Delivering circles of support and accountability to protect communities from sexual harm and sexual reoffending
10 years ago, we established the charity, extending Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) across the South West, building on the successful projects already running in Devon and Dorset. Since […]
Back in 2016 we adapted the traditional Circles model to meet the needs of young people 14 years plus, and last year secured funding to work with children from the […]
It’s not systems, processes or procedures that change people. It is not even programmes or courses. In my view it is people that change people and this is done by […]
Subsequent action plans set out our response to the lockdown restrictions, including furloughing 7 of our 9 staff, alongside alternative, creative service provision. This ensured the best possible chance of […]
In accordance with Government guidance, Circles South West’s initial 30-day action plan applied the principles of social distancing across all aspects of our work i.e. avoiding non-essential contact with other […]
The presence of people who pose a risk to the community has, understandably, been a concern to communities across time, place, and culture. What can communities (and the concerned professionals […]
Websites like Pornhub are part of a daily routine for more than 120 million people. What happens when our daily routines are gravely disrupted due to an unseen, frightening worldwide […]
Action plan extension and interim changes to personnel Since our previous communication, restrictions have significantly tightened. We do not yet know how long the UK will remain in ‘lockdown’. Our […]
At Circles South West our circles work hard to support and hold to account core members, and one of the ways we do support is to help develop interests and […]
In drawing up our action plan, the health and well-being of our service users, volunteers and staff are paramount whilst we retain a practical commitment to alternative, creative service provision. […]
The lecture examined existing international research on Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) in order to theoretically define it and highlighted how CoSA fits into the prevention framework and how […]
Sara Radford, our coordinator for Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, spoke eloquently to host Graham Seaman about Circles South West; what we do and what we want to achieve, and in particular, […]
As our YPS expands across the region, we are now accepting referrals for a younger cohort in some areas, from 10 years upwards. All Circles of Support and Accountability for […]
Working alongside Jamie Stephenson, John joins us after a long and illustrious career in probation. A professionally qualified Probation Officer, John has extensive knowledge and experience in criminal justice, gained […]
AmazonSmile offers 0.5% of the net purchase price to charities and Circles South West has signed up to be one of the recipients. To support us sign up with AmazonSmile […]
Neil Claughton has joined us as the Circles Coordinator for Dorset and will manage our existing Circles in the County as well as leading on our newest initiative, Prison/Through The […]
Adele Robinson’s documentary ‘Special Report: Inside the Circle’ described how Circles of Support and Accountability uses community volunteers to help prevent sexual harm. The documentary questions many of the negative […]
This week our Circles Coordinator for Devon & Cornwall spoke to Cornwall’s Pirate FM about what the figures mean and more broadly about our work with people who have sexually […]
Maz spoke to us about what inspired her, the premise of the play and her plans for the play’s future. I have been a Circles South West Volunteer for just […]
Circles South West is an independent charity that works to prevent sexual abuse by reducing the risk of sexual re-offending through its innovative community-based approach. We provide Circles of Support […]
We were delighted to welcome Matthew Trerise, a specialist trainer with 15 years of experience in supporting people with Autism Spectrum Conditions. He currently works for a nationally recognised specialist […]
Circles South West is an independent charity that works to prevent sexual abuse by reducing the risk of sexual re-offending through its innovative community-based approach. As part of our sustainability […]
Our AGM was held on 12th September in Taunton to hear about our achievement of the previous year and enjoy presentations from some of our esteemed guests. The day began […]
Firstly, I had better tell you a little bit about me. I’ve been in prison twice for sexual offences and the second time was for an escalation in offences. However, […]
This year’s meeting will take place in Taunton on Thursday 12th September and we would be delighted to welcome anyone interested in our work. In 2018-19 we coordinated 55 Circles […]
We recommend that you read all about it here in our 2018-19 Annual Report CSW Annual Report 2018-19 Short on time? Take a whistle-stop tour of the main headlines and […]
Volunteers are the life blood of Circles South West and we regularly ask them to review our practices through their experience. It allows us to see where any improvements can […]
So what is the Volunteer Coordinator’s role within Circles South West? The Volunteer Coordinator role is really the first face of Circles South West. I’m the first contact that potential […]
Anna interviewed one of our Dorset volunteers who has participated in three Circles and talked about the purpose of Circles and the importance of the service provided. She also spoke […]
After 6 years Kate is off to pastures new. She will be sorely missed by both staff and volunteers alike. After training in the early 80s Kate worked as a […]
Determining the prevalence of female perpetrated sexual offending is difficult and has long been under-recognised and under-researched and remains the subject of much debate amongst academics. Historically, there has been […]
In 2016 CSW was awarded a 3 year grant by the National Lottery Community Fund to develop, establish and evaluate 3 new pilot projects, adapting the tried and tested Circles […]
It may come as no surprise to you that more women volunteer with us than men, by a majority of 3:1. We have always had an easier time attracting women […]
We are proud that a Circles South West Circle features prominently and are enormously grateful to the volunteers and core member who enabled this. We are grateful too, to the […]
The delegates arrived early as, unusually, the motorway seemed clear and smooth running. Everyone immediately entered into the spirit of cooperation and camaraderie and this atmosphere continued throughout the weekend. […]
The innovative risk management approach compliments and supports the work of public protection agencies, helping to facilitate the safe integration of people into the community. Recycling Lives, a social business […]
In the 6 months between May and November 2018 we coordinated 31 Circles across the region. This first chart shows those Circles by area. The second shows the those Circles […]
This has been very welcome news as Dorset was one of the original areas which fostered and promoted the work of Circles. Circles South West has always had a strong […]
It has been a turbulent year for our Dorset Project. When Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) match-funding for the half-time coordinator seconded by the National Probation Service (NPS) ceased in […]
“A wonderful review result… Well done on an excellent achievement! Riana Taylor, CEO, Circles UK, December 2018 The Review Report concluded that: “It is clear that CSW pride themselves on […]
In our December 2018 newsletter you can find out about: our multi-faceted and very successful Volunteer Conference the ‘shape’ of our work in 2018 our 2018 Dorset journey with new […]
This year we have been working with the company The Group of Seven to update our printed information, with them creating a unique template that we now are taking forward […]
