Atlas›Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage›Guide 068
Guide XV-068

Circles of Support and Accountability

Harry Nigh1994Hamilton, Ontario
A 30 · L 59 · M 1122 interventions in the Trinity explorer
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: the general ("core") Circle as Circles UK describes it for England and Wales, with the phase structure from the Ministry of Justice case-file review of the UK pilots (McCartan et al. 2014); the Canadian origin model (Correctional Service of Canada) and the Minnesota variant (MnCoSA) are noted where they differ. Circles UK's variants (Circles for Young People, Adapted Circles for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, Circles ReBoot) are covered in outline.

Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) is not a psychotherapy. It is a community reintegration programme in which a small group of trained, supervised volunteers meets regularly with a person who has been convicted of sexual offences or has shown harmful sexual behaviour (the "Core Member"), offering friendship, practical help and accountability, inside a framework of statutory risk management by probation, police and other agencies [source: Circles UK, What are Circles; McCartan et al. 2014]. Circles UK dates the model to 1994 in Hamilton, Ontario, when the Reverend Harry Nigh and volunteers from his congregation supported a man released from prison after serious sexual offences against children [source: Circles UK]. The Correctional Service of Canada describes the grassroots effort as later formalised under the stewardship of the Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario, part-sponsored by the Correctional Service [source: Wilson, Cortoni & Vermani 2007, CSC R-185], and Quakers in the World describes Circles as first developed by Mennonites in Canada, later taken up with Quaker involvement in Britain from 2002 [source: Quakers in the World]. Harry Nigh's own denominational role is [uncertain: not verified].

Core idea of change, as the bodies state it: a Core Member who would otherwise be released isolated and without prosocial support is given a network that both supports and holds him or her to account; volunteers who know the offending history help spot the thinking and behaviour patterns that could lead to reoffending, while the Core Member builds a safe, non-offending life (housing, work, interests, relationships). Circles UK names restorative justice, the Good Lives Model and desistance theory as its foundations; the Canadian model states its primary aim as "no more victims" [source: Circles UK; CSC R-185].

Evidence status in one line: Canadian matched-comparison studies reported large reductions in sexual reoffending, Circles UK reports Duwe's 2018 Minnesota randomised trial as showing a large reduction in sexual re-arrest risk, while a systematic review (Clarke, Brown & Völlm) found control-group studies mostly favoured Circles but with few statistically significant differences, and the 2014 Ministry of Justice review states that no large, long-term UK evaluation exists; accounts differ on whether the Minnesota sexual-recidivism result reached statistical significance [source: Circles UK, Evidence of Effectiveness; Clarke et al. abstract via MetaTOC; McCartan et al. 2014] [uncertain: sources conflict].

Where the psychotherapist fits [synthesis, built on the published roles]: the outer Circle includes probation, police, MAPPA and, per the UK and Minnesota descriptions, psychologists, treatment professionals and medical professionals [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014; MnDOC 2012]. A psychotherapist may therefore meet CoSA as (a) the treating clinician of a Core Member, sitting in or reporting to the outer Circle; (b) the therapist of a client considering referral; (c) the therapist of a volunteer; (d) the therapist of a survivor of sexual abuse or of a Core Member's family member; or (e) a prospective volunteer. The therapist does not run or coordinate a Circle without the provider's own selection and training [synthesis]. Safeguarding comes first in every one of these roles, and nothing in clinical notes, supervision or teaching should allow any Core Member, volunteer or victim to be identified [synthesis].

2. Framework

The stages below are the programme's own; the therapist's tasks at each are marked [synthesis].

Roles [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014; CSC R-185]

  • Core Member: the person with convictions for and/or harmful sexual behaviour, involved from the start, takes part in all decisions, signs an agreement committing to the Circle.
  • Inner Circle: normally four to six trained local volunteers who meet the Core Member, know the offending history, offer support and practical guidance and hold the Core Member accountable. The Canadian description frames them as concerned friends or surrogate family [source: CSC R-185].
  • Outer Circle: professionals with responsibility for the Core Member (probation, MAPPA, police, other statutory and partner agencies; psychologists and medical professionals; for Adapted Circles, mental-health and learning-disability professionals). It takes responsibility for risk and safeguarding concerns [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014].
  • Circles Coordinator: sets up the Circle, supports and supervises the volunteers, links inner and outer Circles and shares relevant information; reviews progress and risk and decides when the Circle ends [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014].

