“L30 and the team is one of the country’s leading trainers in restorative practice across various organisations, including local authorities. They have played in key role when implementing the highly-regarded initiative to make Hull a restorative city. They are supporting Leeds to transform the way we work with the most vulnerable families, using restorative approaches to bring about evidence-based social, cultural and economic benefits.
L30 and the team’s work is principled, people-centred and adaptable to different challenges. L30 and the team brings insight, intelligence and a warm sense of humour, which enables him to work with families and professionals from all backgrounds. I highly recommend the contribution that L30 and the team can make”.
Nigel Richardson
Director of Children’s Services, Leeds City Council
As Scotland’s national children’s charity , Children 1st work to prevent adversity in childhood and keep children safe in their own families. We have developed a strategic partnership with Mark and L30 relational systems, to ensure that our relational and restorative approach to supporting children and families is embedded in our values, culture and practice. Mark is delivering restorative practice training across our whole workforce including those who work in support departments like finance. With Mark’s help we are building an authentic and genuine restorative culture across the whole of our organisation and the results have been fantastic.
Mark’s mix of theory and practical application has ensured that the learning continues beyond the training events. We see our people reframe the whole way they think about our work and the families we support and their confidence in tackling complex challenges alongside parents and carers has tangibly increased. Most importantly, the quality of our engagement with and outcomes for children and families have also improved.
Mark is an engaging and energetic facilitator, evaluation of the impact of the training has been excellent with many participants saying it’s the best training they have had. I would highly recommend Mark and his team they are brilliant to work with.
Mary Glasgow
CEO Children 1st
“Mark and his team are always the first people we approach when any of our members want to learn more about Restorative Practice; we know that we can guarantee an excellent experience. The feedback from any work L30 do with us is always fantastic – and they are a joy to collaborate with. It’s wonderful to work with an organisation that shares our values and is driven by such passion”
Dez Holmes
Director
Research in Practice and Research in Practice for Adults
I have had the pleasure of working with L30 and the team, in different guises and in different places. They are always clear, enthusiastic and skilled at what they do. L30 and the team is an effective trainer, and they empowers and enables the people they work with to go ahead and make a difference: which is what we all want to do. L30 and the team does it naturally, with charm, wit and sweets. I look forward to the opportunities we get to work together in the future, and I recognise the great work they have done with people from a wide cross-section of agencies, here in Wokingham.
Andy Couldrick
Chief Executive, Wokingham Borough Council
‘Developing relationships in schools is essential when building culture and establishing values. Over a number of years I have used Mark’s skills and expertise to work with staff and senior leaders in schools where vulnerable and challenging children need genuine and authentic care. Mark has helped, through a charismatic and ethical approach, develop and embed relational and restorative practice. He draws on his own personal experience, research, practice and values to leave everyone in no doubt that at the heart of any school lies its relational culture.
As a school leader, I have and will continue to use Mark and his team to work with staff to make sure that relationships and values underpin everything we do and as a starting point for all school improvement.’
David Whitaker
Executive Principal
Springwell Learning Community (Barnsley & Lincolnshire)
Wellspring Academy Trust
“Having met Mark for the first time this year I was instantly impressed by his passion for Restorative Practice. Mark has played a major role in assisting us in introducing Restorative Practice in to Dudley, across all of children’s services. Having attended the training myself I was inspired by his enthusiasm in making a difference to people’s lives through simple things. Mark is a highly skilled trainer and speaker, and is definitely someone I will continue to work with in the future”
Darren Shaw
Head of Practice Improvement and Principal Social Worker for Dudley MBC
“It was great to work with Mark to develop restorative practices in my Early Intervention service. He brought with him a real depth of understanding and experience, and adapted that to fit seamlessly with the development programme I’d designed. He committed himself to our work and to being part of the change team, so he wasn’t just a training provider we’d brought in, but an integral part of the leadership of the programme.
Working restoratively isn’t something we switch on and off, or an approach that we apply with some service users some of the time. It’s about how we work with children, with families, with colleagues, with partner organisations. It’s about how we behave in our own lives. Mark’s restorative practice is authentic in the same way. He has been a great support to me and provided challenge too when I needed it. He’s always affable but never a pushover. And working with him is fun!
Although I have moved onto a new role, Mark has remained committed to the programme we embarked on together and it is very successful. I am full of admiration for what the team has achieved and can see the part Mark has played in that success. I’m sure I’ll be working with him again before too long.”
Rachael Wardell – Director, Communities Directorate – West Berkshire
“Mark has played a major role in assisting us in introducing Restorative Practice in to North Yorkshire, specifically in to our services to Looked After Children, from planning how it could be done, delivering exceptional quality training and creating a plan for developing and maintaining RP as an organic part of the culture in this Authority. Mark continues to be our first choice of support and provider in this work.”
Deborah Sandles – Children’s Home manager
“Mark was invited by the Children Acts Advisory Board (CAAB) to come to Ireland to introduce Restorative Practices (RP) to a group of policy makers, managers and practitioners working in children’s services across the child protection, justice, education and community sectors. Mark’s belief and passion in this model of working was very evident. His enthusiastic, focused and humorous approach ensured the full engagement of his audience. His ability to present, in a short timeframe, the benefit of RP for each of the professionals in the room is what secured a commitment from many to follow through and introduce restorative practices into their service.
Mark was also generous enough to arrange a tour for a group of us, to visit Hull City. He put a lot of time and effort into ensuring we had the opportunity to meet with many professionals across the City, to hear a variety of information and experiences of RP and to present how he had successfully approached his work in Hull. His advice was invaluable.”
Marion Martin
Dept. of Children and Youth Affairs, Ireland
“I am not at all surprised that I am just one of many people to recommend Mark Finnis. His enthusiasm and passion for his craft, which is restorative practice, is both contagious and inspirational. If you are not aware of the work of Mark and his colleagues in Hull, then you should make it your business to find out. I look forward to any and every opportunity to collaborate with him. ”
Gregor Rae Chairman and CEO BusinessLab
L30 and the team has provided Restorative Practice training and development for the Knowsley Schools’ Restorative Practice Project over the last 2 years. They has been an integral part of the project from its inception in 2012, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to help ensure that the project has had the desired impact on the schools within the project. L30 and the team has positively engaged with headteachers, teachers and a wide range of school staff from primary, secondary and special schools. They understand the individuality of schools and their communities and is able to provide programmes of work that are tailored to meet their needs. As a result, schools have been enthusiastic about the project and the positive impact it has had on children and adults in their communities. We are now working with L30 and the team to look at how we can extend the reach of the project into more schools whilst continuing to embed restorative approaches as part of everyday school life.
Alex Roper
Schools and Educational Attainment Officer – Knowsley