NEWS
from Wales Community Rehabilitation Company
Autumn 2015
Probation services which reduce reoffending and make the people of Wales safer
The shop that’s
changing women’s lives
A one stop shop for victims of domestic violence is helping women on probation turn their lives around Wales Community Rehabilitation Company is using the Swansea Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop as a base for delivering probation services specifically targeted at women. And some of the women – who may have suffered domestic abuse themselves - have benefitted so much from the course they attend
as part of their community sentences that they continue to visit even when they have completed those sentences. They have set up their own Facebook page to keep in touch and support each other and a number have asked to sign up for voluntary courses run by Hafan Cymru, the charitable housing association behind the one stop shop opposite Swansea Grand Theatre. It was officially opened by Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Assembly’s Public Affairs Minster, at the end of September. The Welsh Government has helped fund the centre, along with the Big Lottery which provided almost £1m. The result is a light, bright building Continued on Page 2
Below, the team at the Swansea Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop, Rachael Edwards Team Manager; Kate Hooch, PSO, Hannah Lewis, Facilitator; Justine Schubert, PO and Carly James Grey, Facilitator, and, above, Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Assembly’s Public Affairs Minster, who officially launched the service.
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16.6
per cent of the 9175 people we manage across Wales August 2015
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Working together to change lives I hope you will agree that a glance through As we move forward this newsletter demonstrates our commitment we will continue to to working in partnership, whether it’s with work together with you charities, local authorities, prisons or other to build sustainable criminal justice partners. services which make Working together enables us to provide a difference and more effective help for service users. change lives. We Receiving the right support from the right hope to set up local agency at the right time in the right place commissioning boards really does transform lives. to help us understand Together with partners we have helped to what services are shape some truly innovative projects and already offered in each in the next few pages you can read about area and how we can provide added value. just a few of them. They range from a credit As a Working Links company our ongoing union to encourage prisoners to set up bank commitment is to work collaboratively with accounts and save for the future to a one partners to reduce social exclusion. We stop shop where domestic abuse victims can want more of those we work with to reach get all the support they need under one roof. their full potential and as with the examples We have also highlighted the positive role in this newsletter to ensure that progress is community hubs can play, allowing us to take recognised and rewarded. probation services closer to where people live and giving them easier access not only to practical support but social support too, Liz Rijnenberg helping them to reintegrate and to become Director included members of their local communities. Wales Community Rehabilitation Company Continued from Page 1
where women can get help with everything from victim support to housing advice. Wales CRC has two full time offender managers for women based there and employ two facilitators for the women-only probation courses known as Rehabilitation Activity Requirements. Hannah Lewis, one of those facilitators, said: “The Women’s RAR is a strength-based approach in developing women’s existing skills and empowering them to make changes to their lives, so they are less likely to make regrettable decisions and reoffend. We encourage them to let go of negative feelings and recognise how they can move on. “Meeting here helps them develop positive female friendship groups and we can tailor sessions for their individual needs. They don’t view probation
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as punishment but as a way of finding support and building upon the positives. When they have finished their RAR they can tap into other services.” Kate Hooch, Probation Services Officer, said: “Women don’t feel judged when they come here and the multi-agency approach means we can get them the help they need. We find they really engage with us, they feel safe and supported and they want to come here.” Sharing the building with other agencies has also allowed probation staff to share ideas and discover new opportunities for supporting the women. Alongside sessions in building confidence and employment skills the women can try classes such as arts and crafts, tai chi and cookery. Sharon* says she was
