Community Chaplaincy Workshop 23rd March’

Maintaining the Vision in a time of challenge and change

Personal Journey

• Many moons ago when I was a Vicar in Beverley – a new person with a story. no link form the prison, no support from probation, child protection guidelines in their infancy, stress of making it up as you go along• BUT the upside, a community of support, in it for the long term,

opportunities to build informed trust, dealing with setbacks through restoration rather than punishment• Full Sutton – resettlement, resettlement, resettlement• Specification vs Standard 51 – Discharge, but can only do so much• Welsh experience – Prisoner Forum, Parc and resettlement wing but

who will be tier 2 and tier 3, but sadness with loss of Swansea Community Chaplaincy

The Challenges and Opportunities of TR

• Risk – how to position ourselves as Community Chaplaincy• Unique selling points – over to you for an “elevator pitch”, bear in

mind what CRCs want…

Faith Communities and Faith Practices

• Community CHAPLAINCY – one of our USPs – its not just about mentoring…..what do CRCs want?• Motivation – the Cardiff Research “Let your lives speak” George Fox• The power of the volunteer• The power of being believed in• “Believing in Change makes change possible”• We need people to believe in us to get us through the times we can’t

believe in ourselves• Resilience and Desistance• Learning from falling and picking ourselves up

Desistance and Resilience

• An explanatory framework – Trust, Resilience, Positive Psychology and Good Lives, Desistance – speaking a language that supports what CRCs want – PBR requires binary desistance and Faith Communities are in it for the long haul – back to Beverley, still supporting many moons on….

Key Elements of Desistance

• Internal Capital: emotions, thinking, self efficacy, knowledge and skills• Social Capital: relationships, accommodation, employment,

community• Narrative Identity: an shifting of identity from ‘offender’ to person

‘made good’• Redemption/Restoration: making up for past ‘wrong doing’ and

community acceptance• Rituals: celebrating success• Interventions Part of the Process not the Solution.

Internal Capital

• Self esteem – faith teachings• Self efficacy – responsibility and grace• Shame – healthy shame and repentance• Regret – as a springboard to change• Hope – faith assures change is possible• Pro-social thinking – the needs of others, compassion, central• Knowledge & skills• Emotional management – prayer/meditation

External Capital

• Building relationships with loved ones and families (‘Love of a Good Woman’). Family conferencing/Family days/Parenting Courses• Building a support network, statutory and non-statutory. Emotional

and practical, mentors and befrienders – key role of faith communities• Increasing employability – stable life style, job skills, family support,

voluntary work, education & employability• Access to accommodation – managing money, finding somewhere to

live, seeking support, caring for a home

Narrative and Identity

• Changing the person’s view of themselves as ‘criminals, wasters, or lost causes’. Showing hope and belief in the person.• Identifying their ‘story’ and how the next chapter can be

different. Fitting their narrative into a wider narrative• Identifying the difference in where they are now and where

they want to be. • Using other stories as inspiration.• Changing the view of their community so they see them as

something other than dangerous and anti-social.• Bringing ‘meaning to life’ ‘life becomes expensive’!

Redemption and Restoration

• Make amends for past ‘wrong doing’. RJ mediation, victim awareness courses, letters of apology, unpaid work.• Paying back time to community and victims.• Becoming a constructive member of a community. Involvement in

community activities, learning to contribute and appreciate the contribution of others• Voluntary work (learn new skills helps to readjust identity)• Conflict management skills• Conversion

Rituals

• The CJS has formal rituals for catching and convicting criminals from procedures in police stations to court proceedings.• Need rituals to celebrate moving through the system and making

good. • Celebrations, certificates, letters, media articles, ‘good byes’.

Current Approaches

• Mentoring• Restorative Justice Initiative• Person orientated engagement• Holistic ‘life as well as risk management’• Hope and optimism in the person’s ability to change• Role of Chaplaincy in delivery of faith classes and classes on e.g

relationships, bereavment

Key authors in Desistance

• Shadd Maruna• Fergus McNeil• Thomas LeBel• Kent Kerly• Tony Ward• Bill Marshall• Mike McGuire• Ross Burnett• Frank Porporino