This paper was written on behalf of the Northern Ireland Branch by Paul Stephenson NSPCC senior consultant and Branch Secretary. It is published here by the NI Branch for the purpose of providing information to branch members and members of the public

What is a Circle of Support and Accountability?

A Circle of Support and Accountability (CoSA) consists of a group of volunteers from a local community who form a Circle around an offender. In Circles, the person who committed the sexual offence is referred to as the core member. Each Circle consists of four to six volunteers, a core member and a Circle Coordinator who is someone experienced and knowledgeable in the risk management of sex offenders. The Circle is supported by key representatives from statutory agencies to ensure the lines of communication are established and open.The overall aim of a Circle is to provide a supportive social network which enables the core member to take responsibility and be accountable for his/her risk management. The Circle also provides the core member with emotional and practical support and can help in such things as developing social skills, finding suitable accommodation or help to find appropriate hobbies and interests.

Volunteers are fully informed of the core member's offending history and the patterns of behaviour and thought that are associated with their risk factors. Whilst the focus of a Circle is resettlement into the community, the volunteers also assist a core member to recognise previous patterns of behaviour and thought that could lead to re-offending. Through this combination of support and accountability and the opportunity to develop prosocial adult relationships with the Circles volunteers the core member is able to gain self- confidence and esteem. This maximises his or her chances of successful re-integration into the community in a safe and fulfilling way.

The core member is a member of the Circle from the outset; their involvement is voluntary and they play an equal part in decision making. All members of a Circle sign a contract which commits them to the Circle and its aims. The dynamics of each Circle are unique as each core member has different needs and risks, and each volunteer group is likely to be different.

How often does a Circle meet?

A Circle usually lasts between 12-18 months. Meetings are typically weekly at the beginning and involve all Circle members, often with telephone contact between meetings. Subject to a risk assessment by the Circles coordinator, the pattern of meetings can become more flexible and less formal over the life of a Circle and take place in different community venues. Not all volunteers are always present at each meeting, which may allow more contacts for the core member.One to one contact between a core member and a Circles volunteer may be assessed as appropriate by the coordinator, but would only take place with the volunteer’s agreement.

Regular reviews take place involving all members of a Circle, the coordinator and statutory staff. The formal end is planned and managed. The aim is to make the Circle redundant. The hope is that by the end of Circle a core member’s risks are well managed, that they have developed their own social network, and that they are engaged in either work or other constructive activities.

Who is eligible for a Circle?

Each project has its own eligibility criteria. However, Circles are targeted at men or women who have acknowledged that they have committed sexually harmful behaviour and who are generally assessed as high risk of reoffending.

Offenders must be prepared to enter voluntarily into a contract with a Circle. They must have some understanding of their offending behaviour and be committed to developing a positive, non-offending lifestyle.

Evidence of Effectiveness

The majority of the existing evidence for the effectiveness of Circles comes from two projects, one in Canada and one in the ThamesValley in England. Evaluation of the Canadian Circles (Wilson, Picheca & Prinzo, 2005) involved a rigorous methodology, whereby 60 Circles core members were matched to 60 members of a control group in terms of criminality, risk of re-offending, engagement in sex offender treatment programmes and time of release from prison.

Evaluation of Canadian Model: (Wilson, Picheca & Prinzo, 2005)

  • Analysis of reconviction data found that the comparison group re-offended more frequently and faster than the Circles group.
  • For sexual crimes, re-offence rates for the Circles group were significantly lower (70% lower) than that of the comparison group and significantly lower than the predicted rate of re-offending; the sexual re-offence rate for the comparison group was not significantly lower than the predicted rate.
  • The Circles group had a significantly lower violent re-offence rate compared with the comparison group.
  • Regarding community perceptions, a small survey of general members of the community found that 68% of respondents would feel safer if a sex offender in their local area was in a Circle than if s/he was not.

Evaluation of the Thames Valley Circles Pilot: (Quaker Peace & Social Justice, 2005)

  • After three years, none of the 20 Circle core members had been convicted of a new sexual offence.
  • However, eight of the core members were found to have engaged in recidivist behaviour (i.e. behaviour that suggested they were about to commit an offence). As a result of this, three core members were recalled to prison, one breached his Sexual OffencesPrevention Order and received a new Community Rehabilitation Order, and one was suspended from the Circle for three months and was then successfully reinstated into the Circle.
  • This evidenced that offending behaviour was being prevented through the work of Circles, furthermore, it suggests that the public was being protected and the core members were being held to account.

An independent feasibility study by Armstrong et al (2008) sought the views of stakeholders in statutory agencies. The stakeholders they spoke to in England were convinced of the effectiveness of the Thames Valley Circles. Stakeholders surveyed in Scotland were

supportive of the model, which they saw as filling a gap in service provision. Circles bring an added dimension in terms of the support and supervision of offenders by helping the core members develop positive social relationships and engage in constructive activities that may reduce re-offending compared to more traditional treatment approaches.

In a feasibility study commissioned by the Scottish Assembly the authors concluded that they were of the opinion,

‘...more than ever, that there are currently no obvious reasons why Circles should not be progressed in Scotland, to assist in the community re-integration and management of this offender group. We would also contend that, given the overwhelming evidence that Circles can and do “work”, that not having them as part of a portfolio of risk management and community reintegration measures actually increases the chance of creating more victims’.

Circles South East the First 10 yrs: (Bates, Williams, Wilson and Wilson 2013)

  • Reported a statistically significant reduction in sexual offending over an average follow-up period of 55 months. 4.2% sexual reconviction rate among the CoSA participants in comparison to 16.9% of the comparison group.

Conclusion

Since 2008 COSA has been funded by the European Commissions and established Projects in Holland, Belgium, Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungry, Spain, France and the Republic of Ireland, with each of those countries governments committing to financially sustaining their Project for set periods of time. Northern Ireland is currently the only jurisdiction in the UK and Ireland without a Circles project and NOTA NI believe that the establishment of a Circles project here would enhance public protection.

Useful Numbers

CirclesUK works to support the development and effective operation of Circles of Support and Accountability / Tel: 0118 950 0068
Email:
NSPCC - If you have concerns about the welfare of a child, call: / Freephone0808 800 5000
POLICE SERVICE OF NORTHERN IRELAND / 02890 650222
STOP IT NOW! (NI) – Working to prevent sexual abuse. If you have concerns about your own thoughts and behaviours towards children or are concerned about others contact the Stop it Now Helpline: / Freephone Helpline
0808 1000 900
Public Protection Arrangements in Northern Ireland (PPANI) Strategy & Administration Office: / Tel: 028 90259 612

Probation Board for Northern Ireland / 80 to 90 North Street, Belfast
BTI 1LD. Tel: 02890262400
NEXUS - Counselling tosurvivors of childhood sexual abuse / 028 9032 6803

Follow NOTA on Twitter at @NOTAEVENTS

For further information about NOTA visit:

For Research & Journal Articles visit;

Information Note 10 (Jan 2016)