Annie Barry
Annie is a teacher since 2011 in Chéim ar Chéim, a probation educational centre in Moyross Limerick for young adults, She is passionate about a holistic approach in education promoting and supporting positive behaviour in School. She recently completed a Postgrad Diploma in Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick in Special Educational Needs. Currently she is doing a course in Trauma-Informed Care.
Annie has been a Restorative Practice practitioner for 7 years and trained as a trainer with IIRP in 2014 and with CDI in 2017. She is a practicing Restorative Trainer and Facilitator.
Andy Battell
Andy worked for several years as a Training Consultant, with the NHS and Social Services in London and South-East England. He devised and facilitated training for staff working with people with learning disabilities, and worked directly with service users. He also coached staff to use pro-active approaches, working with service-users who displayed behaviour that seriously challenged services.
Andy moved to Waterford in 1999 and managed The Pathways Project for 11 years, at the Waterford & South Tipperary Community Youth Service, providing mentoring and progression supports to Early School Leavers in Waterford City, County and South Tipperary. He also managed the School Completion Programme (SCP) na Siuire, in Waterford City and South Kilkenny, for 7 years.
In 2011, Andy became a Certified Trainer, with the International Institute of Restorative Practice (IIRP) and in 2016, a Certified Trainer of Trainers. In 2014, he co-founded the Waterford Restorative Practice Network.
Andy joined CDI in 2017, as a Quality Specialist and has facilitated CDI’s RP training and training of trainers’ courses, both face-to-face and online; notably with schools across Munster. Between 2019 and 2021, he was involved in the writing, co-delivery and assessment, of an online Professional Training in Restorative Practices (TReP) course, as part of an Erasmus+ programme.
Since 2012, Andy has also devised and delivered a number of QQI Level 4, 5 and 6 courses, with asylum seekers, refugees and other adult Learners, in Waterford City.
Since December 2022, Andy has worked as part of a small Restorative Justice team, supporting survivors of sexual and physical abuse, who attended schools run by the Spiritan congregation in Ireland
James Bowes
James is a highly experienced Practitioner with the CDI, a Trainer of Trainers and a Lead Facilitator with the Alternatives to Violence Project Ireland. The latter is a training programme enabling participants to deal with potentially violent situations in new and creative ways. He has experience and expertise in working with young people in the youth and community sector and has designed and developed programs for young people in Oberstown Detention Campus, empowering them to make positive choices in their lives. Having studied Social Sciences, he went on to complete his Undergraduate in Law, Hdip in Adult, Community and Further Education in Maynooth University.
James is a dedicated and passionate professional with extensive experience in youth and community work, restorative practice training, and program design. With a deep commitment to empowering people by creating positive change in their lives, James has played a significant role in developing and implementing impactful programs that promote growth, resilience, and social responsibility. James has many years’ experience of working with marginalised communities, working with ex-prisoners resettling back into their community. He has considerable work experience in supporting individuals, groups and communities to address anger and addiction issues which can stem from the impact of neglect and deprivation. He facilitated self-help groups with the Pathways project which supports the re-integration of former prisoners and with Turas Bluebell supporting men and women preparing to enter Rehab. He developed and facilitated an online school for the men and women, survivors of industrial abuse in the Christine Buckley Centre during the Covid 19 lockdown. He has spent several years teaching mature adults’ law and social studies in several centres including the Henrietta Adult Community Education (HACE).
Dorothée Potter-Daniau
Dorothée Potter-Daniau is an experienced Restorative Practice trainer and consultant in schools, Youth and Community organisations.
She was Coordinator for the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Ireland from 2015 to 2022. AVP Ireland is a community of volunteers who run experiential and peer-led workshops in conflict resolution and Restorative Practices, mostly in Irish Prisons but also in schools and in the community. She is also an AVP facilitator with many years of experience working with people who are incarcerated.
Her first career was in teaching French Literature and Classical Studies in various Secondary Schools in France and in the Lycée International Samuel Beckett in Dublin. She holds an MA in Classical Studies, a Higher Diploma of Education and an MA in Online Courses and e-training Design. For 15 years she taught students of diverse backgrounds and developed innovative tools to improve their learning experience and well-being.
Her work for CDI included co-writing an online Professional Training in Restorative Practices (TReP) as part of an Erasmus international partnership and directing and co-producing ‘Circles of connection’ podcast series about RP. She is also delivering CDI’s RP training in schools and organisations and training trainers.
She is currently undertaking a PhD in Political Science, Sociology and Education in University of Galway (UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre) with a focus on democratic education and youth participatory research methods.
Joe Power
Joe Power is a Restorative Practice Development Officer for Limerick since 2018 working part-time in this role. Joe has previously worked 18 years as a residential childcare worker, which was a formative experience as regards understanding challenging behaviour and the need for relationships to be at the heart of any intervention. Joe has been a restorative practitioner for five years and a RP trainer with CDI for the past 18 months (also certified trainer with SynRJ). Joe has worked with over 20 schools, youth organisations and residential care facilities. Joe holds a particular interest in trauma and trauma informed care and the need for this to be part of the “restorative package”.
