Support and accountability groups

Support and Accountability Groups provide someone who may pose a risk with a group of trusted people to share any necessary monitoring and provide a place where they can be supported to address the issues they face. 

The group can help the person be held accountable for their thinking and behaviour and develop a range of appropriate close relationships with other adults which can help them thrive and reduce the risk to others.

Supporting people who have behaved abusively or are suspected of doing so can be difficult. Over time, those offering support may become used to certain behaviours and start seeing them as less serious. Unconscious bias can also affect judgement - for example, assuming older adults or women are less likely to be abusive. It’s also easy to overlook concerns if we’ve had positive experiences with someone, but it’s important to stay objective, keep the impact on victims in mind, and not let familiarity or relationships affect safeguarding decisions. 

Some of the functions of this group will involve: 

• being involved in writing the contract and agreement with the person. 
• regularly meeting with them to check they are adhering to the boundaries set by the contract or agreement 
• to monitor and discreetly supervise the person to make sure they are not engaging with vulnerable people e.g. Meet the person in advance of them attending an activity, sit with them or accompany them to activities. 
• to challenge any risky or wrong thinking and behaviour. 
• to support the person in finding suitable employment or to seek any professional or specialist support, if appropriate. 
• provide pastoral care and support to anyone they may be living with, if appropriate. 
• provide a closed group where they can engage in the activities of the organisation e.g. a church providing a dedicated group for prayer, Bible study and support. 
• to pass any concerns they have to a central person, usually the safeguarding lead. 
• to liaise with the police and probation services / criminal justice social workers.