“absolutely terrified” when she arrived at the centre on her first day, but now she doesn’t want to leave, even though she has completed her RAR. “Until this year I had never been in trouble and on my first day here I cried. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and isolate myself. I used to bottle things up but now I want to talk about my experiences and I’m about to start counselling sessions. “I have so much more confidence since coming here and I still come in every week to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. Last week I even volunteered to speak to the women who have just started here about how it has helped me. It’s so friendly and no one judges you,” she said. *Name changed
We hope you find this newsletter useful. If you would like to contact us with any comments please email wls.communications@wales.probation.gsi.gov.uk
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Keeping it local Providing probation services in community buildings is likely to become more common in future and one such pilot project is proving a great success. It is easy to walk past the door of Hartshorn House without even noticing it, but just off Maesteg’s main street is a community hub providing a host of services for vulnerable people Even the discreet signage which reads ‘Health and Wellbeing Service’ gives little clue to what lies behind it. But here you can find support for alcohol and drug misuse, for veterans and their families, for victims of domestic violence, the bereaved, the elderly and others. In March this year it also became home two days a week to Becky Phillips, a Probation Services Officer with Wales CRC who is now able hold probation appointments in the heart of the community. It means that offenders no longer have to spend two hours or more travelling to the probation offices in Bridgend and back and that means they are more likely to keep their appointments. But there is much more to the community hub approach than compliance alone. At Hartshorn House, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and Bridgend County Council and run by G4S, offenders can find support from 37 different agencies to help them change their behaviour for the better. Becky, and Probation Officer Sarah Hopkins, work alongside the Community Drug and Alcohol Team for example and can ensure those who need specialist help get it. Vulnerable women can find help with everything from domestic violence to coping with miscarriage. The networking opportunities mean that agencies can work together seamlessly and there are plans
Partnership Working
for offenders to join courses such as first aid, sexual health and even energy saving at Hartshorn House. And all the support is carried out in newly refurbished, bright, airy rooms with a relaxed atmosphere which itself has an impact on the success of our work as Becky explained. “It is a lot more relaxed, I have a room allocated to me all day and can spend more time with the offenders who need it. They have been more willing to open up about things and let their guard down. If they get upset it doesn’t matter because they aren’t going to see people in the waiting room who they know. “We are working with Communities First and the Llynfi Valley 20 Project, so called because they say people living here die 20 years early. There are plans to divert people away from drugs by giving them more community activities to do, from gardening to art therapy. There are also plans for cookery lessons, recipe cards and help with foodbanks. The long term goal is for these to be run by people in the community who may have come through problems such as drug misuse themselves and be able to support others do the same,” she said. Stevie* who is currently on probation for shoplifting offences will be getting help from the Community Drug and Alcohol Team as he tries to come off heroin. “It’s much better coming here. I don’t have to travel all the way to Bridgend where I bumped into people and ended up using again. It’s a lot more relaxed and I’m going to be getting the help I need,” he said. *Name changed
Becky Phillips with one of the service users at Hartshorn House.
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Partnership Working
The new “Through the Gate” initiative means that prisoners now get extra help in resettling in the community in the hope they will be less likely to offend in future. Wales CRC’s team at Parc Prison have been explaining how it works One of the most important changes in probation in recent years has been the introduction of resettlement services which provide support for every offender leaving prison. Before 1st May this year those serving sentences of less that 12 months were not entitled to statutory support but now they can expect advice and practical help finding accommodation, managing their money and improving their employment prospects. There is also specialist one-to-one advice for victims of
