The Risley Report End of project report for The Safe Room in Risley
Contents
Introduction
3
Learning from the Past
4
Project Setting
7
Project Analysis
10
Project Conclusion
18
The Delivery Partners
24
Acknowledgements Survivors Manchester would like to thank the
To Mrs Karin Hooper and the Trustees of The
following people for making this second group
Woodward Charitable Trust for making it possible
project for male survivors in the prison estate
to deliver this project again, thanks to your valuable
possible, through their practical help, financial
financial support.
support, and encouragement.
To all the lads on the Belief in Change programme
To the Belief in Change team of Mark Stanley,
for respecting our safe space, our work and our
Lorna Edmondson, Graham Parry, Val Barker, Steph
staff team.
Campbell and Emily Curbishley - thank you for
To Duncan Craig and Lee Wakeham at Survivors
your help and belief in the process of change; and to Chris Bennett of Achieve Northwest for her financial support of the project to run this second group. To Jerry Spencer and team at HMP Risley for allowing us to work within your prison.
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Manchester for overcoming all the hurdles in order to deliver this project every week. And to the 13 lads that engaged in the project throughout its lifespan. We saw your belief in your ability to change and we believe you could do it too!
The Risley Report
Introduction In mid 2013, Survivors Manchester received an
Soon after the project began, it was announced
invitation to speak at a group gathering in HMP
that this would be last opportunity for a group
Risley to the ‘Belief in Change’ community about
of this kind in HMP Risley due to the closure of
the work of Survivors Manchester. What followed
the Belief in Change programme as its European
was the development of a relationship with the
funding came to an end.
prison, the staff team and the prisoners, which
The following report has been written to provide
resulted in the delivery of a peer-led support
a review of the project, information on its timeline,
groups aimed at male survivors of sexual abuse
and analysis of the clinical outcomes measured and
and early life trauma housed in the prison estate.
the change observed by both individual prisoners
Following the successful delivery of the first ever
and staff.
peer-support group for male survivors of sexual
In order to ensure all those that participated in
abuse in a UK Prison, running between November
the group and 1:1 activities keep their anonymity,
2013 and March 2014, we were hopeful that this
all identifying details relating to individuals
piece of work would continue with financial
have been changed or removed.
support from HMP Risley and the Achieve North West programme. From March 2014 – December 2014, Survivors Manchester committed itself to absorbing the cost of working within the Belief in Change community on a 3 weekly/monthly basis until further funding could be secured to deliver another weekly support group. In January 2015, after further discussions and a financial commitment from Achieve Northwest and kind support from The Woodward Trust, Survivors Manchester committed to forming and delivering a second peer-led support group in HMP Risley on the Belief in Change programme. It was decided that the group would be for men who have been affected by childhood sexual abuse, neglect, physical abuse or felt that they had experienced early life trauma that they needed to work though. To compliment the group, a number of 1:1 sessions would also be made available to men on the Belief in Change programme.
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Introduction
Learning from the Past
The foundation to this project and the delivery of
Discussions with staff and some of the men that
this new group was initially designed to be built
accessed the first group meant further reflection
I gotta’ be the solution”.
using the learning taken from the first pilot peer-
was needed in order to positively move forward
(2014). A Review of the
led survivors group, which took place in November
with a second group. The result of those discussions
2013 – March 2014.
and further planning was that:
In the report ‘If I’m not the problem, then I gotta’ be the solution’ 1, published in May 2014 by Survivors Manchester, there was clear evidence that in providing a safe and specifically facilitated space for male survivors, those prisoners who entered that space would over a period of time reveal more of themselves, their vulnerabilities, and the past/
1. The new group would be facilitated by
Survivors Manchester each week, rather
case previously; 2. There would be a stronger element of
behaviour. Qualitative and quantitative data
has been previously;
suggested that change could happen in this
had been a huge success and should be repeated.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of, there’s other people in the same boat as me, I’m not alone after all… you don’t know how good that feels” 2
3. The engagement criteria for the new group
would be explicitly widened to include those that had suffered neglect, physical and emotional abuse in childhood, not only sexual abuse; 4. No Belief in Change staff team would be
involved in the delivery of the group at each session; 5. Whilst the group session would be delivered in
the morning, 1:1 sessions would be delivered in the afternoon to ensure those that can’t access group have an opportunity for support and those that have a difficult time in group can access further support to become more resilient and reduce risk of harm to self or others.