Stage 0: Referral and eligibility. Referrals usually come from probation and/or police. General Circles take adults over 18 convicted of offences involving harmful sexual behaviour who have acknowledged it, are assessed as presenting a high risk of harm and are committed to a positive, non-offending lifestyle; participation is voluntary and cannot be mandated [source: Circles UK]. MnCoSA targeted moderate-risk (Level 2) men released to specific counties [source: MnDOC 2012]. Therapist's task: help the client understand the offer, test voluntariness, and share information only with consent or where safeguarding requires [synthesis].

Stage 0b: Volunteer recruitment and training (parallel). In the UK pilots, volunteers attended an assessment day and interviews, gave references and had an enhanced criminal records check, then completed an initial two-day course and further training over about a month before meeting the Core Member; they receive regular supervision from the coordinator [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. Volunteers commit to at least a year [source: Quakers in the World].

Stage 1: Pre-release / set-up. Ideally the Circle meets the Core Member before release [source: Quakers in the World]. In Minnesota the Circle began in prison at least four weeks before release, and a covenant setting out each party's responsibilities was agreed in pre-release meetings [source: MnDOC 2012]. Therapist's task: prepare the client for disclosure to volunteers and for the agreement [synthesis].

Stage 2: Phase one, intensive support. In the UK pilots this lasted roughly 9 to 12 months: the most intensive phase, focused on accommodation, clubs, education, employment and safe activities [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. Meetings are regular and early on usually weekly, in neutral community venues, with volunteer contact between meetings, usually by phone [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014]; Quakers in the World describes daily contact (such as shopping trips or calls) at first. Volunteers monitor lifestyle, contact with other registered sexual offenders and any prohibited contact with children; concerns pass to the coordinator and on to the offender manager [source: McCartan et al. 2014].

Stage 3: Phase two, increasing self-sufficiency. In the UK pilots roughly 6 to 9 months, with volunteers moving from hands-on help to advising and directing [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. Circles UK describes involvement tapering as the Core Member builds other safe support networks; a Circle typically runs about 12 months and may be extended for risk or support needs [source: Circles UK]. If concerns arise, meetings increase, the Core Member is challenged and police or probation may be informed [source: Quakers in the World].

Stage 4: Ending. The coordinator decides when the Circle ends after reviewing progress and risk, with input from probation and other agencies [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. Formal closing rituals or aftercare are not described in the sources [uncertain: not verified].

Criteria for moving between stages: set by the coordinator's review of progress and risk with statutory agencies, not by the therapist [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. A movement from phase one to two is marked by growing self-sufficiency [source: McCartan et al. 2014].

Variants [source: Circles UK]: Circles for Young People (harmful sexual behaviour with or without convictions; activity-based, age-appropriate; volunteers have extra training); Adapted Circles for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism (longer, more intensive assessment and preparation; specialist coordinators); Circles ReBoot for adults convicted of accessing child sexual exploitation material (shorter, semi-structured, 12 to 14 meetings over six months, strength-based).

Therapy format alongside a Circle: the sources give no session count or format for parallel psychotherapy [uncertain: not verified]. Statutory risk management remains with the statutory agencies, not with the Circle [source: McCartan et al. 2014], and not with the therapist alone [synthesis].

3. Guiding principles

Programme principles as published:

  • No more victims [source: CSC R-185]: every decision is judged first by whether it keeps people, especially women and children, safe.
  • Safety of the vulnerable at the centre; honour victims' needs [source: CSC R-185]: the Core Member's comfort never outranks a potential victim's safety.
  • Voluntary, not mandated [source: Circles UK]: if a client says they are only joining because they were told to, explore that before referral goes further.
  • The Core Member takes part in all decisions and signs the agreement [source: Circles UK]: the client is an active author of goals, not a passive recipient.
  • Each Circle is designed around the Core Member's goals [source: Circles UK]: therapy goals and Circle goals should be compatible and known to the client.
  • Support and accountability together [source: Circles UK; Quakers in the World]: help offered is never a reward that excuses risky behaviour; challenge is offered with care.
  • Volunteers know the offending history [source: Circles UK; Quakers in the World]: the client should expect full openness inside the Circle; secrecy is itself a warning sign.
  • Openness within the Circle, confidentiality outside it, consensus decisions [source: Quakers in the World]: information stays within the Circle and its outer Circle; volunteers do not talk about the Core Member socially.
  • Confidentiality yields to risk [source: Circles UK confidentiality statement as summarised on its site; Wilson et al. 2009 as summarised by Social Science Space]: concerns that a child or adult is at risk, or about an undetected offence, are passed to the relevant agencies.
  • Statutory risk management stays with the agencies [source: McCartan et al. 2014]: the Circle supplements, never replaces, probation and police.
  • The coordinator is the information channel [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014]: the therapist routes concerns through agreed channels, not through individual volunteers.
  • Strengths and a good life (Good Lives Model, desistance, restorative justice) [source: Circles UK]: work towards a meaningful non-offending life, not only avoidance.
  • Tapering towards other safe networks [source: Circles UK]: dependence on the Circle is a problem to plan out of from the start.
  • Fidelity to the model [source: CEP, European Handbook announcement]: adaptations go through the provider, not improvised locally.

Therapist's stance [synthesis]:

  • Safeguarding first: know your own legal and professional reporting duties before the first session and tell the client what they are.
  • Role clarity: you are a clinician, not a volunteer, coordinator or offender manager; say which role you are in whenever you speak to the Circle.
  • Consent-based information sharing: obtain written, specific consent for what goes to the coordinator or offender manager, and explain its limits.
  • No identifying details anywhere outside the clinical record: not in supervision notes beyond need, teaching, writing or casual talk; community exposure can endanger the client and others.
  • Non-collusive warmth: hold respect for the person and clarity about the harm at the same time.
  • Avoid multiple relationships that impair objectivity or risk exploitation, per APA Ethics Code Standard 3.05 (APA Ethics Code): do not volunteer in a Circle for someone you treat, or treat someone in a Circle you belong to.
  • Competence: sex-offence-specific assessment and treatment require specialist training; refer or seek specialist consultation if you lack it.
  • Trauma-informed with everyone: Core Members, volunteers and survivors may all carry trauma histories; pace disclosure and offer choice.

4. Intervention inventory

The published sources describe the Circle's own structure (roles, volunteer selection and training, meetings, phases, information flow, ending) but not psychotherapist procedures; the programme elements below are sourced, and every therapist procedure built around them is marked [synthesis]. The therapist does not deliver Circle meetings; those are run by trained volunteers under a coordinator [source: Circles UK].

4.1 Explaining CoSA to a client who may be referred

  • Purpose / when: a client with sexual convictions approaching release or recently released, or whose offender manager has raised a Circle, needs an accurate picture before deciding [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Ask what the client has already heard and from whom. (2) Describe the published structure in plain words: four to six trained local volunteers, a coordinator, an outer Circle of professionals, regular meetings that are usually weekly at first, typically about a year, tapering later [source: Circles UK]. (3) Say clearly that volunteers will know the offending history and that concerns about risk are shared with probation or police [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014]. (4) Say that it is voluntary and cannot be mandated [source: Circles UK]. (5) Give the provider's own leaflet or contact through the offender manager; do not promise a place [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "A Circle is a small group of trained volunteers who meet you regularly. They will know what you were convicted of, and they will help with practical things and also tell you honestly when they are worried. If they are worried about risk, they pass that on. It is your choice whether to take part."
  • Watch for: relief at "having friends" without registering the accountability side; fear of exposure; misunderstandings (e.g. that volunteers are counsellors or can keep secrets from probation). Working: the client can restate both the support and the accountability in their own words [synthesis].

4.2 Assessing voluntariness and motivation

  • Purpose / when: Circles are voluntary and the Core Member must consent and want to stop offending [source: Circles UK]; check this before supporting a referral [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Separate the referral source from the client's own wish: ask what they want from it and what they would lose by declining. (2) Explore pressure (from probation, family, release conditions) and whether declining has consequences they fear. (3) Explore what a "non-offending life" would mean to them in concrete terms (the eligibility criterion) [source: Circles UK]. (4) Record the client's stated reasons in their words. (5) If motivation is mainly external, say so and keep working on it rather than endorsing a referral [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "If nobody had suggested this, would you want it? What part of it appeals to you, and what part would you rather avoid?"
  • Watch for: compliance-talk ("whatever probation wants"), wanting the Circle mainly for housing or company, or for status. Working: the client names at least one personal reason connected to not harming anyone again [synthesis].