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domestic violence and sex trade workers. At Parc Prison near Bridgend a hugely experienced team of four, two from Wales Community Rehabilitation Company, and two who previously worked for the employability arm of our owners Working Links, are working together to provide those resettlement services. The team’s strengths range from extensive knowledge of employment opportunities to working with sex offenders and domestic violence interventions work. Each offender has their needs assessed when they first enter prison but the bulk of the support is delivered in the last 12 weeks of their sentence. During any 12 week period the Parc team are responsible for the resettlement of around 270 offenders. Classroom-based sessions for groups of between five and 10 prisoners are backed up with one to one support. We have also teamed up with partners, such as Barclays Bank who help us deliver lessons in managing money, and n-ergy, a Bridgendbased employment agency which specialises in helping offenders develop the skills they need to find employment. The housing module has been developed with input from Welsh Government to take account of changes to the Housing Act and priority status. It includes advice on being a good tenant designed to make it easier for offenders to find landlords willing to accommodate them on release. Wales CRC have contracted St Giles Trust to provide similar resettlement services in HMPs Swansea, Cardiff, Stoke Heath and Prescoed while Safer Wales do so for the women in HMP Eastwood Park Wales CRC Team Manager Wayne Driscoll who has been instrumental in setting up the Through the Gate
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
New scheme to cut reoffending works behind and beyond the
prison gates resettlement services at Parc said: “About 80% of our work with prisoners is on a one-to-one basis because their resettlement needs are so varied. The team will make appointments in the community for them and explain where they need to go on their release.” Probation services officer Lisa Llewellyn said: “If they have a lot of needs we spend a lot of time with them. We also get the officer on their wing to compile a statement about their behaviour and attitude which can be really helpful for their offender manager who will pick up their case when they are released.” On release offenders have continued support in the community from their offender manager. Particularly vulnerable people, such as women,
those with mental health problems, those who have been bullied in jail or self harm and those with a history of non compliance may also have a mentor to help them with their re-integration into the community during their most vulnerable time. Those mentors may pick them up from the prison gates, take them to their new accommodation, help them fill out benefit forms and signpost them to community support. Early contact with JobcentrePlus means they can be referred onto the work programme in their first week on the outside. Wayne Driscoll, with many years of working in prisons behind him, knows what a challenge reducing reoffending is. “Offenders need motivation and they need support so they are capable of change. Our biggest challenge is with those who lack motivation, those who think their crimes will make them permanently unemployable but we have the opportunity, the process, to give someone a second chance.” Team manager Wayne Driscoll with Helen Brookes and Lisa Llewellyn.
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Partnership Working
Assembly Minister Lesley Griffiths meets one of the prisoners saving with the Credit Union Prisoners’ Project. Inset the Minister meets Nichola Evans of St Giles Trust.
Banking on a brighter future
A credit union project which is helping prisoners manage their money while serving sentences at HM Prison Swansea has been praised by Assembly Minister Lesley Griffiths. The Credit Union Prisoners’ Project is delivered by Wales Community Rehabilitation Company and Working Links as part of their resettlement services through St Giles Trust. It encourages inmates to save with LASA (Loans and Savings Abertawe) Credit Union so they are more financially secure when they leave prison. Under the scheme all prisoners are given the opportunity to apply for an account with the credit union during their initial assessment with St Giles Trust, which delivers Through The Gate support for all offenders leaving prison on behalf of Wales CRC. Throughout their sentences, prisoners taking part in the scheme are able to save money into their 6
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account. Upon release, they are given a prepaid VISA debit card which they can use alongside their Credit Union savings account. More than £124,000 has been made available via the debit cards to offenders on their release from prison. Many former prisoners struggle to open a high street bank account, making credit union accounts an excellent alternative. Nearly 600 inmates are now signed up with LASA through the popular scheme. She was introduced to one offender who now represents the credit union among fellow inmates on his wing. He explained: “The credit union is a good thing for inmates. A lot have never had a bank account in their lives and are frightened by the idea. But once they open an account with the credit union they realise how easy and useful it is.” Lesley Griffiths said: “Credit unions can be particularly beneficial for prisoners. The partnership between LASA and
HM Prison Swansea allows prisoners to leave custody with savings and a current account. In turn, this helps former inmates to reintegrate into society, for example, making it easier for them to pay their rent and to receive wages from employment – all important factors in reducing reoffending. She added: “We know the effects of the project are wide ranging, providing stability not just to inmates but to their families and communities as well.” Liz Rijnenberg, Director of Wales CRC said: “We have a great opportunity to use Swansea Prisoners’ Credit Union as best practice across other prisons in Wales. There has been positive feedback from ex prisoners, who say they have never had any money management awareness skills in their lives. Becoming part of a credit union allows them to take control of their finances for the first time in their lives”