4
May 2014.
2
“If I’m the problem, then I gotta’ be the solution”. ‘Survivors Group’ in HMP
emotional intelligence in the new group than
overall summary indicated was that the pilot group
Risley. Survivors Manchester.
(2014). A Review of the
psychoeducation and learning about
set out in the report, suggested to be adopted, the
‘Survivors Group’ in HMP
monthly by Survivors Manchester as was the
have arguably been a root cause of their offending
Whilst a number of specific recommendations were
“If I’m the problem, then
than facilitated by an inmate and supervised
present issues they have actively concealed that
shared space.
1
Risley. Survivors Manchester. May 2014. Pg17.
The Risley Report
It was agreed that Duncan Craig, CEO and
The expected outputs at the end of the project
Psychotherapist at Survivors Manchester would
were as follows:
facilitate the group in association with Lee Wakeham, Project Worker with Salford Prison Project and Trustee of Survivors Manchester. The two facilitators would bring different skills to the group which was felt would complement each other. It was decided that the group would commence in
1. Max 15 male inmates will attend a minimum of
7 sessions 2. 70% of the membership will reduce their IES-R
score to below 25 (significantly lowering the likelihood of the individual experiencing PTSD symptoms)
January 2015 and run for 6 months until July 2015, taking place every Wednesday from 09.30am – 11.30am. Known as The Safe Room, the project as a whole would be promoted to the Belief in Change community as a therapeutic ‘Personal Development’ and psychoeducation based peer-support service, for adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, neglect, physical or emotional abuse who are currently serving a custodial sentence in HMP Risley and are part of the Belief in Change programme. Space would be made available for 12 – 15 men through the lifespan of the project, with each member being assessed at the beginning to ensure that the risk of the individual joining the group is manageable; his mental health and substance misuse issues are monitored; no offences committed involve sexual offences: a baseline outcome measurement of emotional well-being (using outcome measure WEMWBS) and Likelihood of PTSD (using outcome measure IES-R) is registered. Each individual will complete two outcome measures every 3 weeks, WEMWBS and an IES-R outcomes, in line with Survivors Manchester standard mental health outcomes monitoring.
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3. 70% of the membership will increase their
WEMWBS score to above 51 (matching the average ‘healthy’ male population score of 51) 4. 48 x 1:1 individual sessions be delivered
to the membership that will complement the group support and address individual difficulties, decreasing the likelihood of members disengaging from the main group activity 5. 90% of the membership will report the
experience of involvement in the project having a positive impact on their post-release planning.
Learning from the Past
The Risley Report
Whilst the main overarching outcome of the project would be to reduce the negative impact of the experience of being a child sexual abuse survivor and increase the wellbeing of individuals. The staff team on the Belief in Change programme would actively promote the group to individuals and when necessary, a 1:1 session would be offered prior to an individual joining the group to help reduce anxiety and promote the positive effect of peer-support, an intrinsic part of the Belief in Change programme. To ensure that there is an ability to compare and contrast clinical outcomes with the previous HMP Risley group and with the group work Survivors Manchester carries out in the community, IES-R and WEMWBS would be used for this group.
A poster advertising The Safe Room in HMP Risley (2015)
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Learning from the Past
Project Setting
Macro Environment: HMP Risley
The Risley Report
HMP Risley is a male, Category C training prison.
Micro Environment: Belief in Change on E-Wing
There are currently 1076 prisoners held at Risley
The Belief in Change programmme, primarily
and the maximum capacity is 1095. It is estimated
funded by Achieve North West, is an accredited
that over 81 % of the prison population have
programme based on E-Wing at HMP Risley.
substance misuse issues - (drug or alcohol related)
Prisoners volunteer to participate in the six month
Just over 15 % are classed as foreign nationals, 22%
course, and over a hundred men have completed
are sex offenders, 6% are IPP’s, and 6% are serving
it since it was established in 2011.
mandatory life sentences. The remaining 50% are serving a variety of sentences, some of whom are less than 6 months. These short sentence offenders provide many challenges to the prison, as it is difficult to provide relevant programmes or training for them.
