Selwyn Times: September 12, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday September 12 2017 31
News
NEW CORRECTIONS recruit
Charmaine Shaw is using her
skills as the manager of the
South Island Scorpions rugby
league team in her new career as
a frontline officer.
She is working at Christchurch
Women’s Prison after completing
her 12-week Corrections officer
development pathway course. She
was presented with the minister’s
excellence award acknowledging
the leadership, passion and
professionalism she displayed
throughout her training.
Mrs Shaw, of Halswell, says
there are parallels between the
skills she has honed through her
involvement with the Scorpions
and the approach she takes every
day working in the prison.
“You have to be dedicated and
loyal to the task at hand,” she says.
“Just like training for rugby
league, you have to be committed
whether it’s in the sunshine
or in the pouring rain. You learn
to take the not so good days with
the really good days and recognise
that’s just the way life rolls
sometimes. You can’t get hung
up on the negatives.
“It’s like losing a game where
you learn from what didn’t work
well, accept the loss and maybe
try a different strategy next time.
“In the Scorpions, we want to
encourage the young players to
be good young men who will
grow up to be good husbands
and fathers. You want them to be
positive contributors to society
and get them to take all the opportunities
given to them.
“We look for talent and skill on
the field, but the players’ attitude
is their most important attribute.
In a split second a person’s attitude
can take them to a good
place or a bad place – I’m looking
for the same thing with the
women in prison I work with.”
Mrs Shaw says her work in
education, with youth and with
people with mental health issues
has helped with her understanding
of her new role. Her knowledge
of Te Reo Maori will also
be put to great use in the prison’s
programmes.
“I am proud to be Maori, the
statistics for Maori in prisons
are not very good and I want to
be a positive Maori role model
to the people I work with daily,”
she said.
“I feel very humbled to be in a
role where I can influence others
and utilise my people skills to
assist and guide others to want to
be better people and change their
lives so that they never return to
prison.”
The Corrections officer
development pathway is a new
training package for custodial officers
that blends on-the-job and
classroom-based learning for
Corrections officers and offender
employment instructors.
Each learner’s development is
led and managed by their home
prison and experienced prison
Local
News
Now
Parallels between sport and working in Corrections
SKILLS:
Charmaine
Shaw is
making
a mark in
her role at
Christchurch
Women’s
Prison.
Fire rages, homes at risk
staff have a key role in progressing
learners along the pathway.
“I absolutely loved college and
the experiences we had,” said
Mrs Shaw.
“Our facilitators were engaging,
supportive and passionate in
giving us the foundation tools we
needed to start in our new roles
on the frontline.
“The camaraderie of both my
Christchurch-based colleagues
and also my wider training
cohort was a huge driving force
behind my learning,” she says.
“I am loving being at Christchurch
Women’s Prison. It is a
great place to start my career and
there are plenty of opportunities
to continue learning.”
Christchurch Women’s Prison
director Wayne McKnight says
although Mrs Shaw is new to
Corrections she is already making
her mark.
“The skills she already learnt
leading to her career change to
Corrections have put her in a
good place for this role. Working
in a prison can be extremely
challenging but also rewarding.”
“Much like sports management,
it is all about people,
mentoring and looking for that
opportunity to influence change.
You need to be patient, supportive
and constantly watching for
that opportunity.”