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At your
Newsletter Autumn 2015
Service
The latest version of our service directory has been published on our website. You will be able to see our wide range of interventions that are currently available to purchase along with the intended outcomes, areas they are delivered in and who may benefit from the intervention. You will find our behaviour programmes which have been accredited by the National Offender Management Service on page 10 of the service directory and include: ● Building Better Relationships, which is in line with the government’s ‘A Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls: Action Plan 2011-2015’ ● Drink Impaired Drivers (DID)
programme are right for them as they ● Control of Violence for Angry move towards maximising their Impulsive Drinkers potential. To help us to do this ● Building Skills for Recovery we’ve developed a personalised (BSR) model of service delivery that ● Thinking Skills Programme allows a considerable amount (TSP) of discretion to practitioners and Our elective services cover a service users in deciding what range of topics such as help with: will work best for them, in line During August some 61,734 hours ● accommodation with2015 the resources available. of unpaid work have been undertaken, ● education, training and Feedback from service users and of which 8549 for our Voluntary Sector have employment (ETE) the was impact interventions Organisations across Wales through ● finance, benefits and debt on people’s lives will be vital in Payback. The value of thisof our ● substance misuse Communityour ongoing development work is £55,568* Some of these interventions services. Organisations include, Scope, are delivered with our carefully “However, we alsoBritish want Red this Cross, Age Cymru, Ty Hafan, Barnados, selected partners and support directory to have multiple uses Cancer and YMCA.With individuals to make positive life- Research, cateringRSPCA for all audiences. *Value based changing steps. thisoninNational mind ourminimum ambitionWage is to You can also find more make our services available to information about our Community everyone who would value them, Payback projects and the not just those people who have recently launched resettlement been sentenced by a court. We services which can be found on see this as a first step towards page 11. making our ambition a reality.” Paul Hindson, Managing You can download our Director for UK Justice, said: “We updated service directory from will work closely with our service our website http://walescrc. users to make sure the solutions co.uk/service-directory
Your opinions matter As an organisation, Wales CRC is keen to find out what our partners think of our work and how we can best develop in the future. Therefore in the next few months we will be sending out correspondence to some of our partners inviting you take part in our annual Stakeholder Engagement Survey. The survey has been designed by the National Offender
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Management Service. It will be your opportunity to provide feedback on how you feel we are performing in our delivery of criminal justice services in Wales. Feedback from your organisation will allow us to assess our performance on how your believe we are performing and help us to shape and develop our priorities for the future.
61,734
hours of unpaid work worth £55,568* were undertaken, across Wales through Community Payback.
Organisations to benefit include, Scope, British Red Cross, Age Cymru,Ty Hafan, Barnados, Cancer Research, RSPCA and YMCA. *Value based on National minimum Wage
August 2015
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Spotlight
DYFED POWYS
SOUTH WALES
News from around Wales
Six wounded servicemen on a 1,000 mile charity trek around Britain have had their path through mid Wales made safer thanks to probation services. A small team from Wales Community Rehabilitation Company spent a day clearing more than 30 bags of broken glass, bottles, cans, car parts and other litter from the Eppynt area of Brecon – days before the Walking With The Wounded group of injured hikers arrived in Brecon. The walkers, whose patron is Prince Harry, arrived in Brecon on Friday September 25th as part of their charity trek from Scotland to Buckingham Palace. Their route took them from along the B4520 across the Eppynt to Builth Wells. The Brecon litter pick was organised by Rachel Palmer, Keep Wales Tidy’s project officer for South Powys, as part of the organisation’s Don’t Feed Simon (the seagull) campaign which ran through September. In five hours supervisor Rod Evans and an offender, who has been sentenced by the courts to carry out unpaid work, collected fly-tipped metal, car parts, an old parasol and traffic cones. Rachel Palmer said: “We are pleased to work in partnership with Wales CRC in Brecon. The team worked so hard.”