4.3 Exploring acknowledgement and responsibility

  • Purpose / when: general Circles take people who have acknowledged their offending, and Core Members take responsibility for their ongoing risk and behaviour [source: Circles UK]; the UK pilots required some understanding of the offending [source: McCartan et al. 2014].
  • Steps: (1) Invite the client's account of the offending at a pace they can tolerate, without demanding graphic detail. (2) Note minimisation, justification or blaming of victims, and reflect it back without contempt. (3) Ask what they understand about the circumstances, thoughts and feelings that preceded offending. (4) Link this to what volunteers will need to know to help them notice warning patterns [source: Circles UK]. (5) If specialist offence-focused treatment is needed, refer to an accredited provider or work under specialist consultation [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "The volunteers will know your history so they can help you notice when things start to slide. What would you want them to understand about how it happened?"
  • Watch for: shame collapse (flat affect, self-hatred, talk of being better off dead): pause and assess risk (see 5.6). Working: the client can describe their own risk patterns without either denying them or drowning in them [synthesis].

4.4 Setting up consent-based information sharing

  • Purpose / when: the coordinator links the inner and outer Circles, risk concerns pass to statutory agencies, and confidentiality yields to risk [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014]; the therapist needs an explicit agreement on what flows where [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Before any contact with the Circle, explain your own confidentiality limits and safeguarding duties. (2) Obtain written, specific consent naming who you may speak to (coordinator, offender manager), what you may share (attendance, general engagement, risk concerns) and what stays private (therapy content not bearing on risk). (3) Agree that you speak to the coordinator, not to individual volunteers. (4) Agree how you will tell the client when you have shared something. (5) Review consent at each phase change [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "I'd like us to agree exactly what I share with the coordinator and your offender manager. Anything that tells me someone may be at risk I will have to pass on, and I'll tell you when I do. The rest of what we talk about stays here."
  • Watch for: requests to keep risk-relevant information from the Circle; volunteers contacting you directly; vague consent. Working: everyone knows the channel and the client is not surprised by any disclosure [synthesis].

4.5 Preparing the client for disclosure to volunteers

  • Purpose / when: volunteers are fully informed of the offending history [source: Quakers in the World; Circles UK]; meeting strangers who know this is a major shame trigger [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Name the fear of judgement directly. (2) Explore what the client imagines the volunteers think. (3) Rehearse how the client might introduce themselves and acknowledge the past without self-abasement or minimisation. (4) Plan what to do with shame or anger after the first meeting (grounding, a session soon after). (5) Debrief the first meeting [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "They'll already know the facts. What matters is how you talk about it with them. Shall we practise what you might say in the first meeting?"
  • Watch for: rehearsed, polished accounts that sound like performance; avoidance of the first meeting. Circles UK quotes a Core Member valuing people aware of his past yet "unafraid to be seen with me" [source: Circles UK]; working looks like the client feeling known rather than exposed [synthesis].

4.6 Preparing for the Circle agreement (covenant)

  • Purpose / when: the Core Member signs an agreement committing to the Circle [source: Circles UK]; in Minnesota a covenant of each party's responsibilities was agreed before release [source: MnDOC 2012]. The provider writes and holds the agreement; the therapist helps the client engage with it [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Ask the client what commitments they expect the agreement to contain and which feel hardest. (2) Help them prepare their own goals for the Circle (the Circle is designed around them) [source: Circles UK]. (3) Explore which commitments touch release conditions so the client sees the agreement and statutory conditions as consistent. (4) Encourage questions to the coordinator rather than silent signing [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before you sign anything, what do you want this Circle to help you with, and what are you willing to commit to in return?"
  • Watch for: signing to please; goals that are only about practical help. Working: the client can state both their goals and their commitments [synthesis].

4.7 Good-life goal work alongside the Circle

  • Purpose / when: Circles UK names the Good Lives Model and desistance; Circles help with social skills, accommodation, hobbies, interests and work [source: Circles UK]. Therapy can help the client identify what a meaningful non-offending life contains [synthesis]. Formal Good Lives Model treatment requires its own training [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Map what the client values (relationships, work, learning, belonging, purpose). (2) Identify safe, legal ways to pursue each within licence conditions. (3) Choose one or two that the Circle can support practically. (4) Check each against risk (e.g. settings with children where prohibited) with the outer Circle [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. (5) Review at each phase [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "What would a life look like that you'd want to keep, one that doesn't involve harming anyone? Which bit of that could the Circle help you start?"
  • Watch for: goals that bring the client near children or other risk settings; grandiosity; hopelessness. Working: concrete, safe activities appear and are reported back from the Circle [synthesis].

