Cuts to children's services budgets for family support and youth work represent a "false economy", simply leading to greater pressure on safeguarding provision, Ofsted has warned. The inspectorate's annual report noted that while the overall effectiveness of children's services provision is continuing to improve, the impact of ongoing financial restrictions risks jeopardising progress. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said that local authority social care budgets have experienced the...

Something quite extraordinary happened in the UK House of Commons on October 17 th . Forty politicians from 14 countries sat together in silence, practicing mindfulness with the guidance of Jon Kabat-Zinn . UK Ministers sat in contemplation alongside delegates who had flown in from as far away as Israel, Sri Lanka, Croatia and Sweden to explore their interest in mindfulness as an instrument of positive change. The world’s first international congress of mindful politicians then engaged in...

By Tess de la Mare, Belfast Telegraph Digital, January 2, 2020 The traumatic histories of offenders stuck in the prison system should be treated as a public health issue to break cycles of offending, psychologists working with inmates have said. But despite the often complex histories of violent offenders, in the UK’s squeezed prison system there are limited resources available for rehabilitation. Forensic psychologist Dr Naomi Murphy runs a five-year intensive psychotherapy programme for...

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has published a report looking at the Home Office’s handling of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and how it ensured the best interest of the child were considered throughout the asylum process. The report covers the reception and intake of unaccompanied asylum seeking children; age dispute and age assessment; the National Transfer Scheme, and decision making. The report is published in...

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/11/yoga-prisons-crime-cut-reoffending The 46-year-old charity worker has been clean of drugs for seven years after breaking his two-decade cycle of addiction, reoffending and imprisonment. He now has a full-time job with the Karuna Trust , a charity working in India and Nepal, and he’s been out of prison for more than five years. He puts this down to the self-control he gained during his daily sessions of yoga and meditation while “inside”. “One...

The imprisonment of a family member can have significant and long-lasting emotional and practical consequences for those who remain on the outside. Stigma and isolation often ensures these families remain hidden from statutory services, and withdrawn from community support, increasing their vulnerability. Increasing awareness is vital to ensuring these families receive the support they need to overcome the potential impact on their mental health, financial stability and social wellbeing.

In this extended Law and Justice interview with Scotsman, Kevin Neary, founder of Aid & Abet, we discuss the challenges of safely transitioning from prison back into society, childhood trauma, addiction, offending behaviour, recovery, the need for comprehensive, relationship-based community supports where basic needs are met, the utility of the Adverse Childhood Experience evidence, neuroscience developments and the ACE Aware Nation movement in Scotland, the fact that his family were...

The Childrens Society Report attached...

Physical activity and wellbeing strategies for young prisoners The Ministry of Justice has published an independent review of sport and physical education in the justice system, which was carried out by Professor Rosie Meek in partnership with the National Alliance of Sport and Clinks, a charity supporting the voluntary sector working in the criminal justice system. Recommendations include: every prison, young offender institution, secure training centre and secure children’s home should...

The charities statistics showed there were almost 9,000 times when a girl or woman was assessed at a doctor’s surgery or hospital. Worldwide. It is estimated that 200 million women and girls are affected by FGM. These figures were released to raise awareness and mark the international day of zero tolerance to FGM (which took place on February 7th). The FGM process, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), includes the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or...

The exclusive virtual screening to all ACEs Connection members of the new, acclaimed film, CRACKED UP is fast approaching. The registration deadline is Friday, June 7th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST To register , please complete this form . This documentary film is about the long term effects of childhood trauma, told through Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond’s journey in discovering adverse childhood experiences at the root of his lifelong battle with self-harm, addiction, and...

Police officers are being trained to understand the impact of “toxic stress” caused by childhood trauma amid evidence it can dramatically increase a person’s likelihood of offending. Officers and staff from Police Scotland’s Ayrshire division are among the first in the country to become “trauma informed” by learning about the effect of so-called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). According to the Scottish Government, someone who has experienced four or more ACEs is 14 times more likely to...

The Scottish government has announced a greater emphasis on crime prevention as part of its new justice strategy. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson published the new priorities as he started the demolition of Scotland's only women's prison at Cornton Vale. Two new community-based custody units for women will be located in Glasgow and either Fife or Dundee. The new units will focus on recovery and keeping women closer to their families. A smaller prison will also be built at Cornton Vale for...

This report by User Voice highlights the plight of young people inhabiting the Children and Young People Secure Estate – which is made up of secure children’s homes, secure training centres and youth offender institutions. Commissioned by NHS England, which has responsibility for health and wellbeing matters in the estate, User Voice employed its peer-led research approach to elicit the views of some of the hardest-to-reach people in the criminal justice system. The project was inspired by...

Strengthen your understanding and practice of gender-responsive, trauma-informed interventions when you train with Dr. Stephanie S. Covington at this national conference.

Credit: Roger Utting / Shutterstock To read more of MaryLou Costa's article, please click here. “Hi, I’m sorry that I can’t respond to your email. I’m currently in a prison, recruiting more amazing colleagues for our business.” That’s a standard out-of-office reply for Darren Burns, who, as director of diversity and inclusion for well-known UK service retailer Timpson, spends a lot of time interviewing candidates from within prisons. CEO James Timpson made his first prison visit in 2002,...