The initiative encourages participants to reflect on who they are, the kind of life they wish to lead and the changes they will need to make in order to achieve their ambitions. The programme is based on the principles underpinning therapeutic communities and religious retreats, with the overall
The prison site consists of 7 wings and a Care
aim of creating an intense intervention and a
and Separation unit. Two of the wings house
challenging experience for the participants.
vulnerable/ sex offenders.
Up to 30 men are on the programme at any one
The training facilities include 12 workshops
time, living in a small community on the prison’s
and 14 education classrooms. There is a very
E wing. They participate in regular morning
well-resourced library.
meetings, attend regular structured group work
The Health Care Centre is well staffed there is
sessions, peer support meetings, one-to-one
a full time Doctor and plus Dental, Ophthalmic,
coaching appointments, and meet speakers
Physiotherapy and Podiatry Services.
and guests.
There is a Sports Hall and two gyms. There is a multi-faith centre which is supported by several ministers and a Muslim Imam3 .
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3
Project Setting
Annual Report April 2012 – March 2013 (2013). Independent Monitoring Board. [www.imb.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/01/ risley-2012-13.pdf
The Risley Report
They also take part in restoration sessions to resolve any instances of negative behaviour. Other activities include the opportunity
People: Belief in Change Population
to learn and practise meditation and yoga.
The Belief in Change programme target
Delivering a project inside a prison often comes
group were:
with challenges, however, this project was the victim of a number of environmental challenges,
•
medium to high risk general.
primarily through a change in the prison regime and the decommissioning of the Belief
•
in Change programme. Throughout the lifespan of the project, a number of sessions had to be moved or cancelled for a
sessions; and changes in prison wing opening regime. The decommissioning of the Belief in Change programme had the greatest impact on the project as it meant that not only was there little change in men engaging in the programme and therefore the Survivors Manchester project; but the uncertainty of whether the anything would continue as part of the prison’s own programme timetable meant that forward planning was impossible.
Age 25 – 40, multiple types of offences, OGRS + 50 (OGRS 2 41)
•
Denial of index offence not an issue but must acknowledge some anti-social behaviour
number of reasons e.g the wing and prison being on lockdown due to staffing levels; staff training
Prolific career criminals,
•
Adult males
As the delivery date got closer, it became clear that there would be a number of individuals would not be able to take part in the group due to restrictions imposed and connected to their engagement with the Belief in Change programme. The number of individuals being assessed to join new cohorts on the Belief in Change programme also decreased and towards the end of February 2015, it was announced that a new intake was on hold until the future of the programme was clear. Then in March it was announced that HMP Risley would not be absorbing the Belief in Change programme and it would close in July 2015, and The Safe Room project would also then need to end. The result of these challenges meant that a total of 13 individuals engaged in the whole project, both in group and at 1:1 support.
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Project Setting
The Risley Report
People: Staff The Belief in Change staff worked independently from prison staff, under a Probation Case Management model. However, Prison staff had some input into the programme from officers who were primarily custodial function but training in aspects of the programme and part of Belief in Change Community; to Sentence Planning staff who would be involved in participant selection and receive regular updates. The Chaplaincy provided an additional faith specific support to participants and were extremely supportive of The Safe Room Group and Survivors Manchester project. The key Survivors Manchester project delivery team consisted of Duncan Craig (Survivors Manchester CEO / Psychotherapist) and Lee Wakeham (Survivors Manchester Trustee & Prison Project Worker). Responsibility for managing individual participants risk within the project was divided into mental health and wellbeing (Duncan) and practical and criminal justice risk (Lee). Having a staff team with specific disciplines in Counselling / Psychotherapy and the Criminal Justice system ensured that participant’s needs could be addressed between the team and the workload that needed to be completed outside of the prison could be shared.
