Money for people convicted of these crimes will now go towards accommodation provisions. This means charities, such as Circles South West, which focus on community integration will have less government funding.
Sara shared how these cuts will impact the charity. She said: “The significance for us is that we are not able to deliver the support and accountability that we would like to because we don’t have the funding to do that.”
No more victims
Sara went on to explain the importance of the charity, as it allows sex offenders to “reintegrate back into the community in a positive way.”
She added this this was important because “if they don’t feel as though they are welcome in their community or have a stake in their community then it’s easier for them to remain on the periphery.”
She said that through meetings, sharing job tips or helping with interview preparation, volunteers “generally help them to manage their behaviour”.
She added: “our mission statement is no more victims and that’s obviously what we want, we want no more victims of sexual harm.”
In the past the charity has worked closely with probation and the Police Crime Commission in Dorset. Sara said that that Circles relationship with these officials could continue despite the cuts.
She said: “We are still very firmly supported by probation in Dorset and the PCC”. She said the cuts meant the charity would be “continuing to discuss with probation locally how they can support us given that they’ve been directed to function in a different way.”
She also discussed possible other sources of funding for the charity now government provisions had been cut, such as match funding with other grantees.
