STRENGTH, HOPE, PROGRESSION— PROGRESSION— Tus Nua provides women leaving prison with a safe, supportive environment which enables positive choices to be made for the future.
ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
DEPAUL IRELAND TUS NUA
APARTMENTS
Photography by: Tim Millen & Depaul Ireland Staff & Volunteers Front Cover Image: Tus Nua Mural Re-Design Sponsored by Dulux Paints
CONTENTS > Foreword and Introduction
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Vision, Mission and Values
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STRENGTH > Resilience in the Face of Change
03
STRENGTH > Everyone Participating
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HOPE > Optimism and Goals
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HOPE > Opportunity and Motivation
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PROGRESSION > Independence, Reintegration and Life Skills
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PROGRESSION > Enhanced Support
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PROGRESSION > A Personal Journey of Change
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Comparison Statistics 2003—2012
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Statistical Analysis
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Model of Work
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THE FUTURE > New Thinking, New Approaches
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Closing Comments
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INTRODUCTION > FOREWORD > During 2012, Tus Nua continued its service to women leaving prison. Many women face difficulties integrating back into society and suitable long term accommodation is difficult to access, employment options are limited and there are many other challenges to be faced. Tus Nua, through the unique accommodation and support services it provides helps the women staying with us to face these challenges. The report for 2012 highlights the strength, hope and progression of the women of Tus Nua, and the progress achieved is in no small way due to the commitment and expertise of the Depaul Ireland staff team. On behalf of the Management Committee, I express our sincere appreciation to the staff team and volunteers for their work over the past year. Our Committee in 2012 included representatives of the Probation Service (whose support for Tus Nua is gratefully acknowledged), Irish Prison Service, Dochas Centre, the Daughters of Charity and the Society of St Vincent de Paul and members of the local community. We also recognise our external partners for thier sustained support, flexibility and willingness to support the work in Tus Nua. I thank all my colleagues on the Committee for the high standard of governance they continue to voluntarily provide at Tus Nua. Ray Mc Govern Chairman Tus Nua Management Committee
Throughout 2012, Depaul Ireland Tus Nua has continued its work with women leaving prison who face the challenge of reintegration into the community. In partnership with the Probation service, the SVP and the Irish Prison Service, Tus Nua has continued to provide a needs-based and quality-led service for the women with whom we work. This year has seen many women progress through the service, make changes to their lives, large and small, planning for a better future. Often facing resistance, an uphill struggle and a need for personal strength and commitment. The women of Tus Nua have evidenced that with opportunity and a helping hand, their resilience and ability to move forward can yield real and lasting change. The staff team have worked tirelessly to ensure that the service remains a welcoming, homely and supportive place, and in turn have been inspired by the achievement of those women who have lived here in 2012. This work has been only possible because of the many and varied partnerships we have with other agencies, and their joint commitment to women in the criminal justice system. This report has been created to highlight the progress made by the women of Tus Nua over 2012 and to celebrate both inner strength and the power of supportive relationships to help make change. I take pleasure in introducing the Tus Nua 2012 Annual Report. Peter McKinney Project Group Manager Tus Nua / Rendu / BCMT Depaul Ireland
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
VISION, MISSION, VALUES > Tus Nua is part of a wider organisation, Depaul Ireland, a leading charity supporting people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Depaul Ireland was established in Ireland in 2002 and in Northern Ireland in 2005 and now manages 15 specialist services across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Depaul Ireland belongs to a group structure Depaul International and has services in the UK, Slovakia, Ukraine, USA and France.
VISION, MISSION AND VALUES OF DEPAUL IRELAND Our vision is that everyone should have a place to call home and a stake in their community
Our mission is to offer homeless and disadvantaged people the opportunity to fulfil their potential and make positive informed choices about their future.
MISSION AND AIMS OF TUS NUA APARTMENTS Tus Nua’s Mission Statement is to provide women leaving prison and women with an offending background with safe, supported housing and a positive environment. We aim to support women in making choices for the future and aid their transition, positively reintegrating into the wider community.
We do this through our commitment to; • Prevent re-offending by recognising the
short-term and long-term needs of women availing of the service.