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Project Setting
Project Analysis
Participants Throughout the lifespan of the project, 13 individuals engaged in the project. Data relating to the religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation of participants was collected, however due to the data set being small, displaying certain findings would identify individuals. Therefore, in the interests of retaining participants’ anonymity, this data set isn’t displayed within this report. The majority of individuals who engaged with the whole project were originally from Manchester. Collectively, the other 61% came from 5 of the other 9 Greater Manchester authorities.
Whilst the largest percentage (40%) of individuals were in their 20s, the average age of those that engaged was 34 years old. This average age is certainly in keeping with Survivors Manchester’s community based services. However, it is worth noting that there is also something interesting and significant about the number of individuals in their 20s that engaged in this project. Whilst it is not unusual for us to have a number of 20-somethings in our group support services, the quantity is certainly lower than the number engaged in this project which provides us with a piece of information that should be looked at for early intervention models of support.
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The Risley Report
Project Sessions Throughout the lifespan of the project, attendances at the sessions fluctuated, as expected as delivery is within a prison setting. Over the 25 week period, the average weekly attendance at the Survivors Manchester project was 5. As the session attendance graph below shows, the project began with an average of 6 attendees, and ended with an average of 3. This reduction in numbers is clear result of the reduction in numbers of men on the Belief in Change programme as the programme began to close down - no new referrals were accepted and therefore no new men were admitted onto the programme.
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Project Analysis
The Risley Report
Outcomes The IES-R and WEMWBS outcome measures were
The respondent is asked to reflect on the past
chosen to be used, as per the pilot group, and it
7 days and record his score the form accordingly.
was decided that CORE would be introduced for
The maximum mean score on each of the three
some individuals who were accessing 1:1 support,
subscales is ‘4’, therefore the maximum ‘total mean’
in order for us to compare with our community
IES-R score is 12. A total IES-R score of 33 or
based 1:1 support.
over from a theoretical maximum of 88 signifies
IES-R The IES-R was developed to reflect the DSM-IV criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The scale measures key criteria for PTSD: •
Avoidance (numbing behaviours or isolation)
•
Intrusion (automatic re-experiencing or trigger
the likely presence of PTSD in the respondent. Therefore the lower the score the better and less likelihood of presence of PTSD. The following graph exhibits the first and last IES-R score for each individual (except client ‘h’ who chose to not complete any outcome forms).
induced flashbacks) •
Hyper arousal (anger and irritability, heightened startle response, difficulty concentrating and hyper vigilance).
As this graph highlights, every single individual that completed an IES-R at the beginning of their engagement showed a reduction in their overall score by the end, with some showing a reduction of nearly 50% (see members’ b, f, g, j, k, l, m).
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Project Analysis
The Risley Report
The average start score for this group was 37, which demonstrated individuals having a higher likelihood of PTSD, with an average end score of 22, demonstrated a significantly lower likelihood of individuals suffering PTSD. This result indicates that on average, the ‘change’ score is over 15 scale points. This is a significant drop and evidences that the project intervention has significant impact on the reduction of PTSD symptoms. The individual change scores are displayed in the table below.
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Project Analysis
The Risley Report
CORE 10 CORE is a client self-report questionnaire designed to be administered before and after talking therapy. The client is asked to respond to a number of questions (10) about how they have been feeling over the last week, using a 5-point scale ranging from ‘not at all’ to ‘most or all of the time’. The responses are designed to be averaged by the practitioner to produce a mean score to indicate the level of current psychological global distress (from ‘healthy’ to ‘severe’).
6 of the 13 individuals completed CORE 10 forms. The average start CORE Score was 9 and the average end CORE Score was 6. The average ‘change’ CORE Score was 3.