NORTH WALES Colwyn Bay Probation Officer Llinos Williams was presented with her Welsh Language Award at the National Eisteddfod in Montgomeryshire. Llinos (pictured) was delighted to receive the Wales CRC Welsh Language Award. Llinos was chosen for her enthusiasm and promotion of Welsh in the workplace. She takes every possible opportunity to promote the language within the office, and offers to work with all her service users through the medium of Welsh should they prefer it. She also supports Welsh learners and provides simple sentences for them to practice. Meri Huws, the Welsh Language Commissioner, was in the audience for the award presentation, part of an event at the Cymdeithas Tent organised by Her Majesty's Court and Tribunal Service.
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GWENT
Pontardawe AFC started the football season with a game at their home ground for the first time in their history – with some help from a group of offenders. After a 15-year battle to get their own pitch instead of having to
Deputy Police
Offenders have helped to transform a piece of land into a community haven where disadvantaged children and young people can receive therapy by learning to care for reindeer, alpacas and other animals. The offenders, who were sentenced to carry out unpaid work in the community with Wales Community Rehabilitation Company, joined volunteers at the Lylac Ridge centre in Risca to build pens and fences to keep the animals safe. Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) for Gwent Paul Harris officially opened Lylac Ridge Centre’s new project which has rejuvenated 16 acres of land next to its stables at Dan y Graig in Risca. The organisation was given £7,988 from Gwent PCC Ian Johnston’s Partnership Fund which awards cash seized from criminals to support projects which have a positive impact on their community. With the help of Wales CRC and a team of volunteers, the land has now been transformed into an area which the whole community can enjoy.
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Offenders help FC reach their goal
Community Pontardawe Payback
Pontardawe FC at their homeground and, inset, a Community Payback team hard at work in the dressing room.
share the council recreation ground with local cricket teams, club members have achieved their goal. And a team of offenders have transformed their dilapidated changing rooms to bring them up to Football Association of Wales standards so they can continue playing in Tier 2 of the Welsh League. The offenders performed some makeover magic by painting the changing rooms and referees’ rooms at Pontardawe Leisure Centre. The work was done as part of Community Payback, a sentence imposed by the courts which sees offenders doing unpaid work in the community.
Gary Thomas, Secretary of Pontardawe AFC, said: “When I saw the work that had been done I was blown away. The professionalism and pride shown by Nathan Stock, the offenders’ supervisor, and his team was impressive. The end result is beyond what we had hoped for when we started planning the season. “We are now in a good position to meet the criteria for our new ground so our senior team can continue playing at Tier 2. The condition of the changing rooms is a key element but we could not have afforded to employ a company to do the work.” The makeover made such an impact that Wales CRC have now been asked to paint other areas of the leisure centre for Celtic Leisure. Simon Morse-Jones, Community Payback Officer with Wales CRC, said: “A lot of local teams, including school teams, use the changing rooms and I think they will be amazed when they see the difference. Previously there was mould on the ceiling, the plaster was in a dire state and there were marks on the walls where players had knocked the mud off their studs. “Our offenders have brought the changing rooms back to life and have enabled the public to see justice being delivered in their local community.”
and Crime Commissioner launches community farm There are flowers, trees and shrubs and animal enclosures where members of the public can enjoy the range of exotic animals kept by Lylac Ridge, including their reindeer and alpacas( pictured). Two teams of eight offenders spent several months on site, working under the supervision of CP Supervisors Ray Mogford and Doug Zagorski where they cleared footpaths, installed 1km of fences and built pens and compounds for the animals, which also include pigs, goats, rabbits, chickens and rabbits. Community Payback Supervisor Ray Mogford and his brother CP Officer Mike met with the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent Paul Harris and a worker from Lylac Ridge Centre. Jakki Raynel, a director at Lylac Ridge, said: “Working with the probation team has been
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Left to right a member of staff at the Lylac Ridge community farm with CP Supervisor Mike Mogford, Gwent PCC Paul Harris and Ray Mogford, CP Supervisor.
enlightening, and very rewarding. Their team was very respectful of our project, and worked very hard in all weathers. They tirelessly cleared footpaths and built hand railing and enclosures, even though they came up against some rather difficult barriers, which included bed rock, and marshland and yet they still managed to do a very professional job.”
