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Published by kateth45, 2017-05-27 13:25:43

CRJI Colin Report 2016

CRJI Colin Report 2016

Community Restorative
Justice Ireland (CRJI)

Colin Project

Report
2016

CONTENTS

3. About CRJI Colin
4. Co-ordinator’s Report
5. CRJI Multi-Agency Approach to Community

Safety
6. Colin Domestic Violence Forum
8. Colin Neighbourhood Partnership (CNP)
9. Matthew Barzun US Ambassador to London
10. Training 2016
12. Travellers’ Project
14. All Ireland Conference
17. Humber College Toronto & Gloucestershire

University visit CRJI Colin
18. Community Safety Initiatives
19. World Suicide Prevention Day
20. World Mental Health Day
21. Case Studies
22. Feedback
23. Statistics 2016

2

About
Community Restorative Justice Ireland

Colin Project

Community Restorative Justice Ireland (CRJI) Colin Project has been in operation since 1999 and
delivers a mediation service to the local community, focusing on the harms of wrongdoing, working
towards the restoration of victims, empowering them and responding to their needs, whilst also
supporting offenders through re-integration and encouraging them to understand accept and carry
out their obligation.

It is our objective to encourage and promote restorative practices to resolve issues, other than
adversarial retributive forms of justice. This method of working promotes a holistic approach,
encouraging dialogue, reparation, accountability and responsibility. The use of restorative
practices develops understanding, builds and strengthens relationships and benefits everyone
involved in the process.

We endeavour to promote a sense of ownership amongst residents which will have the effect of
enhancing the role of individuals in active and positive citizenship and in the governance of their
local community in ways which give full respect to human rights and equality.

We recruit and train volunteers to assist in mediation and the support of victims and offenders.
We offer our services as a method of conflict resolution through:

 Working with others to develop a comprehensive community safety strategy
 Engaging members of the community in the governance of the organisation
 Recruitment/training/management of volunteers
 Offering Victim/Offender conferencing service
 Identifying Juveniles at risk and supporting their needs
 Reintegrating and supporting sentenced offenders into the community
 Developing relationships between the Community, Police and Statutory Agencies, tackling

issues of conflict crime and anti-community behaviour.

Through our work and from consultations and community surveys carried out, it is apparent that
Community Safety issues are of paramount importance to the people of the Colin Community.
Issues such as anti-social behaviour, abuse of alcohol and drugs, hotspot areas where high
numbers of young people gather, which local residents find intimidating/fearful and neighbourhood
disputes are causing distress to Residents, Parents and Young People. In response we identify
actions to tackle these issues through a Multi-Agency approach and Restorative Practices.

This innovative and groundbreaking work is encouraging people to become more willing to engage
with the PSNI and Statutory Agencies to create
a framework for resolving conflict. We strive to
encourage this as part of a long term
strategic plan to strengthen our community
in addressing issues affecting them.

3

Jane Young Co-ordinator

CRJI Colin

Community Restorative Justice Colin has continued to work effectively within the
Colin Community to deliver our Restorative Process to clients either presenting or
referred to our office. This year the annual total of cases presented is 365
involving 1009 people living in the Colin neighbourhood, which clearly

demonstrates the need for our services.

We have covered a vast range of issues such as neighbourhood disputes,
those under threat from armed groups, domestic and family issues, youth
related issues, vulnerable adults/children, suicide/interventions murder, arson,
criminal damage, harassment and intimidation. By working collectively in partnership with all
Statutory Agencies and Community/Voluntary groups, we ensure that clients feel listened to and
supported and find that this has a positive impact on clients’ issues presented and their outcomes.

CRJI staff can be contacted at all times, seven days a week, as we feel this is of paramount
importance in crisis intervention, offering advice and support to help prevent situations from
escalating. All staff and volunteer practitioners are highly trained to facilitate mediations, having
completed L4 Diploma in Restorative Practices and undertake further training facilitated by A & M
Communications Omagh.