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Project Analysis
The Risley Report
Project Analysis
WEMWBS The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), developed by Warwick and Edinburgh Universities in 2006, is a scale of 14 positively worded items, with five response categories, for assessing a population’s mental wellbeing. Each of the 14 item responses in WEMWBS are scored from 1 (none of the time) to 5 (all of the time) and a total scale score is calculated by summing the 14 individual item scores. The minimum score is 14 and the maximum is 70. The respondent is asked to reflect on the past 14 days and score the form accordingly. Theoretically, the higher the overall score the more positive
7 of the 13 respondents completed a start and end WEMWBS outcome form.
the individual’s mental wellbeing, whereas the
The average start WEMWBS score was 21 and the average end score was 26.
lower the score the less positive the responders wellbeing is. 7 of the 13 respondents completed a start and end WEMWBS outcome form. The average start WEMWBS score was 21 and the average end score was 26.
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The Risley Report
Summary Analysis The clinical outcomes are clear, there is significant evidence that the men’s involvement in the project as a whole has impacted on their mental health and wellbeing. Intervention by Survivors Manchester has resulted in individuals experiencing a reduced hyper-arousal, usually displayed through the output of anger and irritability, and so means that individuals are less likely to cause risk to self and others and be more manageable within the prison; enabled individuals to concentrate more and therefore more engaged in the Belief in Change programme as a whole; and be less avoidant of the things and issues that cause them distress. There is also significant evidence that individuals commitment to change had increased and a new-found willingness to move this change beyond prison and into their ‘outside’ lives. One individual wrote:
“I’m looking forward to my future out of these walls… for me I know I will put the work in and if I do that things will hopefully start to feel better.”
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“No one has ever proper heard what I had to say. Feels weird saying it knowing your proper listening and I know that you are too. Thanks, you don’t know how important it is.” Individuals’ stated feeling more confident about talking to their Offender Manager, Case Worker and Probation Officer about the problems they are having; one individual who has a history of negative experiences of and reactions to parole boards found himself writing a statement he can read out to the board that will allow him to engage in a clear and timely manner and reduce instances of anger outbursts. The scores alone demonstrate that change has occurred in these men but the words and actions of the individuals really show the true impact of change in the present and hopefully for the future.
Project Analysis
The Risley Report
Of the five original outputs, we can now provide evidence if we have met out targets. Max 15 male prisoners will attend minimum of 7 sessions
70% of the membership will increase their
As the max number of individuals that engaged
WEMWBS score to above 51 (matching the average
in the whole project was 13, this output was not
‘healthy’ male population score of 51)
1
met. However, we can see that only 3 individuals did not attend the minimum number of sessions set as a target and they can be explained easily as: 1 individual was released, 1 individual was moved off the programme and 1 individual’s engagement was at a time that made it impossible for him to
The total number of members that completed
3
WEMWBS was 7, with 3 individuals scoring above 51, which means 43% of the membership met the output target. A further 3 individuals were less than 9 scale points behind the target set of 51.
have more than the number of sessions he had due to the closing of the Belief in Change programme.
48 x 1:1 individual sessions be delivered to the
76% of individuals that have engaged in the project
membership that will complement the group
have had 7 or more intervention sessions.
support and address individual difficulties, decreasing the likelihood of members disengaging
70% of the membership will reduce their IES-R score to below 25 (significantly lowering the likelihood of the individual experiencing PTSD symptoms) Analysing the data shows that 69% of the
2
from the main group activity
4
Through the lifespan of the project, 62 x 1:1 session have been delivered that both complimented the group activity but also provided a different space for individuals to deal with their issues.
membership reduced their IES-R score below 25, just 1% off the high target we set ourselves
90% of the membership will report the experience
originally. However, it is important not to lose sight
of involvement in the project having a positive
that 85% of the membership ended with an IES-R
impact on their post-release planning.
score that was below the clinical marker of 33.
100% of individuals reported to staff and community that their engagement in the project
5
will positively impact their future, with every individual graduating from the Belief in Change programme positively citing Survivors Manchester in their graduation statement.
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Project Analysis
Project Conclusion
“we can only know what we know” Much has been discussed in relation to prison based interventions, particularly in respect to the efficacy of health and education based interventions. In analysing the clinical outcomes forms (IES-R, WEMWBS and CORE) there is clear evidence that the project has had a positive impact on every participant that engaged in either the group, 1:1 sessions or even both. 10 of the 13 individuals IES-R scores ended below the clinical marker of 33 where the outcome measure developers state an individual is in the ‘less likely to suffer PTSD’ symptoms.
