The Gathering
An international gathering for restorative practitioners. 

Penrith, Sydney, NSW, Australia 
20–21 October 2027
Hosted by Restorative Journeys

In partnership with Luthern Community Care Services- Singapore (LCCS) and the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)

Not just a Conference. A Conversation That Matters.

Across the world, restorative practice has grown rapidly.
It has influenced justice systems, education, communities, workplaces and organisations. Its language is now widely used and its impact is increasingly recognised.

And yet, an important question is emerging:

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Has the restorative movement reached a crossroads?

The restorative movement has reached an important point. Much of what we do is built on a deep understanding of relationships, yet we often struggle to articulate what it is about our relational practice that makes the difference.
We know it works—but can we explain what is happening relationally, why it works and how we can become more intentional in the way we build, repair and strengthen relationships?

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The Gathering is an invitation to explore those questions together.

Why a 'Gathering'?

We have chosen the word Gathering deliberately.

It reflects long-standing traditions of people coming together to listen, speak, share stories, reflect and make sense of what matters.

Rather than bringing people together primarily to listen to presentations, The Gathering will create an immersive and relational experience where stories, experience, dialogue, reflection and discovery become the way we learn.

This is not a conference you simply attend. It is an experience we create together.

A Movement at the Crossroads

The restorative movement faces an important opportunity:

• To remain largely implicit—guided by restorative values, but sometimes lacking clarity and consistency.

• To become more explicit—a coherent and intentional relational practice grounded in theory, method and experience.

The crossroads is not a problem. It is an opportunity.

From implicit understanding to explicit practice

Many practitioners know that restorative practice works.

Fewer can clearly explain:

• Why it works

• How it produces change

• What distinguishes it from other approaches

• How relational knowledge can be used more intentionally

The Gathering will create space to explore this movement from implicit restorative practice to explicit restorative practice—making visible the relational knowledge that many practitioners already carry intuitively.

At the heart of The Gathering is a simple proposition:

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Most of us already know far more about relationships than we realise. The challenge is to make that knowledge explicit.

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An Immersive and Relational Experience

From the opening Crossroads Conversation to the closing reflective plenary, The Gathering will create space for participants to:

• Reflect on their own practice

• Engage in meaningful dialogue with others

• Explore what is working and why

• Connect theory, research and practice

• Surface what often remains unspoken

• Make implicit relational knowledge explicit

Participants will be guided by reflective questions carried throughout the two days.

This is not about arriving with all the answers. It is about leaving with a deeper understanding.

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The Crossroads Framework

The gathering will be shaped around four interconnected dimensions:

• Self — How do I understand my own practice?

• Colleagues — How do we work together?

• Those We Serve — How do we engage with others?

• Community — How does our work become accessible to everybody?

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These dimensions will provide a shared framework for reflection, conversation and discovery throughout The Gathering.

Gathering Contributors (Presenters)

Our contributors will be known as Gathering Contributors.

They will bring stories of practice, research journeys, experiences, ideas and provocations that open up conversation rather than simply delivering presentations to an audience.

We will invite contributions from across sectors, communities and countries that reflect diverse experiences, insights and outcomes in restorative and relational practice.

Expressions of Interest are not yet open. Register for updates to be among the first to know when applications are released.

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Who Is The Gathering For?

The Gathering is for people from Australia and around the world who work in—or are interested in—the restorative and relational space.

This includes practitioners, leaders, researchers and people working across education, justice, community services, workplaces, government, health and other settings.

It is for those who are:

• Working with restorative practice in any sector

• Interested in the relational nature of their work

• Seeking to deepen their understanding, not simply acquire more knowledge

• Curious about the connection between theory, research and practice

• Willing to engage in open and reflective dialogue

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Why This Matters

The future of restorative practice depends on more than growth.

It depends on:

• Clarity

• Coherence

• Integrity of practice

The Gathering provides an opportunity to strengthen the foundations of the field, connect theory with research and practice, and help shape the next chapter of restorative practice.

Join Us in Penrith

📍 Penrith, New South Wales, Australia 📅 20–21 October 2027

An Invitation

• This is an invitation to pause.

• To reflect.

• To engage with others at a moment that matters.

Restorative Journeys | LCCS | IIRP

Register your details to receive the latest Gathering news and be among the first to hear when we:

• Announce our Gathering Contributors (Presenters) 

• Release early bird tickets

• Open Expressions of Interest for contributors

• Share further program and participation details

We invite you to join people from around the world in Australia in 2027 as we explore what the next chapter of restorative practice could become.

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This is not a conference you simply attend. It is an experience we create together.