ORGANISATION NEWS
From Our CEO
After such a long, hot (and certainly not lazy ☹) summer, we now have a shock to the system with autumn being rather cold, but still beautiful with the changing colours, and scenery.
Along with autumn, we are rolling out our new Sussex Pathways branding. It’s bright, it’s fresh, and it’s exciting.
I hope that you love the new look as much as we do.
Check out the photos of our amazing staff modelling uniforms with the new logos.
The new logo branding stands for what we do:
Thank you again for all your hard work, continued support, and commitment. Shirl Tanner, CEO
Congratulations, Nigel!
We are pleased to announce that a valued member of our staff, Nigel Jenner, has completed his coursein education andtraining and willbe awarded a certificate forthe successful submission of his coursework and portfolio.
PATHWAYS TO CHANGE / THROUGH THE GATE
A mentoring service for men in the Criminal Justice System to reduce offending behaviours, and to provide a person-centred approach to better the lives of the people we strive to support.
We have a steady stream of clients awaiting release. Released dates are expected to be in November, December, and the new year.
Several of our clients are awaiting their parole hearings. This is creating uncertainty around their release dates, which in turn makes our job of providing support more of a challenge. That being said, we saw three successful gate releases in September. VKWs George, Kiera, and Andrew provided the support during these releases. Well done and thank you!
On a personal note, I want to say thank you to all VKWs for their last few months of hard work and continued support, not only to the clients but also to me as I've been with SP for eight monthsand still finding my feet within this new role. Your hard work and dedication and support for SP are so very much appreciated. Hoping to see many of you at the VSN in Stanmer Park Tea Rooms on 6th October. - Vicky
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Restorative justice allows a person harmed by a crime and the person who caused the harm to communicate in order to repair some of the harm caused and to allow the victim’s voice to be heard. It is facilitated and supported by trained restorative justice coordinators who ensure it remains a safe and positive experience for all involved.
We had a great RJ training course in September with 12 participants from across Sussex and beyond. We are looking forward to the next course in early October and welcoming our new SP facilitators to the partnership.
We are also busy planning for our big Sussex Restorative Justice Partnership conference on 11th November (9.30am-3.30pm) at King’s Church in Lewes, where we will have some brilliant speakers from Sussex and further afield talking about their experiences of RJ as well as a great chance to celebrate our volunteers and network with people from across the criminal justice sector.
We would love you to join us there so please do email susiek@sussexpathways.org.uk for more information.
GROUPS The PTC Groups are the bedrock of the work with clients approaching their release with a balance of mindfulness, wellbeing, and action planning, in a safe place to speak and be heard.
One month on and we are halfway through this group programme, how time flies when you are enjoying yourself. We changed the membership this month so the participants are all from L and M wings which means that it is easier and quicker to get people into the group. Having the majority from one wing means that they all know each other. We also have a majority of Enhanced Prisoners and Redbands, which has led to a higher engagement and sharing. Another bonus has been the involvement of a Peer Mentor who had been involved in the previous Group, he has grown in the role and it will hopefully be used in future groups.
The level of sharing and honesty always impresses me from a group of men who have a safe space to talk and discuss, within a couple of weeks there will be emotional sharing, and also considering how they will be different on their release. We have worked as StaffTeam in delivery with myself, Rosanna and Neal, joined by 3 different VKWs and a Trustee for some sessions. We are starting to plan for the next programme and also looking at designing an adapted programme for First Nighters/induction and also long-termers, based on the same principles but with a client-focused agenda.
DYNAMIC FRAMEWORK
As an emotional wellbeing facilitator, we help ex-offenders challenge their offending behaviour, through a structured and bespoke support program aimed at helping them live empowered and purposeful lives in their communities.
Referrals have been at an all-time low for Brandon in the Surrey area, unfortunately. However, Neal who covers Sussex continues to see a steady flow of clients being referred.
We are pleased to let you know that Neal's client, KS, has successfully completed his Personal Wellbeing Programme.
Neal has awarded KS with his completion certificate.
It's great to see our Dynamic Framework project supporting and empowering our clients!
Left to right: Neal and Client KS
WOMEN'S PROJECT
A mentoring service for women in the Criminal Justice System to reduce offending behaviours, and to provide a person-centred approach to better the lives of the people we strive to support.
Progress is being made, a meeting is in the diary to meet withBronzefield to discuss the service, referral routes, and present to the offender management team.
We are also in talks with local agencies, including Probation to discuss the programme.
The first volunteer interview is due to take place this month and Sussex Pathways training is being developed to include women-specific content for a new cohort of VKWs; an exciting chapter ahead!
If you're interested, we recommend listening to: JUSTICE Podcast — One Small Thing
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TV PROGRAMME
Source: Restorative Justice Council
Larry Walford, Creative Director, Double Act TV, has contacted the RJC about a programme proposal he is developing for channel 4. He wants to work with a provider of RJ services to identify 3 suitable cases for inclusion in the proposal. These will be retrospective, so they will not be following a case study from the start of the process until the end but instead finding ways to document the final elements of a restorative justice case or, if this is not possible, cases that have already run to their conclusion. In this way, they aim to show what kind of resolution is possible at the end of the process and how this can benefit not just the victim and harmer but others impacted by the crime. He is interested in all types of crime but is aware of the additional difficulties of complex and sensitive cases.
Larry would be interested to know if any providers can identify any cases where meeting might be taking place in the next 12 months, or cases which have concluded in the last 5 years. The next step would be for DoubleAct TV to enter into a development phase where they can work with providers to identify just what is possible. They are looking for 3 potential cases – which will remain anonymised at this stage– but with enough detail provided to identify with Channel 4 if they are viable cases and if they are producible into programmes The next step, if they can agree on which cases have potential, would be to work with the providers in order t reach out to all parties to gain informed consent.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact larry@doubleact.tv
SUSSEX POLICE &CRIME COMMISSIONER
Source: SPCC
Sussex has been part of a tool marking trial launched by the NationalBusiness Crime Centre. Throughout the country, events were held for tradespeople to collect a SelectaDNA kit. The kits can mark up to 50 tools and the items are registered on the Secure Asset Register property database, making them easy to identify and, hopefully, to return to their rightful owner if they are stolen.
IN THE NEWS
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