• Provide life skills and opportunities to promote independent living
Our values are: • We celebrate the potential
of people • We put our words into action • We aim to take a wider role in civil society
• We believe in rights and responsibilities
• Respect the dignity and skills of each woman using our service
• Encourage service users to take a positive
role in the wider community and avail of the communal support while in the project through participation in house activities.
• Achieve excellence in the quality of our service
• Challenge and address barriers faced by
women leaving prison and women with a history of offending
• Work in partnership with other external services
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STRENGTH > RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF CHALLENGE recognise these challenges, but also work to provide an opportunity to move forward and draw on the strength to not only cope with setbacks, but build a better future. In Tus Nua, we recognise the main challenges for women as being stigmatisation because of their history of imprisonment, the lack of employment opportunities for women with a history in prison, difficulties in gaining access to housing, challenges in getting access to a GP in the local area, understanding and accessing the adequate and appropriate social welfare entitlement as well as, getting a place on a day course to provide structure in preparing to move on into the wider community.
The team in Tus Nua are constantly inspired by the strength of the women to move forward, deal with barriers they face and make large strides towards positive independent living. This is an account of a staff member from Tus Nua. “The women who live in Tus Nua have faced many challenges, not least the challenge of leaving prison and reintegrating into the community. At Tus Nua the team
A woman can experience feelings of isolation and loneliness upon leaving prison. Particularly when attempting to re-build family relationships with partners and children which may have previously been fraught. This can be extremely difficult for a woman who is trying to re-connect with her family. Re-developing meaningful positive relationships is so important for the women in Tus Nua. The women we work with in Tus Nua have incredible resilience. Even after continually facing prejudices, stigmatisation, and lack of opportunities among other challenges, we as staff see these women persevere often through difficult times. Tus Nua aims to provide a stable platform and base for these women, with a view to offering support and encouragement in their lives on a day-to-day basis.� Louise Walsh Cover Worker Tus Nua Apartments
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
STRENGTH > EVERYONE PARTICIPATING core of their day to day engagement with the women we support. Encouraging the service users towards independent living through active listening, a calm and empathetic approach using life skills activities, advocating Here the Tus Nua Deputy Manager outlines for high standards of service delivery, identihow important it is to take a partnership fying the potential of each resident and using approach in Tus Nua. this as a motivational tool towards progresPartners: The excellent working relationship sion and moving on. that I have with the Probation Service and Service Users: In Tus Nua, the women are staff of Dóchas Centre cannot be over empha- involved and empowered in all aspects of our sised. They give information that helps in work. This is done through day to day link preparing support and management plans for ins, regular residents’ meetings, an active our service users; they engage in intervention complaints system, and the annual service visits to help prevent re-offending and they user review day where the women critically partner in case management meetings to aid go through the service delivery and review it the progress of each woman.** to bring change and improvement. These in
The strength of working together is a vital aspect of the Tus Nua service, a coordinated approach brings about change and achievement for each individual woman.
Staff: The skills, experience, and the in-depth knowledge of the complex support needs of the women that the staff have in Tus Nua, brings a professional caring approach to our holistic supportive practice. This is through one to one link ins, regular key-working, needs assessments, support planning using the Outcome Star model to measure progress, developing individual risk management plans and case management work. On a day-to-day basis, staff and volunteers put into practice the Depaul Ireland values and ensure these Vincentian values are at the
turn create a homely environment where the women feel consulted, included and appreciated. My hope is that the staff and volunteer team will continue to deliver this high quality of support to all the women in Tus Nua. Also, that our service users will continue to make use of their opportunities to move towards positive re integration back to the community and independent living. Catherine Adejuyigbe Deputy Manager Tus Nua Apartments
* A case management approach is vital to the effectiveness of our partnerships with other external services. This approach enables the positive progression for the women in Tus Nua.
