The Rector now shares his office with a Family Support worker from Circle.
Circle is a charity that provides holistic, community based sup-port to marginalised children and families. Formerly part of a national voluntary organisation Family Services Unit, they now work independently to improve opportunities for disadvantaged families. This includes a focus on children at risk of school exclusion and their families; children experiencing neglect, physical and emotional and/or sexual abuse; children and families affected by parental drug and alcohol use; fathers who are not engaging with helping service; and workforce development through mentoring and student training opportunities.
More specifically the Family Support worker based in Dumbarton will work with women being released from Greenock prison who have children under 16 and who themselves are affected by drug/alcohol issues.. Circle does this by helping the women to prepare for their release and discussing their particular support needs.
Circle can provide the women with support to manage their life outside of prison, access other services; support to fill in forms, manage correspondence and support them in meetings with other professionals such as social workers and housing officers etc.
Circle can also offer support to help the women manage their children’s behaviour, support to set routines and provide support to other members of their family who are involved with the children’s lives e.g. grandparents. We can also be a listening ear for the women. For the children, Circle can; meet with the children and help them to talk about their worries; help the child to access groups/activities; support to improve children’s school attendance and providesupport for the mothers to attend their children’s medical appointments
The Circle service in this area will provide support to women being released from prison who are returning to anywhere in Argyll, Bute, East or West Dunbartonshire. This service is a pilot funded initially for one year by the Criminal Justice Partnership. The same service is also being developed for women being released to Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire; this is currently funded for three years by the Robertson’s Trust.
In 2007, the Robertson Trust funded Circle to conduct research into the women’s prison population at HMP &YOI Cornton Vale. Previous research into female offenders has identified them as an exceptionally vulnerable group, characterised by substance misuse, poor physical and mental health, deprivation and victimisation. They commonly rely on prostitution and the drugs trade as a means of survival and require a tremendous range of support to overcome the numerous issues in their daily lives.
Circle identified a need for a more structured throughcare for this vulnerable group and began delivering this service in August 2008 for women being released from Cornton Vale to Edinburgh, West Lothian, North and South Lanarkshire. As a result of the success of the service offered in Cornton Vale it has now been extended to Greenock prison and the six local authority areas and criminal justice partnerships.
