June 27, 2014: The Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) was launched as a ‘restorative organisation’ at its annual summer barbecue.
This means that all CDI staff have been trained, its HR policies and way of working all reflect the principles of Restorative Practice.
Restorative Practice involves training people in skills of communicating with each other that are fair, respectful and inclusive and also equips people to resolve conflict and problems should they occur.
The summer barbecue was attended by staff, colleagues, parents and children who work with CDI.
Speaking at the barbecue CEO Marian Quinn said a key part of the event was to say “a big thanks to all those working with CDI, and the wider community in Tallaght West, for their ongoing support and contrubution”.
Speaking about becoming a restorative organisation Chairperson Suzanne Guerin said it was an easy decision to make.
“CDI has been involved in training over 1,000 adults and young people in restorative practices in Tallaght in recent years, as well as supporting primary and secordary schools to become restorative. It was clear that we should practice what we preach and there was great enthuasism among staff to become trained and among the Board to embed the approach in how the organisation is governed.”
The summer barbecue was also addressed by the Director of the Teaching Council of Ireland, Tomás Ó Ruairc, who congratulated CDI on its work and in particular its involvement in a Masters in Education programme in conjunction with NUI Maynooth.
The Barbecue included the launch of a report on the findings of the research from the CDI/NUI Maynooth Masters Programme 2013.
One of the graduates was CDI’s Quality Specialist, Grainne Smith. Other Masters recipients included: Simon Brennan, St Thomas’s Senior National School; Ollwyn Moran, St Mark’s Community School; Fiona O’Fiaich, Scoil Caitlin Maude; Pauline O’Hanlon, St Aidan’s National School; David Murphy, Killinarden Community School and Michelle Stowe, St Mark’s Community School.
Both a video on the work of the Masters students and a new Restorative Practices video which can be viewed on the CDI website at www.twcdi.ie.