2024 marks 30 years since the first Circle was formed by the Revd Harry Nigh in Canada.
Since their inception, Circles have played a crucial role in supporting the risk management of people convicted of sexual offences, thereby helping to make communities safer.
From these small beginnings, Circles have grown to become established, well-respected way of providing much-needed support for people after a prison sentence to ensure safe reintegration back into their communities.
Within the UK, our organisation was established in 2008 to oversee the provision of Circles in England and Wales. Today Circles are provided by six provider organisations in nine regions in England and Wales (Circles South East, Circles South West, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Humbercare, Nepacs, and Adferiad in partnership with St Giles Trust). In Europe, CirclesEurope was formed in 2018 to support Providers and create a platform for the exchange of knowledge and good practices in Europe and beyond. Circles are provided in the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Spain, Catalonia, Norway and Sweden.
A special commemorative event will be held in London during November 2024, to celebrate the ongoing work of Circles and to look back at their origins, impact and future.
Invited guests will hear from Circles Providers, Volunteers and Coordinators, as well as keynote speakers the Revd Harry Nigh, who established the first ever Circle, and Sir Terry Waite, a humanitarian and long-term supporter of this approach to risk management and offender rehabilitation.
CEO of Circles UK, Riana Taylor said: “It’s really quite something to look back over the last thirty years and recognise the incredible impact of the work set up by Revd Harry Nigh back in 1994.
“From that one Circle, the network has grown substantially, with support and funding from government bodies, grant-giving organisations and individual donors. This has enabled Circles UK and CirclesEurope to help Circles Providers deliver this important work, all made possible of course by the dedication of wonderful Volunteers”.
“We know that this approach to working with people convicted of sexual offences makes a real difference. I’m looking forward to sharing discussions and best practice on this with our speakers and guests, and making plans for continued impact across the UK and Europe.”
Updates from the event will be shared on the Circles UK LinkedIn page.