4.8 Pre-release and transition planning

  • Purpose / when: the Circle ideally starts before release [source: Quakers in the World; MnDOC 2012]; many Canadian Core Members were released amid media attention and community apprehension [source: CSC R-185].
  • Steps: (1) Explore expectations and fears about the first weeks outside (housing, money, being recognised). (2) Plan daily structure with the client, including what the Circle's early contacts will cover [source: Quakers in the World]. (3) Build a personal safety and coping plan for hostility or exposure, and agree who the client tells if threatened (police, offender manager). (4) Plan continuity of therapy across the transition [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let's walk through your first week. Where will you sleep, who will you see, and what will you do if someone recognises you?"
  • Watch for: unrealistic optimism, isolation, catastrophic fear, suicidal thinking around release. Working: the client has a written week plan and knows who to call [synthesis].

4.9 Contributing to the outer Circle

  • Purpose / when: psychologists, treatment and medical professionals can sit in the outer Circle, which advises when issues exceed volunteers' roles and takes responsibility for risk concerns [source: McCartan et al. 2014; MnDOC 2012; CSC R-185; Circles UK].
  • Steps: (1) Agree with the coordinator and the client what your outer-Circle role is (attending reviews, written updates, consultation on request). (2) Contribute clinical observations bearing on risk and needs within the consent agreed (4.4). (3) Do not instruct volunteers directly; advise through the coordinator. (4) Keep a record of what you shared and when. (5) Tell the client after each contact [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative), to the coordinator: "Speaking as his therapist, with his consent: he is engaging well, and the one area I'd flag for the Circle is how he copes with rejection; that has preceded risky periods before."
  • Watch for: drift into supervising volunteers; being asked for a risk judgement outside your competence; sharing more than consent allows. Working: the Circle gets useful guidance and the therapeutic alliance survives [synthesis].

4.10 Responding to a risk concern

  • Purpose / when: volunteers monitor lifestyle, contact with other registered sexual offenders and any prohibited contact with children; concerns go to the coordinator and the offender manager [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. A therapist may hear the same signals in session [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Know in advance the signals that matter for this client (from their own risk patterns, 4.3). (2) When one appears, ask directly and calmly. (3) If there is any risk to a child or adult, follow your safeguarding and legal duties at once: contact the offender manager or police, and in an emergency the emergency services; inform the coordinator as agreed. (4) Tell the client what you are doing unless that would increase risk. (5) Document. (6) Continue the therapy afterwards and repair the alliance [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "You've mentioned seeing the neighbour's children twice this week. I need to understand exactly what happened, and I want to be honest that if there's a risk I'll have to share it."
  • Watch for: your own wish to keep the alliance by delaying; the client testing whether you will act. Quakers in the World notes that when concerns arise meetings increase and the Core Member is challenged [source: Quakers in the World]. Working: concerns are raised early, not after a crisis [synthesis].

4.11 Debriefing Circle meetings in therapy

  • Purpose / when: throughout phases one and two, to integrate what happens in the Circle (support, challenge, social experience) [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Periodically ask what happened in recent meetings and contacts. (2) Explore feelings (gratitude, irritation, shame, dependence). (3) Link patterns in the Circle (avoidance, charm, anger at challenge) to the client's wider relational patterns. (4) Encourage the client to raise concerns in the Circle itself rather than only in therapy [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "When the volunteer questioned you about the late nights, what went on inside you? Does that reaction show up elsewhere?"
  • Watch for: splitting (Circle all good, probation all bad, or the reverse); using therapy to complain rather than to work. Working: the client brings Circle material spontaneously and uses it to understand themselves [synthesis].

