Let’s Talk - Shame, Trauma-Informed Practice and Restorative Approaches

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Let’s Talk: Shame, Trauma-Informed Practice and Restorative Approaches
with Charlotte Calkin

In restorative justice and restorative practice, creating non-shaming environments is essential. As more organisations commit to becoming trauma-informed, it is vital to understand the role shame plays in both harm and healing.

In this session, we will explore how shame operates — how it can impact behaviour, relationships and organisational culture — and why understanding shame is central to truly trauma-informed work. Charlotte will also examine why restorative approaches offer a safe, relational and non-shaming response to harm.

This session will be of interest to anyone working in restorative justice, restorative practice, education, healthcare, criminal justice, community settings or organisational leadership.

About Charlotte Calkin

Charlotte Calkin has worked in the restorative field for many years as a trainer, facilitator and consultant. She brings extensive experience across both restorative justice (RJ) and restorative practice (RP).

Through her organisation, REF, Charlotte works with a wide range of sectors implementing restorative approaches, including education, healthcare, the criminal justice system, statutory agencies, local authorities and executive workplaces. Clients range from the Royal Academy of Music in London to the Maldives Ministry of Education. In 2025, her work includes supporting the Grenfell community, the UK Parliament and the New York Courts.

Charlotte has delivered restorative justice workshops at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna and at TEDSummit in Canada. She regularly speaks at national and international conferences, including the RJ World Conference, and introduced restorative justice to the Justice Select Committee Enquiry in the UK.

REF received the Howard League Award for Restorative Approaches in recognition of its work with young people and the police.

Charlotte holds an MSt in Criminology from Cambridge University, where her research analysed restorative practice in UK schools and prisons.