CRJI Colin has continued to sustain good working partnerships with Community, Statutory and
Voluntary agencies; working in partnership strengthens communities and demonstrates that many
agencies can contribute to community learning and development. Through these partnerships, we
aim to make the most of the resources available and to be as effective as possible for the benefit of
all.

CRJI Colin is represented on a number of Forums in the Colin area including the Domestic
Violence Sub-group, Chair of the local Community Safety Sub-group and Suicide Prevention Task
group, participating in events to bring information and support to the local community.

Colin Neighbourhood was awarded the first Safe Place Community in Northern Ireland under the
Safe Place Initiative, which raises awareness of Domestic Violence and abuse and the range of
support services available. This regional initiative is highly recognised by the PSNI, Probation
Board, Western Health & Social Care, Youth Justice and fully endorsed by the Justice Minister.
On 23rd March this year, CRJI Colin achieved the Silver Award in the Workplace Charter on
Domestic Violence; I am proud of this achievement as a representative of CRJI Colin and I will
continue to support the Domestic Violence Forum in the Colin area.

Funding has been difficult in the current economic climate and
many community groups have suffered including CRJI Colin. As
a result, we depend highly on

the input of our Volunteer Practitioners who offer their time
freely; they must be commended for their dedication and
commitment in delivering the restorative services to the Colin
Community, striving tirelessly to make a better life for all.

In conclusion, CRJI Colin will continue to deliver our services to
the Colin community and encourage community participation to
take an active role in collectively working in partnership to ensure our
Community is a safer place to live.

4

CRJI Colin’s
Multi-Agency Approach to

Community Safety

CRJI Colin Project chairs the local Colin Community Safety Sub-group, who believes that
partnership working can be an effective component of initiatives to tackle issues of crime anti-
social behaviour and community safety. In other words, using a co-operative approach between
Statutory Agencies and the Community to achieve a common goal is more likely to develop a
relationship of trust resulting in a safe environment and improve the quality of life for residents of
the Colin Community.
Through a Multi-Agency approach to deal with issues affecting Residents in the Colin Community,
we aim to:

 pro-actively engage, through inclusion with Statutory Agencies Voluntary & Community
Groups

 help with the development of a strategic community safety plan.
 provide a strong voice for all residents and communities within Colin Neighbourhood
 play a pivotal role in making our communities safer places to live
 be community leaders in the field of community safety and regeneration
We have utilised the experience and expertise of Community based organisations and Statutory
Agencies to seek restorative interventions in areas of community dispute, anti-community
behaviour and crime. We directly engage with Statutory Agencies such as the PSNI (Police
Service Northern Ireland), Belfast City Council, Housing Providers, Youth Providers and others to
create positive change that regenerates and enhances the quality of life for all.
We endeavour to work with the Community to tackle issues affecting them such as Anti-
Community Behaviour, Interface Violence & Tensions, Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Conflict and Crime.
Action Plans are drawn up to tackle these issues, whilst inventive and diversionary Community
Safety projects for young people are put in place to challenges mind-sets.

To date our endeavours have
been very successful and CRJI

Colin will continue to offer
their services to the Colin

Community.

5

CRJI Colin is a member of the Colin Domestic Violence Forum, which is a sub-group of the Colin
Community Safety Partnership that operates within Colin Neighbourhood. The Forum has
produced a protocol, which aims “to provide partner agencies and practitioners with an agreed
method of working collaboratively, lawfully, responsibly and confidentially to tackle and reduce the
incidents of domestic violence within the Colin Community.”

The Colin Neighbourhood received an award as the first Safe Community in Northern Ireland under
the ‘Safe Place Initiative.’

