Welcome to the NOTA NI and ROI conference.

Transcription

1 Professor Simon Hackett Durham University Chair, NOTA UK and Ireland Welcome to the NOTA NI and ROI conference. 27 th April 2017

2 It s just being human, isn t it? Seeing someone struggling and trying to help them out

3 It s just being human, isn t it? Seeing someone struggling and trying to help them out

4 Just being human

5 281 young people with harmful sexual behaviours: Human Rights Watch (Pitman, 2013) 86% reported experiencing serious mental health consequences following their registration as sex offenders - depression, isolation, suicidal thoughts >50% school problems- exclusion and denial of education 44% significant housing problems or homelessness

6 Just being human

7 Hackett and Butterworth (2017) research with children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse 4 year delays between giving a statement and then the case reaching court Feeling like a prisoner in your own home because of the bullying and intimidation you face as a victim in your community and online Being given assurances by professionals in order to gain a disclosure and then feeling abused all over again when the promises weren t kept Being dropped like a stone by professionals after a prosecution was secured Feeling that the system response was worse than the abuse

8 The importance of joining up all the dots One young woman who had continued in education after her abuse told us that the person who had abused her, a young man several years older than her, had previously gone to her school. Every day at school, she was forced to see his name and pieces of work he had completed as a pupil at the school still displayed in corridors and on walls in the school. The police, social workers and teachers all knew about her abuse by this individual, but none had thought about the traumatising impact for her of these seemingly innocent pieces of school work being on show. Nobody had thought to join up the dots.

9 Humanising Practice Focus on what humanising means in professional practice with people who have committed sexual offences; the process of humanising our work and our systems; and the humanising outcome/s of our services.

10 Humanising our field? The most effective and humane interventions to stop offenders offending and to prevent recidivism; Services that are available, accessible for those who need them, that do the right things the right way/s; Services that are well funded, stable and that support and respect those who work in them as well as those who use them; and Not just containment, or even prevention, but human capacity enhancement.

11 Humanising practice

12 Just being human

13 NOTA s mission statement NOTA is a charity committed to the prevention of all forms of sexual violence and abuse. Its mission is to reduce victimisation through the development of policy and practice with children and adults with harmful sexual behaviours, their families and communities. NOTA provides education, training and research to professionals in the UK and Ireland. NOTA influences public policy by offering advice and by promoting change in government, professional agencies, the media and wider society.

14 What do we want the organisation to offer? Outstanding member services (meaningful products, be attractive, offer support, encourage networking) Outstanding contributions to the field (training, conference, research, publications, leading thinking) An outstanding external presence (an organisation that stands out, is the go-to organisation for the media, is known about)

15 What do we want to focus on? Renewed governance structure and planning Membership and financial stability Making our mark- external communications and contributions Prevention+ Branch health and support Values Talent Energy and excitement

16 Have a great conference! simon.hackett@dur.ac.uk