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HOPE> OPTIMISM AND GOALS Tus Nua is about planning and progressing for the future, and mapping a path to that with each woman who uses the service. Hope for the future and goalgoal-setting in this context is a key aspect of the work we do. The structured program of the service focuses on responsibility, motivation and journey, with the women involved at every stage leading the process. The perspective of one service user below shows the hope for the future that the women bring, clarity of direction for the journey, and the mutual partnership with staff to help move forward. “I think the staff in Tus Nua are very supportive. They are available 24/7 and provide non judgmental support and advice. They are very down to earth and treat everybody with equality and the utmost respect. They believe that everybody deserves a second chance in life. My key worker encourages me with my studies and is always helpful with reading and evaluating my assignments. They provide me with support and prevention around my addiction. I think it is great that my Probation worker and key worker work so closely together and are very focused on my needs. In Tus Nua I like how secure the house is. I feel it’s a safe and comfortable place to live that is substance free. I enjoy having a structured routine on a day to day basis. For the future I hope to be secure within myself and to maintain my recovery within Tus Nua and beyond. I hope that with the support the project gives me I will be able to build up my family relationships that have been severed through my addiction.
I think Tus Nua should have more of a focus on group activities with all the residents. I think there should be more encouragement in interacting with family relationships that have been torn apart. I would like to have met my educational targets that have been set out for me at the beginning of the project. I would like to have a grasp of independent living for when I return to where I come from.” Tus Nua Resident Age 38
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
HOPE> OPPORTUNITY AND MOTIVATION The staff team work hard to ensure that each woman receives a one to one keyworking approach to help motivation, deal with setbacks and identify clear goals. This is strengthened by strong interagency partnership work and a case management approach. Where multiple agencies create a joined up support plan to maximise the opportunities the women have to enable positive choices. At Tus Nua this approach is highly valued, and we aim to help build as much of an ongoing support network as possible around each woman that will continue after they move on from the service.
“In Tus Nua, we believe it takes a community to support a woman on the road to reintegration into society. It is with this philosophy in mind that we foster close relationships with other agencies, both state and voluntary, because it is only together as a community that we can create a fertile environment to sow the seeds of growth that enables each individual woman to achieve her potential. As a staff team we continue to encourage the women with opportunity to stabilise, re-connect with family and children, re-connect with society again, explore motivational factors that can lead to a positive change, access voluntary work and enter back into education. To make this work effectively we use a case management, multi-disciplinary approach through which we build and maintain strong links with many services and partners, not least the Probation Service, Irish Prison Service, Drug Treatment services and the Gardai, in a joined up effort to help the women we work with fulfil their potential.� Yvonne Campbell Project Worker Tus Nua Apartments
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PROGRESSION> INDEPENENCE, REINTEGRATION AND LIFE SKILLS Over 2012, the women of Tus Nua experienced barriers to accessing good quality move on accommodation that is affordable and in a location that will work for each woman. Because of the importance of moving on positively to build on the work accomplished in Tus Nua, the service has a proactive resettlement focus that seeks to identify the right move on option in partnership with each service user. This could range from fully independent private rented accommodation with or without support, to further supported temporary accommodation, or a move back with family. Whatever the option that works best, the team advocate strongly for each service user. To plan for and encourage progression throughout the programme. The team, including both full time and part time volunteers, provides ongoing activities and support that create a fun learning environment focused on life skills and independence.
PROGRESSION> ENHANCED SUPPORT In order for Tus Nua to continue to improve on our service delivery, we have in consultation with the women in Tus Nua identified areas where we can enhance the support we offer. In partnership with our funders and stakeholders, we plan on developing our in house programme to facilitate support sessions in the areas of substance use, counselling, sexual health and general wellbeing. In 2012, we also identified some difficulties for the women engaging with support services initially after leaving prison. Negative peer influences can impact on positive progress for women in the first few weeks following release from prison. To prevent this and support the service-users to stabilise immediately after leaving Dochas, Tus Nua is liaising and partnering with other service providers to enhance our programme of support at the early stages of tenancy. Providing a more enhanced support service in these areas is our priority for the coming year.
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
PROGRESSION> A PERSONAL JOURNEY OF CHANGE Tus Nua believes first and foremost in the potential of all the women who use the service to make their own journey of change. The low threshold approach that seeks to meet each woman where she is at is the basis for individual support for each service user that seeks to give them opportunity to progress – both personally and towards successful move on.