Most recently in 2020, Joe worked part-time with Le Cheile Restorative Justice project and utilized the skills and practices in the criminal justice area, working with young offenders on probation. Joe writes a regular blog through the Limerick RP Project. Joe is also certified in Reality Therapy, Narrative4 story exchange and LIFT Ireland facilitation.
Jean Gilmore
Jean is an experienced Restorative Practices (RP) Trainer and works with CDI to design and deliver RP training, including Training of RP Trainers and Summer Courses for Teachers. She has delivered RP training in many schools to teachers, parents and students. Jean is also a facilitator in the Alternative to Violence (AVP) Project and has facilitated training in RP and AVP for vulnerable young people in a variety of settings.
Jean has worked as School Completion Programme (SCP) Manager in Tallaght for the last 11 years. She has a demonstrated history of designing and developing evidenced based (in school and out of school) programmes and interventions for young people (4-18yrs) who may be ‘at risk’ of leaving school early. Jean has been instrumental in bringing restorative practices to all the schools within the School Completion Programme cluster she manages.
Jean holds a BSc. (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy from Middlesex University London and Certificates in Psychology, Youth Justice, Restorative Practices and Mediation from NUI Maynooth. Jean is also skilled in Mindfulness, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Play & Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Susan Kavanagh
Susan Kavanagh trained in Restorative Practices with the IIRP and went on to train as a trainer with CDI, She has been a licensed trainer with them since 2014, is an RP Champion and Trainer of Trainers. She delivers RP Training in the Community, voluntary and statutory sectors and is involved in a number of Restorative Working Groups. She volunteers as a Community Chair of the Restorative Justice Service Offender Reparation Panels and with the Alternative to Violence Project, facilitating workshops in prisons, schools and the wider community. Susan holds a BA Hons in Sociology and Political Science (TCD) and an MA in Art Therapy (CIT)
She has specialised in working psychotherapeutically with children and young People for fifteen years, setting up therapeutic services for a number of School Completion Programmes. As part of the Clinical Team in a specialist Therapeutic Residential Service for Children, Susan has delivered ongoing training to all staff, working with children with complex emotional and behavioural needs. She has worked in collaboration with the Gardaí, staff and young people, to support understanding of and voluntary engagement with Restorative Processes.
She has been delivering Child Protection Training for over a decade, and continues to do so for Barnardos and Sport Ireland. In the sporting sector she has held Safeguarding roles at a national level with Special Olympics Ireland and the GAA.
Susan also delivers Trauma and Attachment informed training (most recently for the Restorative Justice Service, CDI RP Trainers) and on behalf of Barnardos (most recently for DCYA/DCEDI).
Her current focus is on supporting an understanding of Restorative Practices as Trauma and attachment informed, a conscious integration of the two, given their shared ethos and intention.
Judith Lardner
Judith’s initial introduction to restorative practices came while she was living in the USA. She developed and offered a range of restorative practices to educators, church communities, and businesses in Rochester, NY. More recently she worked for the organization Partners in Restorative Initiatives (PiRI) in Rochester, NY. She is a certified Circle facilitator and Circle facilitator trainer, as well as a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
In 2000 she received a BA in Transpersonal Psychology from Burlington College, Vermont, and in 2008 she received an MA in Liberal Studies from Empire State College, NY. Both of these degrees were independent studies and her experience with this type of study inspired her to develop a Peer Practice model of learning and practice.
Judith returned to live in Kilkenny in 2019. Since March 2020 she has been offering regular online Peer Practice groups in a range of restorative topics. As a long time Buddhist practitioner, she refers to her work as Mindful Communication.
Jenn Little
Jenn Little is an RP Champion, trainer, facilitator and coach who brings innovative and creative energy to her work. Her main focus is individual and community transformation through learning with others. Her professional skills and experiences have been informed by her RP training and practice and allow her to work effectively with individuals and groups experiencing or seeking cultural change.
Jenn has over thirty years of intentional professional practice creating optimal learning environments for all learners. She has designed and facilitated original courses in person and online for teenage and adult learners. She is experienced in a range of shared professional learning processes. She uses individual and shared reflective practice as a way to enhance her own work and effectiveness.
Jenn trained as an RP trainer in 2016 and RP Champion in 2019. As well as training adults in a variety of settings in RP, she is facilitating communities of practice to provide support for the application to practice after training. She is also a school leadership coach and is working to support and resource school leaders to bring RP to their communities.
John Madigan
John is a Restorative Practices trainer and facilitator based in Dublin. He has been working as a practitioner in RP since 2010 and qualified as an RP trainer in 2013. During this time, he has worked with CDI to facilitate the training of adults and young people in Restorative Practices in both the voluntary and formal education sectors. Over the years, John has built significant experience, knowledge and expertise with regard to best practice in implementing restorative approaches successfully in primary education and youth work settings.