The main areas of partnership working identified in the Protocol are:
 Effective Communication / Information Sharing
 Referral Procedures
 Problem Solving
 Awareness Raising / Training/Information Sessions

Along with CRJI Colin, other agencies and organisations who have signed up to the protocol are:

 Belfast & Lisburn Women’s’ Aid
 Footprints Women’s’ Centre
 Colin Neighbourhood Partnership
 Colin Sure Start
 NIHE
 Cloverhill Hostel
 Colin Counselling
 PSNI

By signing up to Safe Place Initiative, we:

Support the Safe Place Campaign Pledge: never to commit, condone or stay silent about Domestic
Violence.

• Acknowledge domestic violence is a problem that impacts on all of us as a society, and will
be prepared to play your part in supporting victims and sending a clear message to
perpetrators that domestic violence is intolerable.

• Provide a Safe Place for victims of domestic violence to confidentially access information.
Safe Place Services

• PSNI: Emergency; Domestic Abuse Officers in PPU
• 24 Hour Domestic Violence Helpline
• Victim Support/Childline
• Additional support services e.g. Army

Welfare

CRJI Colin achieved their
Silver Award this year

6

The Domestic Violence Forum holds an annual ‘Circle of Hope’ event in the Colin Neighbourhood,
to highlight the issue of Domestic Violence and its affect on the Colin Community; the theme for
this year is:

“Unheard Voices Now Told”.

The event is well attended year after year and demonstrates to all those who are affected by
Domestic Violence that this community supports them.
The Colin area is the first Onus “Safe Place Community” in Northern Ireland, giving those affected
by domestic violence in the Colin Neighbourhood the opportunity to access advice, information and
support.
Community Groups, Statutory Agencies and Residents attended to show their support and the
Forum continues to promote the Safe Place Initiative so that all individuals can live safely in their
homes and within the community.

7

CRJI Colin Project is a member of the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership (CNP). The Partnership
is an award-winning community group based in the Colin area of West Belfast. The Partnership
consists of local people, community organisations, elected representatives and government
bodies. The Colin Neighbourhood is located on the outskirts of Greater West Belfast and is
comprised of four areas Twinbrook, Poleglass, Lagmore and Kilwee.

The Partnership was set up by local people living and working in the Colin area whose aim was to
work together to make positive changes in their community. As members of the partnership, CRJI
Colin works together with all these organisations to address issues, which affect people living in
the Colin neighbourhood.

CNP operates various sub-groups which focus on Education; Health for All; Community Safety;
Environment and Recreation; Youth; and Economic Regeneration, and proactively initiates and
manages a vast array of projects and initiatives covering arts and culture, community safety,
environment, family support, and health and wellbeing. Some of the services provided include:

- Family Support
- Early Intervention
- Fathers’ Support
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Allotment schemes
- Services for young people with disabilities
- Men’s health and wellbeing
- Community safety initiatives
- Arts and cultural events
- Good Morning Colin telephone service
- Enviro-Care gardening service
- Colin Care domiciliary care service

CRJI Colin Project will continue
with its aim to make the Colin
Neighbourhood a safer place to
live, through Statutory and
Community organisations
working in partnership to
enhance the quality of life and
to provide a safe healthy
environment.

8

CRJI Colin
Meets Matthew Barzun
US Ambassador to the UK

Matthew Barzun visited Belfast in January of this year to promote TechCamp; an initiative set up
by the US State Department, which builds the technological capabilities of civil society
organisations around the world. Leaders in the technology community are paired with civil society
organisations to provide training, resources, and assistance that allow civil society organisations to
utilise the latest connection technologies to improve their functionality.
CRJI Colin were invited to the event which gave them an opportunity to discuss the issue of
Policing in the Community in Northern Ireland the aim to build safer, shared and confident
communities through:

 engaging and consulting to help improve policing and community safety
 working in partnership with local communities, partners and agencies
 monitoring performances and being transparent about what we has been achieved
 encouraging cooperation with, and inspiring confidence in, the justice system, in particular

the police.
We shared our experiences and had an open and honest conversation about the challenges that
still exist and the challenges that may still lie ahead for us as a community.