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
Special Programmes
Think before you act
Hundreds of people have successfully completed our Thinking Skills Programme which teaches emotional awareness, problem solving and other skills Words can be more powerful than punches, but for some people their only reaction in difficult and stressful situations is violence. Thinking Skills is a general offending programme which can be used for a range of offences and can be particularly beneficial for people convicted of violent offences. Every year hundreds of offenders are ordered to take part in the programme, which is delivered at our probation offices across Wales. Last year more than 360 people completed the programme and learnt skills to change their offending behaviour such as emotional awareness, problem solving, perspective taking, offence-free relationships and seeing the whole picture. Taught in groups of up to 12 people, and mostly men, the 19 session programme is usually delivered in twice-weekly 2½ hour sessions during the day or evening. It helps the individuals to set goals and values and teaches them to stop and think about their actions. Simon Evans is a Treatment Manager for the
‘
The Thinking Skills Programme taught me ways of dealing with situations so I don’t lose my temper.
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Merthyr and Pontypridd area. He has been leading a pilot in Pontypridd to deliver the programme four times a week for 4½ weeks, rather than the usual two or three sessions for seven to 10 weeks, which has seen an increase in attendance. “A lot of what we teach is self-awareness,” says Simon. “In the groups we discuss the red flags that led to their offending behaviour, which may not always be clear to the individual. We also use role play and share real-life situations to get the offenders to understand the chain of events that cause bad outcomes and look at ways they can control their behaviour for better. “We teach self control for the times when their emotions get the better of them. Anger and stress can build up and they don’t deal with it well. By identifying those trigger points they can establish more positive ways to deal with them. For some people it could be a case of taking the dog for a walk or going to the gym. “Some people get into conflict and feel the only course of action is to hit the other person, they would never try talking so we help them to understand how words can be more effective than actions.”
A dispute between his former girlfriend and a shopkeeper landed David * in court. Convicted of a public order offence, magistrates sentenced him to take part in a Thinking Skills Programme. Over the 19-session programme, the 29-yearold developed the skills to control his emotions.
“Generally I am a passive person, but I take anti-psychotic drugs and if I feel someone has crossed the line and there’s no room for negotiation, I snap,” David explains. “The Thinking Skills Programme taught me ways of dealing with situations so I don’t lose my temper.” “Thinking back to the
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Newsletter Autumn 2015 Treatment Manager Simon Evans delivers the Thinking Skills Programme.
“By setting individuals a goal, they are able to work towards a more positive outcome. A common goal is to get a job, but others want to get their driving licence, build more positive relationships with their family or avoid a bad crowd of friends.” “One young man, who had been convicted of criminal damage, was ordered to join the programme. He started out as a right ‘Jack the Lad’ with no job. But underneath his bravado, he was an intelligent guy. His goal was to get back on his feet and get a job. During the sessions I noticed a change in him. He started turning up in a suit and before the programme ended he found a job in a call centre. He said he had wanted to get the best out of the programme and I was proud of the way he matured over the weeks.” “It’s always rewarding when an individual completes the programme and achieves their goal.”
