Circles of Support and Accountability - Interim report [PDF ... - Quakers

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isk cannot be managed successfully there is with a Circle the added factor that if the risk posed to the public or the Core Member does increase then it can be identified and dealt with quickly. The role of the Public Protection Officer within the Thames Valley Police has also been greatly assisted in that now the role of support is shared with the Circle volunteers. From a personal point of view my role has been enhanced by the implementation of Circles of Support and Accountability, I have seen great improvement in the Core Members, and also my workload has been eased considerably. I fully support the Circles of Support and Accountability programme and would hope that it is used to its full potential nation-wide in the future. WDC 3872 Corinne Greenall Public Protection Officer The Core Member’s Perspective Extracts from an Evaluation Study This is the result of a study conducted by Sarah Bell. Sarah is a Social Work student at Oxford Brooks University who undertook a placement with the Thames Valley Circles of Support and Accountability Programme. As part of that placement Sarah undertook to interview four Core Members who were currently in a Circle. She designed a semi-structured interview aimed at eliciting both the thoughts and feelings experienced by the Core Members in relation to their Circle. What follows are extracts from that study, highlighting the Core Members’ perspective of being in a Circle. The Core Members in this study had heard about the Circles Programme either from their Probation Officer or Prison Chaplain. Application forms were completed with absolute confidentiality and each Core Member received a reply about their acceptance directly from a member of the Circles programme team who then visited them. The voice of the Core Member is important not only to ascertain how well the Circles have been running but also for other offenders, who may or may not have the opportunity to experience the kind of non-judgemental support offered by Circles. It became apparent that this was a key feeling with each Core Member. As one Core Member tries to explain: ‘Although the Police treat you with respect they also judge you on your crime and their profession requires them to judgementally question you, for instance, as an ex sex-offender.’ He was aware that if there were any offences committed in the community where he lived, he would be questioned automatically about it. While understanding why, he felt this would be a pre-judgement on behalf of the Police towards him. He believed both the staff in his Probation hostel, and the Sex Offender Registration Officer would make the same kinds of prejudgements. He was clear however that this was not the case with the volunteers in his Circle. 24
‘They challenge me but they don’t judge me.’ The general feeling was that judgement seemed to be left outside the front door of any Circle contact. Each Core Member stated that they enjoyed the meetings and looked forward to them. Meeting with volunteers in their Circle and consequently building relationships helped their selfesteem and confidence. Being able to practise these skills helped them deal with other social situations. Their first thoughts and expectations of what it would be like being in a Circle were how it would help their transition and reintegration back into the community and support them in areas such as housing and employment. The Core Members felt that the Circle would be there for any general queries, issues and questions they may have, offering advice and support. It was positive to hear that Circles met the Core Members’ expectations ‘and more’; in each case comments like ‘they wanted to help me’, ‘they gave me positive feedback’, ‘we got to know each other’, ‘I felt like an equal.’ There were, as always, some unexpected feelings, one of which was that one Core Member was not expecting Circles of Support and Accountability to be so closely linked with the Thames Valley Project or the Probation Service, but has since found this beneficial as he felt that he has more support if everyone is involved and knows what is going on. One particular Core Member felt that having a Circle (instead of just one person such as the key worker) helped because ‘I can talk to a certain member about one issue and likewise about another issue with another member.’ Each Core Member felt that the Circle had helped them achieve changes on a personal level. They said the volunteers offered encouragement, acceptance, ideas and advice which encouraged them to become more confident, moving forward in positive ways, becoming less isolated and more accepting of how positive the future could be. ‘When I am advised/told something which does not necessarily make me feel comfortable, I do listen because I know that it is honesty in order to benefit me.’ ‘Coming out of prison was an emotional period for me. If I had not had the Circle it could have led to re-offending when feeling emotionally down. They have helped me to focus in on the way I think so that I do not get into a situation of re-offending.’ ‘Without the Circles support I think I could have re-offended, they offered me support and advice at one of my lowest points and were there to help and support me.’ Each Core Member felt that their Circle had accepted them as people. This enabled them to feel comfortable concerning disclosing information about their offending and treatment programme (one core-member however did not have any treatment but was still able to feel they could open up and be honest). ‘My relapse programme, with the support from volunteers, has real meaning. I feel that I can continue with my main aim of not re-offending.’ 25
Page 1 and 2: Circles of Support and Accountabili
Page 3 and 4: Introduction It is not difficult to
Page 5 and 6: who had been assessed and treated b
Page 7 and 8: would otherwise be unavailable. How
Page 9 and 10: communities can and should take res
Page 11 and 12: climate where there is understandab
Page 13 and 14: The second perspective has been wri
Page 15 and 16: had not at this point given much th
Page 17 and 18: motivation or expectation. Personal
Page 19 and 20: He warms to his subject right away:
Page 21 and 22: girl, and what your life is like no
Page 23: A Police Perspective Throughout the
Page 27 and 28: The Management and Supervision of C
Page 29 and 30: On several occasions I was required
Page 31 and 32: Evaluation It is important that all
Page 33 and 34: evaluation rather than a tool of co
Page 35 and 36: Motivation to Change If men are mot
Page 37 and 38: package for the offender. Professio
Page 39 and 40: Beech, A., Fisher D. (2000) ‘Main
Page 41 and 42: Acknowledgements The staff of Thame

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