About the Restorative Engagement Program
The Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre’s (SMSRC) Restorative Engagement (RE) Program was mandated through the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)-Department of National Defence (DND) Sexual Misconduct Class Action Final Settlement
Mandate
- Provide supportive opportunities for CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct Class Action members to share their experiences, impacts or insights about sexual misconduct.
- Provide opportunities for Defence representatives to:
- Acknowledge, learn from class members and understand the impacts of sexual misconduct;
- Plan, act, and lead to contribute to culture change, and support the institution in ending sexual misconduct.
Key milestones
2019 to 2021
Designed and developed the program in collaboration with:
- Subject matter experts in restorative approaches, trauma, sexual misconduct, military norms, and culture.
- Partners, including individuals who experienced sexual misconduct in the Defence workplace.
November 2021
Launched the program with at a small-scale, creating opportunities for class members to engage with restorative practitioners and prepare to participate in a restorative engagement.
January 2022
Facilitated the first cohorts of Defence representatives, creating opportunities for leaders within DND/CAF at all levels to learn, engage with class members and contribute to culture change.
April 2024
Made changes to Defence representative cohorts’ options to expand participation opportunities for Defence Team members of all ranks and levels.
Introduced new group engagement processes for class members in response to needs expressed, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement and the restorative approach.
September 2024
Launched the first Executive Leadership cohort, creating opportunities for class members to share insights on set themes with senior institutional leaders, including General and Flag Officers and EX-02 level and above, through two series of facilitated talking circles.
Confidentiality
Participation in, and information shared within the program, are confidential within legal limitations. If you choose to share your experience(s), you may do so anonymously. All personal information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act.
Principles of the restorative approach
The RE Program was designed with six core principles for a restorative approach to help contribute to culture change in DND/CAF. The principles are:
Relationships
Focuses on individuals and their relationships—with one another, with groups, and with institutions. It places the emphasis on addressing harm and establishing or re-establishing justice and trust in relationships. This is done by mutual dignity, respect, care and concern.
Comprehensive and holistic
Looks at how issues, causes, circumstances, and culture are all connected.
Inclusive and participatory
Includes and empowers those with lived experience, communicates options and limitations, honours choices for how they would like to participate, and removes barriers to access.
Responsive
Is flexible and adaptable so participants’ accommodation needs, objectives, and circumstances are met within the program.
Individual and collective responsibility
Looks at how the system affects individuals and how individuals affect the system. Defence representatives take responsibility for change in their daily roles and work with each other and the institution to address structural factors that contribute to harm.
Collaborative and non-adversarial
Brings people together to work on issues in an educative and problem-solving way in order to prevent harm in the future.
Program team
Director: Is responsible for leading the program, overseeing its strategic direction and operations, and for managing the team. Reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer of the SMSRC.
Deputy Director: Is responsible for integrated human resources, business and financial planning, research, program support, evaluation, and strategic support to the RE Director.
Managers of Operations: Are responsible for implementing the program by region (East, Central, West/North).
Restorative practitioners: Are responsible for facilitating restorative processes/principles, enabling class members and Defence representatives’ participation in the program and offering referrals to support services and resources, as needed. They are DND public service employees and independent from the CAF chain of command.
Working with Defence representatives: Restorative practitioners facilitate Defence representative cohorts. They facilitate reflection, dialogue, learning, understanding, skill building, preparation, and planning for action. These cohort activities enable Defence representatives to identify insights and learnings about sexual misconduct, develop restorative leadership skills, and build capacity to contribute to culture change.
Working with class members: Restorative practitioners work with class members to facilitate their participation in the program, including introducing the program (purpose, approach, and options); coordinating, preparing, and facilitating class member engagements with Defence representatives; bringing closure to their participation and referring to other programs and services as needed.
Support services and resources
Participation in the program can be very rewarding, and it can bring up difficult emotions. The restorative practitioner(s) assigned to participants facilitate their journey through the process and can connect them to other support services and resources, depending on their needs.
At any time, class members and Defence Team members can contact the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre 24/7 confidential support line (1-844-750-1648) to reach a counsellor who has been briefed on the RE program. They can provide support and connect them to support services.
Contact us
For any questions about the RE Program, please call or send an email:
Toll-free: 1-833-998-2048
Email: RE-DR@forces.gc.ca
Each region has a positional mailbox:
- East (NL, NB, NS, PEI, QC, French and International): REeast-DRest@forces.gc.ca
- Central (ON and NCR): REcentral-DRcentrale@forces.gc.ca
- West/North (BC, YK, MB, SK, AB, NT, NU): REwest-DRouest@forces.gc.ca
Participants in the RE Program, can file a complaint. This may relate to:
- program services, including those provided by a specific staff member (for example, a restorative practitioner or a regional administrative officer)
- program mandate and operations
- program information and communications activities
- reporting and information management
A written complaint can be submitted, with a clear subject-line indicating that it is a complaint, to:
- The relevant regional positional mailbox
- The national RE positional mailbox: RE-DR@forces.gc.ca
- Via regular mail with the complainant’s contact information at:
ATTN: Restorative Engagement Program
Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K2
The team will acknowledge receipt of a complaint sent electronically within two business days. If the complaint is sent by mail, it may take longer than two business days depending on when they receive it. They will ensure that the complaint is sent to the appropriate person.
The team will attempt to resolve concerns and complaints at the lowest level possible, to support timeliness in resolution. Their goal is to respond to each complaint within 30 business days. If concerns have not been resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction, they have a right of review which means that the complaint can be escalated to the next level of authority for a review of the circumstances and a resolution.
The response will include the name, role and contact information of whom the complaint can be further elevated to if it is not resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
Note: All calls to the Restorative Engagement Program toll-free number are automatically transferred to the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre 24/7 line, where a counsellor can speak with callers about Restorative Engagement and other support services and resources available.