9

CRJI Colin

Training 2016

CRJI Colin endeavours to offer training to Staff and Volunteer Practitioners to develop the
knowledge and skills needed to establish clear principles and values to guide daily working
practices. CRJI has developed a working partnership with Time-Out Assessment Centre Omagh,
to consolidate the delivery of work-based qualifications for community based Restorative Practice.
To achieve this CRJI aims to explore a more structured framework to develop staff competence
and build infrastructure for sustainability.

Level 4 Certificate in Leadership and Management” (Skills for Justice Awards)
 To develop understanding of the process for effective project management
 To explore key aspects of team leadership and individual management styles
 To provide evidence of understanding and practice in leadership and management within
community based restorative practice.

Understanding General Principles Relating to Restorative Practice

 To introduce the values, principles and processes for competent restorative practice
 To explore the context, history and benefits of restorative practice in the community
 To identify the key skills for applied restorative approaches

Level 4 Diploma in Restorative Practice” (City & Guilds)
 To create an opportunity for assessment of restorative practice
 To confirm competence in restorative practice in the community
 To support learners and assessors present a portfolio of evidence assessed against criteria
for competent work practice.

Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (Skills for Justice
Awards)

 To support managers to develop their understanding and skills for assessing practice
against occupational standards

 To assess managers as they plan assessment, judge practice, support and provide
feedback to learners and participate in quality assurance

 To build management infrastructure though supporting managers to assess practice and
engage in continuous professional development.

Domestic Violence in the Workplace CPD Certified
 Develop a workplace policy on domestic
violence
 How domestic violence impacts on the
workplace
 Supporting Employees

Travellers Awareness Programme
 To promote better relationships between the
Settled Community and the
Travelling Community
 To increase awareness of Traveller culture
 To increase awareness of Traveller health
issues

10

Microsoft Office Training
 Word
 Excel
 PowerPoint
 Access
 Publisher

Basic Internet Training
 What is the Internet
 How Can I Get Connected
 Browser Basics
 Using E-Mail

ONUS SILVER AWARD CHARTER - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
 Raising Awareness of Domestic Violence and abuse and the range of support services
available
 Support the Safe Place Campaign Pledge: to never commit, condone or stay silent about
Domestic Violence
 Acknowledge domestic violence is a problem that impacts on all of us as a society, and will
be prepared to play your part in supporting victims and sending a clear message to
perpetrators that domestic violence is intolerable.
 Provide a Safe Place for victims of domestic violence to confidentially access information.

11

CRJI Colin
Traveller’s Project

Annmarie McKee & Nicholas McMahon
Volunteer Practitioners

As Volunteer Practitioners working for CRJI Colin, we
identified a lack of trust and understanding between the
Travelling community, mainstream service providers and
settled communities.

Through our work, we had slowly but surely over many
years, built up a trusting relationship with the Travelling
community and felt that we were in a position to put in place
an action plan to address this issue. We aimed to deliver a 10-week programme, which would
promote social inclusion to bring about positive changes and forge new relationships.

Programme Aim:

To engage with the travelling and settled community to build community relations, discuss current
tensions and identify methods to reduce these tensions.

Programme Objectives:
 Set up a Travellers’ CLINIC
 One to One support
 Facilitate Travellers’ Awareness Training

Due to lack of resources, we were unable to secure a regular ‘community space’ to provide the
clinic but we were determined to carry on. Our relationship with the travelling community was such
that they agreed we could meet at their home; a great achievement for CRJI.

Common issues identified were:
 Threats
 Lack of Education
 Dumping of Rubbish
 Lack of Cultural Awareness
 Vandalism

CRJI Colin’s engagement with statutory agencies and community groups proved positive and the
sharing of knowledge and resources proved beneficial to everyone involved and paved the way to
building good working relationships.

