Notices

4/9/07 Notice to service users (effective January 2008)

As chair of CCDS I write to seek your support and co-operation to help the scheme move forward.In 2006 the independent review team recommended “the scheme needs to improve its statistical analysis and management information systems and its monitoring evaluation and quality assurance regimes, particularly for partner agencies, to measure the impact on young people.”

Over the last year a number of things have happened to address the above. The most significant the six month outreach pilot project involving Gifford Sutherland, one of the prisoners, on his move to a category D prison. Also the staff team met recently to review all processes.

We are now at a crucial time for the future of the scheme. We have more groups wanting to attend than we can accommodate plus we are exploring replicating the model at other prisons. In order to be able to do this, like yourselves, we have to quantify and qualify our effectiveness both for ourselves and our funders.

As many of you do not meet the requirements we ask for in the information pack, from January 2008 we will be applying the following procedure:

• Groups will be booked in on a first come first served basis
• Groups should have one staff member who has attended an event beforehand so that they are familiar with what is expected.
• A preparation session must be held with young people before the event.
• At that session, a pre-event questionnaire should be completed by all young people. Forms should be handed to the Event Co-ordinator upon arrival.
• Following the event, a review session must be undertaken to explore and expand on issues raised. At this session, either a post event questionnaire should be completed by each young person or reflections should be recorded on a flip chart or other means and the results posted to CCDS Co-ordinator at the prison address below.
• Those groups who do not adhere to requirements of pre / post event questionnaires will be penalised and refused future booking plus the possible opportunity to use men from outreach project to run work shops.

I know you, like me, value what the men offer to vulnerable young people and I look forward to continuing to work together to provide a quality experience for them. Our Project Administrator will be taking bookings for the Spring Term from mid September – please email her with your requirements.

Angela Palmer, Chair.