They receive specific and comprehensive training as well as ongoing support and evaluation from the project co-ordinator. Referrals to the project are received from the fire department, the police service, community school coordinators and concerned parents. Follow up contacts with community conference participants indicate an extremely high level of satisfaction with both the process and outcome. A community accountability conference is a particularly relevant addition to the intervention strategy for children and youth engaged in firesetting. Youth are held accountable for their actions and recognize the true impact their actions have had on others.
Many parents report that conferences help their children learn empathy.
Victims and families are engaged and actively participate in finding solutions and reaching consensus. Community tensions are lessened and opportunities for healing and closure are created. Creative agreements increase the possibilities for reparation and restitution. The following story illustrates the role that a community conference can play in responding to a serious incident from a restorative justice perspective. While the youth involved was 15 years old, the principles and practices applied have equal relevance to younger children.