4.12 Rehearsing being held to account

  • Purpose / when: the Circle holds the Core Member accountable and challenges when concerned [source: Circles UK; Quakers in the World]; clients with histories of shame or rage may struggle to receive challenge [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Identify the client's typical response to challenge (shut down, argue, charm, leave). (2) Role-play a volunteer raising a concern, with the therapist taking the volunteer role. (3) Practise acknowledging, asking questions, and stating a plan. (4) Debrief and repeat with harder versions [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative), therapist in role: "We've noticed you've stopped mentioning work and you seem low. We're worried. What's going on?"
  • Watch for: role-play becoming humiliating; over-rehearsed scripts. Working: real challenges in the Circle are reported as uncomfortable but manageable [synthesis].

4.13 Building safe social connection beyond the Circle

  • Purpose / when: Circles help with social skills, accommodation, hobbies, interests and work, and involvement tapers as the Core Member builds other safe support networks [source: Circles UK]; the Canadian model targets people lacking prosocial support [source: CSC R-185].
  • Steps: (1) Map current relationships and which are safe and prosocial. (2) Practise social skills relevant to adult settings (starting conversations, handling questions about the past, boundaries). (3) Decide with the client what, if anything, to disclose in new relationships, consistent with licence and disclosure requirements set by agencies. (4) Check new settings with the outer Circle where risk is relevant [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Who else, apart from the Circle, could you see in a normal week? What would you say if someone at the club asked about your past?"
  • Watch for: relationships with people who have children where contact is restricted; withdrawal; reliance only on other people with offending histories (a monitored concern) [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. Working: the client's week contains safe contacts that will outlast the Circle [synthesis].

4.14 Adapted Circles: clients with intellectual disabilities and/or autism

  • Purpose / when: Adapted Circles have longer, more intensive assessment and preparation, specialist coordinators, and may include mental-health and learning-disability professionals in the outer Circle [source: Circles UK].
  • Steps: (1) Share with the coordinator (with consent) the client's communication needs, sensory needs and comprehension level. (2) Turn the agreement and Circle routines into accessible formats with the provider (plain language, visual schedules) [synthesis]. (3) Check understanding by asking the client to explain back. (4) Prepare the client for changes of volunteer or venue in advance. (5) Coordinate with learning-disability services [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Can you tell me in your own words what the Circle is for, and what happens if they're worried about you?"
  • Watch for: apparent agreement without understanding; distress at unpredictability; others speaking for the client. Working: the client can explain the purpose and rules and tolerates routine changes [synthesis].

4.15 Circles for Young People: assent, family and safeguarding

  • Purpose / when: Circles for Young People are for those who have shown harmful sexual behaviour, with or without convictions; they are activity-based and age-appropriate, and volunteers have additional training [source: Circles UK].
  • Steps: (1) Work within child safeguarding procedures and the young person's statutory plan. (2) Obtain the young person's assent and the consent of those with parental responsibility, in age-appropriate language. (3) Involve the family where safe, and check whether other children in the home require a safety plan. (4) Coordinate with the youth justice or children's services lead. (5) Never record or share anything that could identify the young person outside the necessary professional channels [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative), to a young person: "This is a group of adults who do activities with you and help you make good choices. You can ask questions about it, and you can tell me if you don't want to do it."
  • Watch for: the young person's own victimisation history; family denial or blame; peer exposure. Working: the young person engages in activities and family supports the plan [synthesis].

4.16 Preparing for tapering and ending

  • Purpose / when: involvement tapers in phase two; the coordinator ends the Circle after reviewing progress and risk [source: Circles UK; McCartan et al. 2014].
  • Steps: (1) Name the ending from early in phase two. (2) Explore what the Circle has meant and what the client fears losing. (3) Identify which supports will continue (therapy, other networks, statutory supervision). (4) Update the client's personal relapse-prevention and coping plan for life without the Circle. (5) Plan a session soon after the final meeting [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "The Circle will step back over the coming months. What will you miss, and who will notice if things start to go wrong once it does?"
  • Watch for: increase in risk behaviours or crises as the ending nears (which may lead the coordinator to extend the Circle [source: Circles UK]); grief; anger. Working: the client names continuing safe supports and a plan [synthesis].

