace well-being. She’s especially passionate about exploring how mutual recognition respect and emotional intelligence can shape healthier, more human-centred leadership. As a certified emotional intelligence trainer, she enjoys helping others grow in self-awareness and build stronger, more trusting relationships—both in and beyond the workplace.

Sue Orwin is a Restorative Practice Facilitation Lead at Leeds City Council. She started her career as a dancer, later retraining in business and moving into charity leadership, running two youth development charities that tackled health and social inequalities. Sue moved into Leeds city council as a Change Manager, training in coaching and undertaking an MSc in psychology before moving into her current role which combines her passions and values; improving the lives of children and families by contributing to a more just culture that meets human needs so people can collaborate effectively to reach their goals.

Dr Jon Reid is a Senior Lecturer in Child Development, Special Educational Needs/Disabilities and Inclusion at oxford Brookes University. He is a Research Fellow for the Children and Young People Network, convener for an inter-disciplinary Childhood Trauma Special Interest Group and is Liaison manager for a collaboration with the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association. Jon is Vice-Chair of the Institute of Recovery from Childhood Trauma and is Director of a recently established a National Centre for Recovery from Childhood. Jon’s research interests include the role of education in supporting the right to recovery from childhood trauma, support for teacher wellbeing and the impact of teacher’s emotional work when supporting children who may exhibit distress.

Heather Skelton is Head of Restorative Resolutions at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. Heather has worked across a diverse range of sectors, including criminal justice, children and family’s services, social care, community engagement, and more recently, workplace conflict resolution. She gained her Master’s degree in Restorative Justice from the University of Hull in 2014. In her current role she has been instrumental in embedding a restorative approach within the organisation, particularly in addressing staff conflict and inappropriate workplace behaviours. Her work has led to the implementation of a ‘restorative lens’ across the Trust, fostering a more compassionate, inclusive, and dialogue-based culture.

Rita Symons is a Master Practitioner coach and supervisor, who spent much of her career in the NHS, starting in public health and ending as a Chief Officer. She left her role in 2016 to set up her practice and now works on national leadership programmes such as the NHS Aspirant Chairs Programme and is a facilitator with the Windsor Leadership Trust. Rita is particularly interested in women's leadership, inclusion and belonging and psychological safety. She is the author of a book on Othering: Stepping Out of Otherness.