We faced many challenges throughout this project not the least of which was the possibility of
violence when contacted for emergency interventions outside of office hours; CRJI’s relationship
with the Travelling community allowed us to overcome this challenge.

We continued to engage with both communities, discussed current tensions, and identified
methods of reducing those tensions in order to build community relations. To address these
issues, we decided to bring together both communities, political reps and community workers to try
to find resolutions, build on relationships and reach an understanding of values and beliefs. It then
became apparent that everyone involved would benefit from Cultural Awareness sessions and we
decided this would be our next plan of action.

We arranged two sessions of Cultural Identity & Awareness and were able to build on some
historical relationships and create new relationships between the Travelling Community, PSNI and

12

the mainstream community. This has been particularly successful via our “out of hours” helpline
and outreach work as this work is usually carried out under extremely difficult circumstances where
trust is essential.

Reporting crime to the Police is an issue for the travelling community and in particular inter-
traveller violence. Through this project, relationships have been and still are being built, which is
leading to a better understanding of the Travelling community and their concerns about reporting
the issues affecting them.

The outcome of the project is an awareness of the problems faced by both communities due to a
lack of understanding of each other’s culture. We witnessed a willingness on both sides to be
more inclusive to the other community and a commitment to be involved in community activity

Overall, we feel that this project has been very successful. We feel confident that this project has
begun to address issues relating to wider engagement for the Travelling Community, but we feel
there is more work to be done.

We believe that a restorative holistic approach to welcoming the Settled and Travelling community
to a safe place to discuss important issues has been the starting point to successful dialogue.

The success of this project has been based on good working relationships and communication
between CRJI Practitioners, PSNI Liaison Officers, An Munia Tober and various community
groups. Due to this success there has been a reduction in tensions and local incidents.

Feedback from Stephen Long “Many thanks for this Annmarie. Ned speaks
very highly of you and Nicky. I am hoping that

we can work together again in this financial
year to support ongoing engagement with

Travellers”

13

All Ireland
Restorative Justice Conference

25th/26th May 2016

“From Parlour to Parliament”

The Restorative Practice Strategic Forum is open to all those across the island of Ireland who
have a role in the strategic management and
development of restorative practices and
embraces restorative approaches as a
philosophy and practice, integral to all
relationships. The mission of the Forum
(RPSF) is to promote and support the
use of restorative approaches spanning
all sectors of the community in Ireland
locally, regionally and nationally through
the development of strategies designed
to embed these practices across society
including schools, neighbourhoods and
services in the context of a life cycle
approach.

MEMBERS

Membership:

The RPSF is open to all those across the island of Ireland who have a role in the strategic
management and development of restorative practices.

Strategic Objectives:

 To promote restorative practice as a key approach to prevention and early intervention;
 To develop the potential for restorative practices to support inclusion within communities,

sectors and organisations;
 To identify potential for collaboration and joint developments;
 To develop capacity, systems and infrastructures which support the growth and evolution of

restorative practices, as well as build their sustainability;
 To progress and support locally based accreditation and training options;
 To offer those interested in the strategic development of restorative practices a space for

reflecting, crystallising, sharing and deepening understanding.
The Conference gave the opportunity for everyone involved to share and consider restorative
models and experiences from justice, education and communities and to discuss policy and
practice underpinning restorative approaches.

“The outcome as Issued by Restorative Practices Ireland and the Restorative Justice Forum
Northern Ireland”

All Teachers should be trained to use Restorative Practices in the classroom and the approach
should be used in all schools.

The major organisations representing the sector have called for Restorative Practices to be
included in all new teacher training, in existing teachers’ continuing professional development, and
integrated into behaviour management and learning approaches used in all schools.

The conference took place in Dundalk and was co-hosted by Restorative Practices Ireland; the
Restorative Justice Forum Northern Ireland.

14

Restorative Practices is a proven model for working in community settings, including schools,
which builds communications skills and relationships to tackle problems and also prevent problems
before they occur.

