Restorative Foundations: Health and Disability
Theory, values and principles of restorative practice in a health system context and a Tiriti o Waitangi framework.
Course overview
Te tiro whakamuri kia haere whakamua
We will look back to what has occurred in the past to gain the wisdom to move forward into our future.
In this micro-credential course, you will learn about the theory, values, and principles of restorative practices within the health system context and a Tiriti o Waitangi framework. You will consider how restorative practice and hohou te rongo (peacemaking from a Māori worldview) might be applied in your own health setting.
This micro-credential (5 points) has been developed by Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice, Victoria University of Wellington in partnership with the Health Quality & Safety Commission and the National Collaborative for Restorative Initiatives in Health.
In partnership with
What you'll learn
On completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Critically analyse the systems view of health care harm and how harm is currently responded to within Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Evaluate the relational values, principles and practices that underpin restorative practice and hohou te rongo.
- Critically reflect on the potential use of restorative practice and hohou te rongo in your own context.
Course modules
You will gain an appreciation of:
- The minimalist and maximalist continuum of restorative approaches (ranging from restorative practice ‘tools’ to the social movement and ‘restorative worldview’).
- How restorative approaches differ from dominant approaches in safety science (e.g. just culture) and conventional dispute or legal justice systems.
- Empirical evidence for the effectiveness and impact of restorative practices in health.
- What cultural safety and an authentic Tiriti partnership might look like in your context.
- Proactive and reactive restorative approaches and their applications within health systems, and Aotearoa New Zealand in particular.
- Foundational ‘restorative practice’ skills e.g., restorative language, conversations, and proactive Circle practices.
Further Information
Format
The course is comprised of 50 hours of online personal learning over six weeks, that includes a two-hour webinar. Students will then participate in two-half day online workshops. Content includes lectures, films, interactive tools, and small peer group activities. Attendance at two online workshops provides students with the opportunity to experience restorative processes for themselves. The instructors employ restorative pedagogy, that is the teaching space is ‘restorative’.
Scholarship information
Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice and Kāpuhipuhi Wellington Uni-Professional fund a small number of scholarship places in each cohort. Available scholarships include a 50% discount or fully funding your course fee. Scholarships are available to people working in and with the health sector who have no or limited access to professional development funding. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, you will need to provide a letter that outlines your role in the health sector and why you want to attend. You will be asked to provide a letter of support from your employer which includes a statement that you have no access to funding or states that they will contribute 50% of the course fee.
Information about how to apply is available by emailing us at profdev@vuw.ac.nz
Please use “Scholarship Request” in the subject line.
What is a micro-credential?
A micro-credential is a small, stand-alone credential that recognises the achievement of specific skills, experience or knowledge. Typically micro-credentials:
- Top up existing knowledge or skills so that people who are already qualified in an area can increase the range of their practice (e.g. work with electric vehicles), or
- Provide stand-alone new knowledge or skills so that people who are not already qualified in an area can do a specific aspect of it (e.g. kitchen installation)
Micro-credentials were initially developed in 2015 in response to demand from industry for learners to be formally recognised for short bursts of formal learning that did not fit the model for a full qualification (either at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority threshold of 40 credits for a qualification or a university-defined qualification such as a diploma or degree).
By 2018 the New Zealand Qualifications Authority had begun to approve and register micro-credentials, and NZQA’s website now lists around 170 of them.
University micro-credentials are not the same as NZQA-registered micro-credentials. When you pass this course, instead of getting credits against your NZQA record of achievement, you will be awarded a pass against this course and 5 credits on your university academic transcript. You will be awarded a digital badge and a digital certificate.
Upcoming Courses & Delivery Options
04 Aug 2025 | Online
Duration: 6 weeks
$995
excl. GST
Can’t make these dates or want a private course?
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