CAROL’S STORY* Carol, a 37 year old woman was referred to Tus Nua with a long term history of homelessness. She had complex support needs which included poly drug and alcohol addiction, physical health issues, re-offending, challenging behaviour and very low self esteem. At the beginning of her stay in Tus Nua, Carol was very chaotic and challenging towards staff, with her risk management and support plan reviewed many times within weeks. She also survived 3 overdose episodes in a month with regular monitoring, checks and intervention by staff. At the one of the Case Management meetings held to support her, at around 5 months into her tenancy, her clinic keyworker discussing the progress that she had made said; Carol had never stayed in any one accommodation for more than two weeks since she was 16 years old and for her staying in Tus Nua for this long was a huge success. During her 11 month stay in Tus Nua, Carol gained supervisory access to her children, with one highlight being when she used the communal room, decorated it and held a birthday party for her children with her mum, dad, brother and her social worker in attendance at Tus Nua. She was so excited that she was given an opportunity to do something positive for her children as their mum. Carol participated in activities and cooking communal meals on many occasions, and was so passionate in ensuring that her apartment was clean and tidy all the time. She actively contributed at residents’ meetings and suggested how to improve our service delivery at our annual resident review day. Carol was also engaged in voluntary work with a local voluntary service for two months. After 8 months Carol was successful in accessing further supported accommodation as a step towards her independent living. *The serviceservice-user asked that her real name not be used when she gave permission for her story to be told in this report.
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COMPARISON STATISTICS > 2003-2012 Year
No. of Service Users
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total
16 12 26 21 22 + 1 repeat service user 18 + 2 repeat service user 17 + 1 repeat service user 14 + 1 repeat service user 20 + 1 repeat service user 22 + 1 repeat service user 188
Occupancy levels %
46% 59% 60% 76% 72% 84% 90% 95 % 85 % 86 %
Resettlement
Unable to Sustain Residence
0 3 3 2 6 6 4 4 7 9 44
12 7 17 10 8 4 4 1 7 7 77
Priority Support Needs Presented These figures represent the number of women experiencing these needs some women may present with more than one of these needs.
Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total
Alcohol use
Drug use
6 10 11 5 3 8 5 5 5 7 65
(suspected)
Mental Health Issues
Challenging Behaviour
12 14 17 13 12 11 12 12 17 18 138
3 5 11 4 5 15 12 14 18 12 99
8 8 10 2 4 11 10 12 6 10 81
Tenancy duration Under 9 days Between 9- 31 days 31- 90 days (1-3 months) 90 – 150 days (3-5 months) 5 months plus
2012
2011*
2 4 2 6 9
0 2 6 4 8
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 0 2 4 1 7
0 1 7 6 4
0 3 4 5 7
2 2 9 5 5
4 3 2 2 5
4 8 10 1 3
0 2 4 4 4
*At the 2012 year end 6 residents continued over to 2013 their tenancy duration statistics are included and calculated from when they moved in until the 2012 year end.
3 9 5 3 0
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS > Occupancy In 2012 the occupancy was 86%, slightly above the 2011 occupancy levels. This is historically high based on a longer view of occupancy, but lower than some previous years. The occupancy has remained high due to proactive referral relationships with Probation and the Irish Prison Service to fill spaces as they arise and intensive work from the staff team on retention of service-users despite a high level of presenting needs with the women accessing the service, especially as we continue to ensure our threshold for access is set low enough for those women who need the service most.
Number of women residing in Tus Nua and Presenting Needs 22 women resided in Tus Nua in 2012 with one woman returning during the year. In total since Tus Nua opened in 2003, 188 women have been accommodated at Tus Nua. 7 women were unable to sustain their accommodation in 2012 and again this is indicative of the presenting needs of the women. Whilst there was a drop in those with mental health issues, there was an increase in women with challenging behaviour and the continued high number of women with drug use issues. Furthermore many of the women present with complex needs, where multiple challenges and needs intersect, and this contributed to abandonment and breaches of Temporary Release conditions. We remain open to re-referrals in the future of these women from the community through The Probation Service.
