Making a referral to Circles South West
We invite an initial telephone discussion with the relevant Coordinator. If suitable, a written referral will be completed and a meeting will be set for the coordinator to meet the individual, who we call the Core Member. Enquiries and referrals can be made by police, probation, youth offending services, health professionals, social workers etc. Referrer involvement is central to the success of each Circle.
The local coordinator will undertake interviews with the Core Member to share information about the process, assess risk, need and motivation. Prospective Core Members must be committed to no further offending and be prepared to discuss themselves, previous history*, any relapse prevention plans and risk management within the Circles. Offender managers/referrers are required to participate in the initial meeting and quarterly reviews thereafter.
*Young People are not required to discuss their harmful sexual behaviour with the Circle unless agreed in advance with the referrer.
The central ethos of Circles is honesty and transparency. Core Members must consent for information about themselves to be shared confidentially between the referrers, coordinator and volunteers. Volunteers take minutes of each meeting and these are forwarded via the coordinator to the referrer/key professionals involved.
The Core Member’s involvement must be voluntary and cannot be part of a hospital and/or court order or statutory condition of supervision.
All referrals meeting the stated criteria will be considered, with priority given to those assessed as high or very high risk of serious harm and/or re-conviction, in consultation with the local MAPPA coordinator.
Note: we provide Circles for Young People between 10 and 20 years of age.
The list below shows coordinator contact details for each geographical area / specialist service. Prior to making a referral, please phone the relevant coordinator to discuss referral suitability and check current capacity and funding requirements.
HOW-TO-CONTACT-US-TO-MAKE-A-REFERRAL
We are willing and able to deliver Circles in addition to those stated above across South West England assuming the referrer has funds to spot-purchase a Circle. Recent examples include:
- Young Adult Community Circles in Devon, Somerset and Bristol – funded by Glebe House
- A Circle for a young adult with Intellectual Disabilities in Cornwall – jointly funded by Kernow CCG and Cornwall Council (adult services)
For each individual project’s criteria and eligibility please choose from the following:
Adult Core Members:
Adult Community & Prison Core Member Referral Criteria
Information for Referrers – Adult Core Member
Information About Circles For Adult Core Member
Core Members With Intellectual Disabilities:
Adult Intellectual Disabilities Core Member Referral Criteria
Information For Referrers – Core Member With Intellectual Disabilities
Information About Circles For Core Members With Intellectual Disabilities
Young People Core Members:
Young People Core Member Referral Criteria
Information For Referrers – Young Person Core Member
Information About Circles For Core Members Under 18
