Section 6 - Developments in work with High Risk Offenders
Following an increase in funding from the Scottish Government an accredited programme of work with men who have been convicted of sexual offences has been introduced in Lothian and Borders. The programme is called The Community Sexual Offending Groupwork Programme. It is one of the programmes that have been successfully running in England for a number of years by the Probation Service. It is the only programme that has been passed by the Scottish Accreditation Panel as suitable for use with male sexual offenders over the age of 21.
This programme is delivered by staff from the Community Intervention Service for Sex Offenders. Referrals are taken from all of the criminal justice social work teams in Lothian and Borders. The first group started in August 2006.
Recent evaluations completed in England indicate that the impact of accredited programmes on recidivism is significantly higher than previous estimates. This represents a considerable reduction in sexual victimization and harm.