4.17 Supporting a client who is a Circle volunteer

  • Purpose / when: volunteers hear detailed offending histories and carry the tension of support and monitoring. A Dutch study of 40 volunteers measured burnout, secondary stress, compassion satisfaction and vicarious growth, found mainly positive effects, and found social support and connectedness associated with positive outcomes [source: Höing, Vogelvang & Bogaerts 2017]. Volunteers receive coordinator supervision [source: McCartan et al. 2014].
  • Steps: (1) Respect the volunteer's confidentiality duty: work with their own reactions, not with identifying details of the Core Member. (2) Screen for secondary traumatic stress (intrusive images, hypervigilance about children, sleep disturbance, numbing) and for reactivation of the volunteer's own abuse history. (3) Encourage use of the coordinator's supervision and peer support among volunteers, given the link between support, connectedness and positive outcomes [source: Höing et al. 2017]. (4) Explore over-responsibility (feeling solely responsible for the Core Member's behaviour) and remind the client that statutory agencies hold risk management [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. (5) Support a decision to pause or leave if needed, through the coordinator [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "You don't need to tell me anything that identifies him. I'm interested in what the work is doing to you: what stays with you after the meetings?"
  • Watch for: rescuing, secrecy towards the coordinator, social isolation because the role cannot be discussed, moral injury, or growth and meaning (also reported). Working: the volunteer uses supervision, keeps boundaries and feels connected [synthesis].

4.18 Supporting a survivor of sexual abuse affected by CoSA

  • Purpose / when: a survivor client may learn that the person who harmed them, or a similar person, is supported by a Circle; may object; or may be considering volunteering. The Canadian model states that it seeks to honour victims' needs for healing and continued safety [source: CSC R-185]. Research on survivors as volunteers exists (University of Huddersfield publication on survivors as volunteers and restorative potential) [uncertain: not verified].
  • Steps: (1) Validate whatever the client feels (anger, fear, relief, ambivalence); do not advocate for or against the programme. (2) Address safety first: if the client fears contact or proximity, help them contact the police, victim liaison or victim contact services available in their jurisdiction [synthesis]. (3) Never pass information about a Circle or Core Member that could identify anyone; do not seek it. (4) If the client is considering volunteering, explore motivation, triggers and the possibility of re-traumatisation slowly, and encourage disclosure of relevant history to the provider's selection process as they choose [synthesis]. (5) Make clear that no form of reconciliation or contact with an offender is expected of them [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "You don't owe anyone forgiveness or support. Let's look first at whether you feel safe, then at what this brings up for you."
  • Watch for: retraumatisation, intrusive symptoms, pressure from others to 'be restorative'. Working: the client feels safer and more in control of their choices [synthesis].

4.19 Working with a Core Member's family

  • Purpose / when: Circles UK mentions family members working alongside the Circle [source: Circles UK]; partners, parents or adult children may seek therapy [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Clarify whose client this is and what will and will not be shared with the Core Member's professionals. (2) Assess safeguarding of any children in the family and follow local procedures. (3) Address shame, stigma, divided loyalty and grief. (4) Help family members understand the Circle's dual purpose so they do not undermine accountability. (5) Refer to specialist family support services where available [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "It's possible to love him and still want everyone to be safe. Which of those feels harder for you right now?"
  • Watch for: family minimising risk or covering for lapses; isolation of the family; children's needs overlooked. Working: family members support safety plans openly [synthesis].

4.20 Deciding whether to volunteer yourself

  • Purpose / when: a therapist may wish to become a Circle volunteer. Volunteers go through assessment, references, enhanced criminal records checks and training [source: McCartan et al. 2014].
  • Steps: (1) Never volunteer in a Circle for a current or former client, or treat a Core Member from a Circle you belong to, consistent with APA Ethics Code Standard 3.05 on multiple relationships (APA Ethics Code). (2) Tell the provider your profession and agree whether you act purely as a lay volunteer. (3) Do not offer therapy within the Circle. (4) Check with your insurer and professional body how volunteering interacts with your practice. (5) Use the provider's supervision, not your own clinical frame [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative), to a coordinator: "I'm a therapist, but in this Circle I'd like to be a volunteer like the others. If my clinical knowledge would be useful it should go through you."
  • Watch for: sliding into a clinical role, being treated as the expert by other volunteers. Working: role is clear to everyone [synthesis].

