Safer Living Foundation Explained

Safer Living Foundation
Logo Alt:Safer Living Foundation Logo
Status:Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Registration Id:1155788
Leader Title:Trustees
Leader Name:Lynn Saunders OBE (Chair)
Claire Hampson (Vice Chair)
Kerensa Hocken (Clinical Lead)
Geraldine Akerman
Nicholas Blagden
Karin Spenser
Kirsty Teague
Staff:5 full-time
4 part-time
Volunteers:137
Affiliations:Nottingham Trent University
HMP Whatton
Location City:Nottingham Trent University
Location Country:United Kingdom
Area Served:Derby
Derbyshire
Leicester
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
Budget:£327 050

The Safer Living Foundation (SLF) is a British charity focused on reducing sexual offending and reoffending through rehabilitative and preventative initiatives. It operates in Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.[1]

History

The SLF was founded in February 2014 by senior members of HMP Whatton and psychologists from Nottingham Trent University. The organisation’s charitable objects are:

The organisation was founded to support people with sexual convictions using the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) model,[2] [3] [4] with a particular focus on supporting those who were particularly vulnerable due to being elderly or having an intellectual disability.[5] [6] It was the first organisation in UK to use this model to start supporting services users (referred to as "core members") before their release from prison. This was to allow core members to develop a relationship with their volunteers, with the intention that they would feel more supported as they leave prison and return to society.[7]

Projects

By 2016 the SLF was planning two new projects in addition to the existing CoSA project. These were a young people’s CoSA and a prevention project for people with a sexual interest in children or other unhelpful paraphilias.

The prevention project commenced in 2018, providing support to anyone experiencing “sexual thoughts that if acted on would result in a sexual offence”. This project uses treatment approaches from “third wave” cognitive behavioural therapy, in particular acceptance and commitment therapy and compassion-focused therapy.[8]

The young people’s CoSA was designed to work with young people aged 10-21 years who had committed a sexual offense. This project was created in response to research by Simon Hackett[9] which showed a large proportion of sexual crimes reported against children were committed by other young people.[10]

The SLF’s website lists the following projects:

In 2020 Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons reported that Circles of Support and Accountability and HMP Whatton Support and Mentoring “were doing valuable work to prepare prisoners for and support them after release”.[11]

The Corbett Centre for Prisoner Reintegration

On 11 February 2019 the SLF opened the Corbett Centre for Prisoner Reintegration in the centre of Nottingham with the aim of reducing reoffending by supporting ex-prisoners to reintegrate into society. This support includes life skills such as decorating, gardening and cooking, practical help for employment and education, and emotional support such as mindfulness and meditation.[12] The centre is funded by sources including Nottingham Trent University, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Department for Health and Social Care. It is the first of its kind in the UK.[13]

Paddy Tipping (Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner) said of the centre “If we can rehabilitate offenders and support them as they return to live in the community, they will be safer and less likely to reoffend. This in turn means there will be fewer victims of sexual abuse and harm.”

The centre has been met with criticism from local sexual abuse survivors groups who described the opening of the centre as “a slap in the face” and felt that “it says that the offender is more important than the victim”, whilst also stating that they “support anything that can be done to rehabilitate sex offenders”.

The centre is named after Lord Robin Corbett, and Lady Val Corbett, owing to Lord Corbett’s lifelong interest in prisoners 'learning through doing'. It is a joint venture with The Corbett Network.[14]

Research and publications

The SLF has presented posters at the ATSA Conference 2018 and 2019, and hosts an annual Prevention conference through Nottingham Trent University’s SOCAMRU (Sexual Offences, Crime and Misconduct Research Unit) with speakers from across the UK.[15]

Trustees have published academic papers on the work of the SLF and books on understanding sexual offending and prevention.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Media

The work of the SLF as an organisation and of individual trustees has been profiled in national media including The Guardian, Sky News,[22] File on 4,[23] BBC Woman’s Hour,[24] and the BBC Three documentary Can Sex Offenders Change?.[25]

Achievements

The organisation, trustees and volunteers have received recognition including:

The organisation also received commendations in the Howard League for Penal Reform Community Awards 2018[31] and 2019 (The Aurora Project),[32] and former SLF volunteer Stuart Roderick received a commendation in the Butler Trust Awards 2018-2019.[33]

