Issue 2, August 2019
Issue 1, March 2018

Note: These standards were updated in August 2019. Check the information for service providers webpage for updates.The Restorative justice service is currently under review by MoJ, follow the link for updates.

Purpose of the family violence practice standards:
To establish a common approach that ensures safe, consistent and robust restorative justice practice in New Zealand.
The use of restorative justice processes in family violence cases will not always be appropriate.

The particular dynamics of family violence, including the power imbalances inherent to this type of offending, can pose significant risks to the physical and emotional safety of the victim. Family violence offending is often cyclical and reflects deeply entrenched attitudes and beliefs. Offenders
may be more manipulative and have offended seriously and repeatedly. A one-off intervention, such as restorative justice, may, therefore, not be effective or safe. Where a restorative justice process does take place, these new standards recognise the additional safeguards and processes needed to deal with the case safely, consistently, and robustly.

Approach taken to develop the standards:
These standards build on the work done by the Ministry and providers in 2013 (#5609). They reflect the content and ‘look and feel’ of the new Restorative Justice Practice Framework (#5611), the work that has
been done by the Government’s Ministerial Group on Family Violence and Sexual Violence, and the recommendations in the Family Violence Death Review Committee’s Fifth Report.

In April 2017 the Ministry of Justice published the Restorative Justice Practice Framework (‘the framework’) to replace the 2004 Restorative Justice Best Practice in New Zealand. The new framework articulates the whakataukī, values, and principles for restorative justice and was
developed with providers and Restorative Practices Aotearoa.

The Restorative Justice Standards for Family Violence Cases was released in July 2013. They were released after considerable consultation with, and input from, restorative justice providers and facilitators. In developing the new standards in 2018, careful consideration was given to ensuring they
reflected the most up-to-date approaches to risk assessment and safety planning while building on the work carried out to develop the 2013 standards. The standards were published as a living document for one year in 2018. They were updated in 2019 to incorporate provider feedback
following one year as a living document.

The Ministry of Justice is part of a cross-government work programme aimed at reducing the devastating impact that family violence and sexual violence have on people and communities across the country. (From the document). Record #7249

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