night of the incident, I should never have gone to the shop. But the shopkeeper had said something to upset my girlfriend and I wanted to speak to him. I walk past the shop every day and I should have walked past on that day too. “A lot of the Thinking Skills Programme was common sense, but it
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gave me a refresher to think about things before I act. “I now know that when I start feeling myself getting stressed and hot, I can take a deep breath and chill out rather than scream and shout.” • Name has been changed
Steps tossuccess A strong liaison between the probation officer and the programme team from the point of referral to completion helps improve attendance. These are some of the methods Wales CRC use to improve attendance on accredited programmes such as Thinking Skills and increase the rehabilitation process for offenders to prevent them reoffending. ● Before the programme starts the person delivering it meets with the offender and their probation officer at their induction appointment. They are able to explain the benefits of the programme, process and expectations, and build a positive relationship from the start. ● During the programme the offender’s probation officer meets with them at least once a week. ● If the programme facilitators have any concerns with an offender during the programme they inform their probation officer. ● At the end of the programme the programme facilitator will write a report on the offender’s progress. This is then discussed with the offender and their probation officer during a postprogramme meeting. During this meeting they discuss what they have learnt and what further interventions will assist in preventing reoffending. After the programme is completed, the managers attend an award ceremony to congratulate those offenders who successfully completed the programme.
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Newsletter Autumn 2015
MEET THE STAFF Name:Noel Williams Job: Community Payback Supervisor
CRC makes storytime special at Noah’s Ark A 6ft-high, hand-crafted wooden storytelling chair has been donated to Cardiff’s children’s hospital by Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). It now stands in pride of place in the foyer of the £64million Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital and will provide a focal point for storytelling and entertainment sessions for the children. The chair was made at Wales CRC’s Community Payback workshops in Lewis Street, Canton, Cardiff, by offenders carrying out unpaid work with the CRC as part of their community sentences. It was crafted from recycled pine wood, salvaged from a school adventure playground and took two offenders 150 hours to make. Wales CRC’s workshop manager Steve Powell said: “Under the guidance of Community Payback Supervisors Nigel Jeffries and Mark Skyrme, the offenders learned carpentry skills and made an impressive bespoke chair which would cost thousands of pounds to buy. “By donating it to the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, they are giving something back to the community.” The chair is the latest project in an ongoing partnership between Wales CRC’s Community Payback teams and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Jonathan McGarrigle, Head of Performance and Energy at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “We are so grateful to the CRC for making this chair for the hospital. It will give many hours of fun to the children attending the hospital and their families. “It’s great to have a positive relationship between the Health Board and Wales CRC’s Cardiff workshops.” 12
Noel Williams is supervisor of our Port Talbot Community Payback workshop and when he’s not helping offenders develop their woodworking skills, he’s putting his own to good use around his house Noel has used his spare time to lay redwood floors, make matching banisters and design and build his own kitchen. It was quite a career change for him when he joined probation 16 years ago as previously he was assistant manager at the Worms Head Hotel, Rhossili. The workshop also does a lot of work for schools and one of the recent projects is a playschool for the nursery at Canolfan Maerdy, a community resource centre. It has also provided items for Garngoch Hospital, Gorseinon, for people with dementia, created hedgehog hibernation boxes for the Gower Bird Hospital and built benches, bird stands and wishing wells for the Pontlliw pensioners’ society. Recently Noel enjoyed a career highlight, winning the individual award in the NOMS Wildlife Awards for his contribution to Nicholaston House, a Christian retreat centre overlooking the spectacular Gower coast where the gardens have been turned into a haven for wildlife. The workshop has provided the gardens with a wide array of items including bug hotels, bird boxes and benches but the most eye-catching was a magnificent dovecote. “I enjoy my time at the workshop, it’s quite challenging and I have met a lot of people. Some of them have really turned themselves around and that’s very rewarding. One chap didn’t have a clue when he arrived but went on to set up his own carpentry business. “A lot of the people we work with surprise themselves when they realise what they are capable of,” he said. “But for me what is more rewarding than anything is the work we do in schools, particularly when they are strapped for cash and have been waiting so long for new equipment or freshly painted corridors.”
Wales CRC is owned by Working Links, a public, private, voluntary company committed to helping people change their lives for the better. Working Links works in partnership with Innovation Wessex, a mutual community interest company made up of @WalesCRC www.walescrc.co.uk former probation trust workers.