Restorative Practice and Second Victimisation

Description

The University of Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent City Council are delighted to offer the following Arts and Humanities Research Council fully-funded PhD studentship: Restorative Practice and Second Victimisation.

The successful candidate will be expected to begin the studentship on 1 October 2025 over a 4-year period for full-time students, or over a 6-year period for part-time students, and will be required to spend time at both the University of Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, gaining access to resources and services across the two institutions. They will also be part of a wider cohort of CDA funded students across the UK.

The deadline for applications is 9th April 2025 (by 23:59)

Project summary
The restorative approach (RA) has been hailed as a great promoter of reconciliation. Instances of the approach can be found throughout cultures and history, but only within the last 30 years, in the criminal justice system, has it acquired global prominence. More recently, RA has also been praised as a powerful solution to distributive problems of social justice, for instance, in education. Stoke-on-Trent City Council (SCC) is in the process of implementing restorative practices, and the current project is designed to achieve primarily two interrelated objectives:

O1. To provide guidance for the application and expansion of RA in the concrete context of SCC’s services with particular emphasis on local issues generated by potential economic, social and cultural exclusion (e.g., leading to problems of fairness, including, secondary victimisation, e.g., when the victim is placed under pressure to accept the RA);

O2. In response to an acknowledged problem for RA – that its theory has always lagged behind practice – to develop the theoretical framework underpinning the recommended guidance.

This CDA will enable the student to:
• research in an emerging area of political philosophy;
• examine applications of relevant theories to concrete problems of public distribution by the SCC;
• collaborate with the SCC to enhance knowledge and co-create content for advisory guidance, and to inform any future guidance for their services;
• undertake relevant training for the PhD project and prospective career;
• and engage in public dissemination opportunities through events jointly organised by Liverpool University (LU) and the SCC.

The project will be co-supervised by Professor Sorin Baiasu (Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool), Mr James Doble (Director of Legal, Governance and Customer Services and Monitoring Officer at Stoke-on-Trent City Council), Professor Simon Hailwood (Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool), and Dr Phil Catney (Politics/School of Social Sciences, Keele University).

Benefits and opportunities
The successful candidate will be hosted by the Department of Philosophy in the School of the Arts, one of four Schools in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. You will be provided with a comprehensive package of formal supervision, support and training, as well as high quality study space. You will join a thriving community of postgraduate researchers.

The Department of Philosophy encompasses a broad spectrum of research and is home to the Liverpool-Oxford-St Andrews Kantian (LOSAK) Research Centre, a specialist research centre in the area of the project.
The Council, supported by the academic supervisors, will enable the successful candidate to devise and deliver an engagement event, hosted at the Council or similar venue or online (in the unlikely situation of the reintroduction of social-distancing measures), in year 2, building on its own regular programmes of activities and its local and national networks. The event will aim to popularise and disseminate the project, some of the outcomes of the student’s research, as well as to benefit the Council and those in the audience.

You will also be supported for a short research stay at Yale University, to facilitate a deeper understanding of some aspects of the project, particularly connected with issues related to the connection between justice and desert. Throughout the PhD, you will also have the opportunity to engage in networking and events with SCC, and the wider network of local councils affiliated with the AHRC CDP scheme as part of the CDP Cohort Development programme or part of SCC’s network.

Eligibility and How to Apply
For any initial queries regarding this studentship, please contact Professor Sorin Baiasu on S.Baiasu@liverpool.ac.uk

For queries regarding the application process, please contact pgarts@liverpool.ac.uk
To apply for this studentship, you must submit an online application to PhD Philosophy via Philosophy - University of Liverpool, by 9th April 2025. In the relevant section of the application form that asks about funding, please include that you will be applying to the AHRC CDA Restorative Practice and Second Victimisation studentship.

To support your application, you will need to submit the following to the application portal:
• BA & MA award certificates (or evidence of equivalent professional experience)
• BA & MA transcripts
• (If applicable) English language certificate (IELTS minimum overall 7.0, no component below 6.5) or accepted equivalent
• Two references (ideally both should be academic references)
• CV
• Passport details
In addition, you will need to email pgarts@liverpool.ac.uk with copies of the following documents.
• Two-page expression of interest stating your motivation to apply, your interest in the topic, what you would bring to the studentship, and how you would apply your current skills, knowledge and experience to undertake a PhD.
• A sample of recent written work.
Please put ‘AHRC CDA Restorative Practice and Second Victimisation in the title of your email.

Applicants should have met all the entry requirements, including the English-language requirements, by the interview date.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual interview on 16th April 2025.

We are keen to encourage applications from a wide range of candidates with suitable qualifications and/or equivalent experience. Eligible applicants would have or be expected to receive either an undergraduate degree or a relevant Master-level qualification in Philosophy. Ideally they would have, or be expected to have both, and a specialisation in political philosophy, applied ethics or philosophy of law.

We also welcome applicants who demonstrate equivalent experience for the opportunity. This might include, but is not restricted to, professional experience of working as part of a council or comparable institution.

Applicants should demonstrate an interest in and enthusiasm for developing their skills and critical thinking in contemporary analytic political philosophy and applied philosophy

The University of Liverpool is committed to promoting equality and diversity in its application processes. The School of the Arts actively engages with this commitment, holding a Bronze Athena Swan award and supporting activity under Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter. See the University’s Diversity and Equality Policies for further details.

This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
o Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
o Have settled status, or
o Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
o Have indefinite leave to remain or enter
o International students are eligible to receive the full maintenance award. The University of Liverpool has agreed to waive the difference between AHRC’s tuition fees and overseas fees.

NB. All applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding

Reasonable adjustments and support for applicants
Should you require any reasonable adjustments or support throughout the application process, please contact pgarts@liverpool.ac.uk.
Support or adjustments may include (but are not limited to): opportunities to speak with supervisors or relevant contacts regarding the project and process, institutional support systems and spaces, and the interview process