4.21 Checking a provider before referral or collaboration

  • Purpose / when: before encouraging a client towards a Circle or joining an outer Circle [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Check whether the provider is listed with Circles UK or the national Circles body in your country [source: Circles UK local providers listing]. (2) Ask how volunteers are selected, trained and supervised (compare with the UK pilot model) [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. (3) Ask how liaison with statutory agencies works; Circles UK now requires it [source: McCartan et al. 2014]. (4) Ask about the provider's confidentiality and information-sharing policy and how it handles risk concerns [source: Circles UK]. (5) Ask whether it follows a model code of practice (programme fidelity) [source: CEP] [synthesis for the checklist itself].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Could you tell me how your volunteers are supervised, and what happens when a volunteer has a concern about risk?"
  • Watch for: informal groups calling themselves Circles without statutory liaison, training or supervision. Working: clear answers and written policies [synthesis].

4.22 Therapist's own reflective practice

  • Purpose / when: sex-offence work can evoke disgust, fear, rescue fantasies and secondary trauma in clinicians [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Arrange specialist clinical supervision before starting. (2) Notice your reactions after sessions (avoidance, irritability, intrusive images, over-identification). (3) Bring these to supervision with identifying details removed. (4) Keep a caseload balance where possible [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative), in supervision: "I noticed I hurried past his account of the offence today. I think I'm avoiding it."
  • Watch for: collusion, punitive stance, burnout. Working: you can stay curious and clear about risk at the same time [synthesis].

5. Handling problems

The sources do not discuss therapist problems; everything in this section is [synthesis] unless a source is named.

  • Client says they were told to join (non-voluntary): Circles cannot be mandated [source: Circles UK]. Explore what the client wants for themselves; if nothing, do not support referral yet, and continue motivational work. Inform the offender manager only what consent allows.
  • Denial or minimisation: acknowledgement is an entry criterion [source: Circles UK]. Work on it gradually; do not argue facts. If the client cannot acknowledge, say honestly that a general Circle may not be available and keep working.
  • Client asks you to keep something from the Circle or probation: restate your limits; if it bears on risk, it cannot stay private; if it does not, it can. Encourage the client to bring it to the Circle themselves.
  • Disclosure of risk behaviour or prohibited contact in session: act on safeguarding duties at once (4.10), tell the client unless that increases risk, document, and keep the therapy going.
  • Rupture after you share information: name the rupture, acknowledge their anger, restate why you acted, and invite them to continue. Expect a period of testing.
  • Over-dependence on the Circle: start planning for tapering early (4.16); strengthen other safe networks (4.13).
  • Shame overwhelm or suicidal thinking (release, exposure, endings): assess suicide risk using standard current practice, make a safety plan, involve crisis services and inform the offender manager as agreed. Crisis lines: 988 (US); Samaritans 116 123 (UK and Ireland).
  • Community hostility, media exposure or threats: Canadian participants were often released amid media attention and community apprehension [source: CSC R-185]. Help the client report threats to police and the offender manager, plan safe routes and contacts, and avoid any public discussion that could identify them. Never discuss a client's case publicly.
  • Circle breaks down (volunteers leave, conflict): the coordinator handles membership; support the client with the loss and keep therapy stable.
  • Splitting between Circle, probation and therapy: keep communication through the coordinator, avoid taking sides, and bring the pattern back to the client.
  • Concerns about someone who may be at risk but no Circle in place (e.g. a client with sexual thoughts about children who has not offended): this is outside general Circles (which take people with convictions); refer to specialist prevention services. In the UK, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation runs the Stop It Now confidential helpline [uncertain: not verified].
  • Volunteer client distressed or over-responsible: see 4.17; remind them that statutory agencies hold risk [source: McCartan et al. 2014]; support use of supervision.
  • Survivor client pressured to support or 'forgive': see 4.18; voluntariness and safety come first; no expectation of contact.
  • Intellectual disability or autism: check comprehension of confidentiality and accountability repeatedly; coordinate with the Adapted Circles provider [source: Circles UK].
  • Young people: child safeguarding procedures override programme preferences; involve parents or carers and statutory leads (4.15).
  • Online-offence clients in Circles ReBoot: the format is shorter and semi-structured [source: Circles UK]; check that therapy goals fit its time frame and that digital-use conditions are clear.
  • Your own reactions interfering: bring to supervision (4.22); refer on if you cannot work without contempt or collusion.
  • Identifying details creeping into records, teaching or conversation: remove them; use the minimum necessary information in all communications.

Sources

← Previous · XV-067Peacemaking and sentencing circlesNext · XV-069 →Truth and reconciliation commissions