See also

External links

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SAFER LIVING FOUNDATION Charity number: 1155788 . Charity Commission for England and Wales . 12 March 2021.
  2. News: Stanford . Peter . Their crimes provoke repulsion but it is our duty to rehabilitate sex offenders . 12 March 2021 . 1 March 2015.
  3. News: Charity seeks volunteers to help HMP Whatton sex offenders . 12 March 2021 . 26 February 2014.
  4. Kitson-Boyce . Rosie . Blagden . Nicholas . Winder . Belinda . Dillon . Gayle . Supporting Desistance Through Ambiguous Practice: What Can Be Learned From the First Prison-Based Model of CoSA in England and Wales? . Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice . 15 March 2019 . 19 . 2 . 186–209 . 10.1080/24732850.2019.1571362 . 150559053 . 12 March 2021.
  5. Kitson-Boyce . Rosie . Blagden . Nicholas . Winder . Belinda . Dillon . Gayle . "This Time It's Different" Preparing for Release Through a Prison-Model of CoSA: A Phenomenological and Repertory Grid Analysis . Sexual Abuse . December 2019 . 31 . 8 . 886–907 . 10.1177/1079063218775969 . 29790431 . 46893281 . 12 March 2021.
  6. Kitson-Boyce . Rosie . Blagden . Nicholas . Winder . Belinda . Dillon . Gayle . A prison-model of CoSA: The potential to offer "through the gate" support and accountability . Journal of Sexual Aggression . 2 September 2018 . 24 . 3 . 294–310 . 10.1080/13552600.2018.1509575 . 150176316 . 12 March 2021.
  7. News: Social and community impact category: award winner and runners up . 12 March 2021 . 17 March 2016.
  8. The Safer Living Foundation Prevention Programme: An Introduction to the UK's First Group Based Programme for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Offences . Kerensa . Hocken . Lynn . Saunders . Rebecca . Lievesley . 2018 ATSA Conference . 18 October 2018 . 12 March 2021.
  9. Web site: Hackett . Simon . Smith . Stephen . Young people who engage in child sexual exploitation behaviours : an exploratory study. . Durham Research Online . Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse . 12 March 2021 . 27 April 2018.
  10. An Evaluation of Young People's Circles of Support and Accountability . Imogen . Byrne . 2019 ATSA Conference . 8 November 2019 . 12 March 2021.
  11. Web site: Report on a scrutiny visit to HMP Whatton by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons . Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons . 12 March 2021.
  12. News: Whitfield . David . Anger from victims of abuse as new centre opens to help 100 sex offenders back into society . 12 March 2021 . Nottinghamshire Live . 11 February 2019.
  13. News: Townsend . Mark . University launches scheme to rehabilitate sex offenders This article is more than 2 year . 12 March 2021 . The Guardian . 9 February 2019.
  14. Web site: THE CORBETT CENTRE FOR PRISONER RE-INTEGRATION . The Corbett Network . 12 March 2021.
  15. Web site: SOCAMRU Prevention Conference 2020 - event postponed . Nottingham Trent University . 12 March 2021.
  16. Book: Elliott . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime and Prevention . 2018 . Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-319-98242-7. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-319-98243-4.
  17. Book: Elliott . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime and Circles of Support and Accountability . 2018 . Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-319-74822-1. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-319-74823-8.
  18. Book: Elliott . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime and the Experience of Imprisonment . 2019 . Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-030-04929-4. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-030-04930-0.
  19. Book: Swaby . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime, Religion and Spirituality . 2019 . Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-030-26039-2. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-030-26040-8. 239296437 .
  20. Book: Swaby . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime and Trauma . 2020. Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-030-49067-6. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-030-49068-3. 228963937 .
  21. Book: Swaby . Helen . Winder . Belinda . Lievesley . Rebecca . Hocken . Kerensa . Blagden . Nicholas . Banyard . Phil . Sexual Crime and Intellectual Functioning . 2020. Palgrave Macmillan . 978-3-030-52327-5. 1st. 10.1007/978-3-030-52328-2. 241616174 .
  22. Robinson, Adele . 16 April 2019 . Special report: Inside the 'Circle' . 12 March 2021 . Sky News.
  23. 13 October 2019 . Can sex offenders and violent criminals be rehabilitated in prison? . 12 March 2021 . BBC Radio.
  24. 18 August 2020 . Can sex offenders change? Oestrogen and Covid; Childless older women . 12 March 2021 . BBC Sounds.
  25. Southworth, Becky . 20 August 2020 . Can Sex Offenders Change? . 12 March 2021 . BBC.
  26. Web site: WINNERS 2019 . Third Sector Awards . 12 March 2021.
  27. News: Williams . Rachel . Thomas . Kim . Jackson . Linda . Dudman . Jane . Andalo . Debbie . Johnson . Sarah . Guardian Public Service Awards 2018: all the winners . 12 March 2021 . The Guardian . 28 November 2018.
  28. News: Dudman . Jane . Public servants celebrated in 2017 New Year honours list . 12 March 2021 . The Guardian . 30 December 2016.
  29. Web site: DR KERENSA HOCKEN (HMP Whatton) . The Butler Trust . 12 March 2021.
  30. Web site: 2015 WINNER: SAFER LIVING . The Robin Corbett Award . 12 March 2021.
  31. Web site: 2018 Community Awards Winners . The Howard League for Penal Reform . 12 March 2021.
  32. Web site: 2019 Community Awards Winners . The Howard League for Penal Reform . 12 March 2021.
  33. Web site: STUART RODERICK (HMP Whatton) . The Butler Trust . 12 March 2021.

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