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Circles South West is an independent charity providing Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) in accordance with Ministry of Justice approved national standards; the Code of Practice for CoSA. Circles UK is the national body through which the Ministry of Justice is assured of the quality of our and other circles’ providers’ services. These national standards give confidence to referrers, funders and the public that our charity is working safely, consistently and effectively to protect communities from sexual harm.

Circles Providers are reviewed bi-annually to by Circles UK to ensure compliance with the Code of Practice for CoSA.  Circles South West has recently undergone a compliance review and we are delighted to report that we scored 95.4%, well within the required minimum of 80% to ensure that our full membership with Circles UK is renewed.

Preparation for the review is a huge task, alongside all the other work being undertaken by our staff, trustees and volunteers. Twelve weeks before the site visits from Circles UK staff, we gather and submit a huge and comprehensive evidence file to demonstrate compliance with a range of requirements for governance and service delivery. The 3-day site visit in June audited 3 Circles in varying locations. Staff, trustees, volunteers, stakeholders and Core Members were interviewed and given the opportunity to talk about their roles and experiences of circles, as well as to answer questions and clarify any issues arising from the submitted evidence.

The resulting Compliance Review Report highlighted areas of good practice, including:

• Core members were clear that their circle benefitted them
• All trustees, staff and volunteers share a real vision of “No More Victims”
• All trustees, staff and volunteers are proud to be part of CSW
• Circles South West has robust governance structures in place and operations are well supported by clear and current policies
• Circles South West is well embedded in the South West and well respected by other agencies
• Strategic planning is meaningful with collaborative work between trustees and staff
• Research in Practice 5-year evaluation of Circles South West’s provision of Circles gives credence to the effectiveness of circles
• The recruitment of volunteers is well planned and volunteers speak highly of the process
• The ongoing training and support by coordinators to volunteers is very highly rated
• Circles South West’s new initiative of confidential well-being support for staff is very positive
• The work with Core members with intellectual disability and the expertise underpinning it is of an extremely high standard
• The website and branded paperwork are of a very high standard and our social media presence is well-judged.

In the words of Riana Taylor, CEO of Circles UK:

“…. (I) am pleased to tell you that a high score of 95.4% was achieved. This is excellent, especially within the context of having to mobilise your M of J Circles contract……….your review clearly shows that, since your last review in 2021, CSW managed to maintain high standards of provision”

For those of us in Circles South West, none of these comments holds surprises but it is good to have them voiced by an independent inspector! Thank you to all those involved in the review and special thanks to our wonderful group of volunteers, across the South West, without whom none of this would be possible.