John worked with Foróige as a Youth Officer in Springfield and Fettercairn in West Tallaght for 5 years. During this time, he and his colleagues engaged with CDI in facilitating the ongoing training and support of staff, volunteers and youth leaders in RP. He went on to complete a Higher Diploma in Primary Education in 2015.
Since qualifying as a teacher, he has been an advocate for the undoubted potential of Restorative Practices in formal educational settings. This has been with particular focus on empowering schools to develop a positive school culture and an enhanced focus on relationships and well-being for both adults and young people in the school community.
From 2018, John has also been involved in the development and facilitation of RP training with the PDST (Professional Development for Teachers) for primary and post primary schools across the country.
Kieran O Dwyer
Kieran has been active in the field of restorative practices for over 20 years, initially in the criminal justice system. He is a practicing trainer, facilitator and researcher in the area and is currently Chair of Restorative Practices Ireland. He is author of a number of conference papers and book chapters on restorative practice, including a quality assurance framework for restorative practice (available here) and a co-authored chapter on restorative justice in the Routledge Handbook of Irish Criminology (2015). He completed a PhD degree in University College Dublin in 2008 by research into the restorative justice programme for young offenders under the Garda Diversion Programme. He was previously a Board member of Restorative Justice Services and a volunteer chair of its offender reparation panels, a member of the Irish core group of Restorative Justice Strategies for Change, and an associate lecturer with the Edward M Kennedy Institute for Conflict Intervention at Maynooth University.
Nicola Reeves
Nicola has worked a secondary school teacher for many years in different environments, from international, private establishments in small to medium
groups, to large classes in an inner-city school.
She has been involved with Cuidiú, the national organisation for mothers and babies since 1997, and became a volunteer Breastfeeding Counsellor within the organisation in 1999. In 2010 she trained and began to work as a tutor for Breastfeeding Counsellors in the community. She has been President of Cuidiú since 2018.
After discovering Non Violent Communication in 2006, she started using the techniques and practices in school and in her breastfeeding counselling. She has attended workshops, courses and regular practice groups. Through her knowledge of NVC, she developed an interest in Restorative Practices, first using circles in class in 2011. In 2014 she completed the summer course for teachers and trained as a trainer the following autumn.
Since May 2018 she has been training groups on behalf of CDI, supporting new trainers and working with CDI to connect with interested parties. She recently participated in her first AVP workshop in Mountjoy prison and is looking forward to more. Nicola is passionate about RP, particularly in its impact on students and teachers, and its potential for resolving conflict and reducing harm in communities.
Ken Sauvage
Until recently, Ken worked for 23 years as manager of Treo Port Lairge CLG, a community based organisation providing a range of supports (personal, social, education, training, employment, social enterprise & advocacy) to people with criminal convictions.
During his time with Treo Ken witnessed the impacts of Restorative Justice, which increased his professional curiosity in Restorative Practices and their wider benefits within communities. Ken trained as an RP Trainer of Trainers with the International Institute of Restorative Practices in 2016 and with CDI in 2019.
Along with a diverse group of professionals from a range of committed statutory, community and voluntary agencies, Ken set up Waterford Restorative Practice Network (WRPN) with the aim of supporting Waterford in becoming more restorative. WRPN has trained many staff and volunteers across the Waterford community.
Professionally, Ken has delivered RP training and facilitated restorative conversations, meetings and conferences among colleagues and staff teams within and between organisations.
In addition to working with CDI as an RP Quality Specialist, Ken works as an External Cross Professional Supervisor with individual professionals, teams and organisations.
Brian Sheridan
Brian is an experienced practitioner in the Conflict Management field. Brian draws on his experience in Family Mediation, Restorative Practice and Restorative Justice. He worked for over three decades in An Garda Síochána and much of that time as a Sergeant in the Community Policing and Child Protection fields in Tallaght. While working in Tallaght, Brian trained in and was involved with Restorative Practice in his Garda role through CDI. He also worked closely with Restorative Justice Services in Tallaght and built a real appreciation for the value of Restorative Practice in the community. Brian started his independent journey into conflict management with a Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College in 2008.
On retiring from An Garda Síochána in 2022, Brian has returned to his passion for Restorative Practice and conflict management. Brian continues his lifetime education and is a Restorative Practices Trainer with CDI as well as a Family and Separating Couples Mediator. Brian is on the Board of Directors and volunteers with Restorative Justice Services, on the Board of Directors of the Irish Professional Mediator’s Organisation, and a volunteer with Dublin Community Mediation.
Bernie Shone
Having taught in several schools in Ireland, U.K. and the Middle East and as principal in Grangecon N.S. for five years, Bernie is currently Deputy Principal in St. Brigid’s N.S., Manor Kilbride.
She is an advocate of and passionate about a holistic approach in education and has trained in a range of modalities including primary movement, promoting and supporting positive behaviour in the primary school, developing collegiality in a primary school; developing mindfulness and happiness in primary school children, as well as being a Restorative Practice practitioner and trainer.