Resettlement We are very pleased that 9 women were successfully resettled in 2012 and this is testament to their hard work and that of the team. However there was a clear difficulty in accessing positive and appropriate move on options, especially for women with complex needs. This was due to housing stock and availability, especially in the private rental sector, but also due to appropriate move on accommodation that retains support for those women ready for a further step towards independence, but still in need to support.
MODEL OF WORK > Tus Nua offers a person-centred wrap-around service that focusses on quality, homely accommodation including a structured program of support geared towards independence, addressing offending behaviour and community re-integration. The support approach is a highly relational model that values service user participation and mutual respect, and incorporates holistic assessment, risk management, support planning and ongoing review focused on progression, alongside intensive work with other agencies in a joined up approach.
The outline here shows some of the main aspects of the model of support.
PERSONCENTRED & LOW THRESHOLD
QUALITY ACCOMMODATION
COMMUNITY REINTEGRATION
MODEL OF WORK INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIP/ CASE MANAGEMENT
PROGRESS & CHANGE: NEEDS, RISK & SUPPORT
SERVICE-USER INVOLVEMENT
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THE FUTURE > NEW THINKING, NEW APPROACHES BEFRIENDING Our befriending programme is a targeted approach utilising volunteers to work alongside service-users to assist a smooth transition and reintegration into the community. By providing socialisation, reducing isolation and stimulating independent living skills and the creation of community based support networks this is achieved. Depaul Ireland’s Community Befriending service has run successfully for several years, and in 2012 this approach has been adopted for Tus Nua and is being piloted in Tus Nua in 2013. It is designed to enhance the service and provide another strand of support at critical moments of transition – from prison to Tus Nua and from Tus Nua to independence in the community.
Befriending volunteers commit to regular time every week to spend with serviceusers, both individually and in groups, working under three areas: Informal Social Support – Volunteers will support former service users socially through meeting for coffee, home visits etc., organising group social activities from time to time. Life skill Support - Supporting former service users with life skills issues such as cookery, budgeting, household management, etc. Community Support – Assisting the service users to familiarise themselves with their local community and appropriate services to link in with.
DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE Depaul Ireland is committed to the continuous improvement of its services, and the service to the women in Tus Nua has been reviewed and improved over many years, seeking to be responsive to the changing needs and trends of women in the criminal justice system in Ireland. In this regard in 2013, and in partnership with our key stakeholders, we are undertaking a review of our work in Tus Nua. Reviewing the approach, effectiveness and potential for change that could benefit the women with whom we work and look at the range of services that can be provided. We believe that working on ever more effective joint partnerships, and by constantly learning from the presenting needs and experiences of the women who are sentenced to imprisonment and use our service, there is opportunity to develop new thinking on how services can be delivered, and new approaches to service delivery that meet those needs effectively, both short and long-term.
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TUS NUA ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
CLOSING COMMENTS > It is clear that within the last year a momentum has been created to address how the criminal justice system reacts and responds to women who come in contact with it. In the summer of 2012 many organisations were brought together by the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service in the Dochas Unit in Mountjoy to discuss the future and arrive at a different vision on how we all could work better together, harness the resources available and most importantly avoid imprisoning women who do not require it. A consensus has been arrived at that there can be different approaches to women offenders that utilises non custodial measures. Since opening Tus Nua has been part of pioneering and testing this alternative path. It has created an environment and perspective that other methods must be adopted to avoid the profound affect that imprisonment has on women and those around them. Pragmatically Tus Nua also provides a way in which the pressure on overcrowded custodial approaches can be relieved. 22 women used our services this year as a part of an approach to support reintegration from prison. It is clear that we are all on the cusp of a radical, different approach to dealing with women offenders. Depaul Ireland and Tus Nua go into 2013 optimistically that it can continue to be at the forefront with our partners of delivering relevant services that have a meaningful affect on women’s lives and wider society . David vid Carrol rroll Director of Services Depaul Ireland
If you are interested in learning more about Tus Nua, the work of Depaul Ireland or would like more copies of this Annual Review, please contact: Depaul Ireland Services Department Dublin Office 00353 (0) 1 453 7111 / T depaul@depaulireland.org / E
www.depaulireland.org / W
Belfast Office 0044 (0) 28 9064 7755 / T depaulni@depaulireland.org / E