10
This is a significant and important outcome as each person is reporting to be ‘suffering’ less.
in
13
individuals report to be ‘suffering’ less
The Belief in Change staff team reported that the presence of Survivors Manchester had a great impact on the community and the programme itself:
“You have played a significant role in this project and we remain extremely grateful for this”
- M ark Stanley (Belief in Change Programme Manager)
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The Risley Report
Project Conclusion
“Being part of the survivors group has demonstrated to us the growing self-esteem, confidence and trust in others which allows them to talk about their experience of abuse and how that has affected their unhealthy behaviours, emotions and relationships. These men have never had the opportunity to be involved with this type of group before especially as a group of men. All of the men have displayed extremely volatile behaviour during their terms of imprisonment and for some this is the first time they have worked with the system in a positive way. The group was an invaluable part of the BIC programme enriching us all�
- Lorna Edmondson (Belief in Change Reintegration Manager)
Project Conclusion
But maybe greater conclusions can be made when we look at and reflect on the data and the learning from the first group and compare and contrast the information to this one. Reflecting on Survivors Manchester engagement in this project compared to the first, it would certainly appear that using a staff facilitated delivery model rather than a wholly peer-led model is preferable in this setting. Comments from both Belief in Change staff and the men themselves have all pointed towards future groups need staff facilitation, but staff that are independent of the prison or probation service. Further discussions with the prisoners themselves provides some insight into how the ‘wing politics’ could and does affect the dynamics between individuals and thus, any power dynamic in a group. Therefore, having an independent ‘staff facilitated group’ removes the likelihood of individual group members being ‘silenced’ by a facilitator who would be a peer The introduction of a psycho-education element to the group is something that was new to this group, compared to the last, and was received by the members positively. In one particular group, a discussion was led on the ‘drama triangle4 ’ – a model of dysfunctional interaction develop in 1968 by Stephen Karpman and used by Eric Berne in his Transactional Analysis5 school of therapy. Learning this model assisted individuals in creating positive interactions with officers and fellow prisoners, with one man stating;
“no one has ever explained something to me like that what made so much sense and I could see how its gonna’ help!” Leading on from the introduction of the psycho-education element to the group, the members themselves brought specific topic to discuss within the group, from something that had seen on the news to a situation they had witnessed or experienced. Topics ranged from the National Child Abuse Inquiry to the sentencing of Sex Offenders, through to debates about the impact of actions of others on the wing. Some topics really brought up strong reactions in people but within this contracted safe space, it highlighted to people that disagreement doesn’t need to result in violence and we can gain some understanding of difference. This is certainly an element that should be introduced into future activity in this unique environment.
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4
https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Karpman_drama_ triangle
5
http://www.ericberne.com/ transactional-analysis
The Risley Report
6
Project Conclusion
Kao, J C; Chuong, A et
Looking at the output targets we set initially,
Finally, work such as this needs the right
it could be interpreted that they were too high for
investment, both financially and time.
al (2014). Associations
this population. Whilst it’s a fair statement to make
Over the next three years, the National Inquiry into
current social support,
Child Abuse will create more headlines and thus,
and lonliness in
that, targets set to increase wellbeing in individuals in prison shouldn’t be measured against markers set for the general public population, on further reflection it could be argued that the targets were achievable. But the closure of the Belief in Change programme had a significant impact on the survivors’ project. Not only did the numbers of men available to engage in the group rapidly diminish, but also the whole environment changed negatively and this was certainly felt by both prisoners and staff. As one inmate told us:
“It’s like everyone’s shutting up shop already and are moving on to their next job, you can see the lads are giving up too!” Any future projects need to be securely embedded within the whole prison system and not reliant on being ‘a sub group of a project’. This means that closer engagement with Prison staff, Prison Health staff, Chaplaincy, Safer Custody, Psychology, etc needs to happen. A closer engagement with the whole prison staff would mean that any potential risk factors related to an individual can be reduced. On the same line of thinking about reducing risk, any future work planning should include setting a protocol between the prison / health / Survivors Manchester that addresses concerns about moving an inmate without prior warning or the ability to help him close down first. Working to help an inmate disclose and deal with his issues must also involve a co-ordinated exit plan.
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between past trauma,
incarcerated populations.
more trigger points for individuals affected by this
Health and Justice, 2:7.
abhorrent crime and whilst services are fighting to stay afloat in the community, more needs to be done for those housed within the prison estate. Research by Kao in 2014 indicated that the prison community has higher rates of trauma than community populations6 . Sarah Nelson from University of Edinburgh stated in her report:
Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with several ‘risk behaviours’ in adulthood. A strong association between sexual abuse and subsequent substance use is evident, with sexually abused boys and men many times more likely than non-abused to report both early and current use of alcohol and illicit drugs (Dube et al, 2005; Holmes and Slap, 1998) 7
7
http://www.health-inmind.org.uk/assets/files/ Male%20survivors%20 qualitative%20research.pdf
The Risley Report
Whilst the research data relating to male
This is a statement we should all share and ensure
survivors in prison is not vast, what is available
that those individuals that we have already failed
does indicate that there is a substantial amount
to protect as children, regardless of what they have
of silent survivors serving sentences in HMP prison.
done as adults, should be afforded the ability
Without the correct support and intervention, the
and space to finally begin to heal.
psychological damage to individuals continues to
As an organisation, Survivors Manchester has
increase and will only get worse as the national inquiry takes shape.
always appreciated the difficulty organisations have with competing priorities and the fear some have
In her opening statement,
in ‘opening a can of worms’ that may take time
Justice Lowell Goddard stated:
to close.
“above all, review your current safeguarding policies to make sure that they are consistent with best practice, and take whatever steps you can to provide a safer environment” 8
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8
Project Conclusion
https://www.csa-inquiry. independent.gov.uk/sites/ default/files/inquiryopening-statement.pdf
The Risley Report
Project Conclusion
But as the then United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated
“There are things we do not know we don’t know” So maybe it’s about time that we find out, lift the lid and show the light in a dark place. Now is the time that we work to break the silence.
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Delivery Partners
Survivors Manchester
Achieve Northwest
Survivors Manchester is a not-for-profit charitable
Achieve North West is a consortium of five
organisation that supports boys and men directly
North West Probation Trusts, led by Merseyside
affected by sexual abuse, rape and sexual
Probation Trust. Funded by the European Union
exploitation in Greater Manchester. The services
Social Fund, it delivers NOMS’ ‘Services to Improve
provided aim to address the negative impact of
the Employment Prospects of Offenders across
the trauma and assist individuals in finding new
Merseyside and the North West’. Delivery of
ways to heal and move beyond those unwanted
the service is focused around the NOMS case
experiences.
management model; offenders are assigned a case
The organisation also provides help to those who
manager who works with them throughout their
support male survivors, whether that is as the partner of, the parent of, or a professional working
journey to employment, working in parallel with offender managers who manage their offending
with men. The hope is that by providing guided
behaviour.
support to this population, they are better equipped
The project employs 41 case managers who work
to manage relationships with the survivor and help
across the region in both community and custodial
him address issues outside of the counselling room.
settings, and aims to deliver 30% of interventions
For further information, please go to
in prisons and 70% in the community. The role of
www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk
the case manager is to develop a tailored action plan which is dependent upon the participant’s specific employment needs. These plans feature a
The Woodward Charitable Trust
wide range of interventions some delivered directly
The Woodward Charitable Trust is a grant-making
sub-contractors.
trust, primarily funding charitable organisations in the UK. The Trust favours charities which make good use of volunteers and encourage past and current users to participate. One particular area that The Trust’s grant-making focuses on is for: •
Prisoners and ex-offenders. Projects that help the rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners and/or ex-offenders are supported as well as requests to help prisoners’ families.
For further information, please go to www.woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk
by case managers (particularly early interventions such as motivational work) and some by specialist