It involves a structured approach to group or ‘circle’ working in which participants are facilitated by
a trained teacher to communicate openly how they feel, and identify any problems, and the group
works together to discuss the problems and agree a communal solution.

Using a restorative practice approach in schools means moving away from more traditional
behaviour management methods of disciplining and punishment to communal working among
teachers and pupils to discuss problems and agree responses, which restore relationships and
build trust.

Restorative Practices Ireland Chairperson Marian Quinn said, “Restorative approaches can be
applied to great benefit across many sectors and there is a particular opportunity to bring the
approach more into education and schools, both Primary and Post Primary.”

Training on using a restorative approach in the classroom – both for behaviour management and to
assist learning – should be part of all teacher training and professional development. Teachers
should also be formally encouraged by the education curriculum to apply a restorative approach in
the classroom and to train pupils in restorative skills.

Restorative Justice Forum Northern Ireland Chairperson Janette McKnight said:

“To date restorative practices in schools has been carried out sporadically in Northern Ireland. The
Integrated College Dungannon is an example of a school that has adopted restorative values and
ethos and these have had hugely positive impacts on those who teach and learn there as well as
benefitting their families and local communities. Research has additionally shown this is a more

cost effective way to resolve conflicts within the education context.
Given the success of restorative justice in the Youth Justice System, both in terms of cost
effectiveness and human capital, we are very keen that the effectiveness of this approach is

mirrored in our education system.”

Restorative Practice Practitioner and Trainer Claire Matthews said effective use of Restorative
Practices in schools maximises the potential of the whole-school community.

“It facilitates meaningful change in teaching and learning; everything is more possible as the
emotional climate of the school is one of connection where reflection and a solution-focused
approach is embedded.

“Teachers are better able to teach, students perform better and the emotional climate of the
school improves. The practices themselves can be adapted to support pedagogy and ensure the
development of skills and competences necessary for today’s world.”

Primary School Deputy Principal Aoife Slacke said restorative practices are used daily to great
effect in her school. “The children now feel that the school environment is fairer, safer and happier.
We have developed ‘Restorative Practice Buddies’; these are children who have been taught the
skills to deal with issues on the playground, among their peers, in a restorative way.

“The children develop their emotions at daily ‘feeling check-ins’, so find it easier to express
themselves. We also endeavour to hold any meetings with staff or parents in using a restorative
approach and have found this has greatly improved the building of relationships between all
parties.”

15

There is substantial international evidence concerning use of Restorative Practices in schools. A
study conducted in Hull, found that after two years of delivery a highly disadvantaged school
reported:

 98% fewer classroom exclusions
 92% fewer exclusions from breaks
 78% fewer lunchtime red cards
 75% fewer racist incidents
 87% improvement in punctuality.
Research in the Republic of Ireland has also found the use of restorative approaches to be
beneficial to a range of organisations and professions including schools. A 2005 Interim Evaluation
Report into the implementation of RP in Letterkenny Vocational School showed a 70% decrease in
drop-outs and a 35% decrease in suspensions.
Research carried out in Northern Ireland in the justice sector found that offenders who participated
in Restorative Practice processes were up to 40% less likely to re-offend than those who were
imprisoned and up to 20% less likely than those put on probation or into community services.
A copy of the Conference Report can be downloaded here:
http://edepositireland.ie/handle/2262/78665

16

Universities of
Humber College Toronto

& Gloucestershire
Visit with CRJI Colin

Brian Payne, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Gloucestershire studied at
Queen’s University Belfast and during his time there received funding from the Dept of
Employment and Learning to do a PhD on community based restorative justice.

Research commenced in January 2008 beginning with CRJI Colin office in order to observe the
opening stages in the construction of partnerships with the Police in the Colin community which
included the first meeting between practitioners and their corresponding Neighbourhood Policing
Teams.

Brian always spoke highly of the work carried out by our organisation and still kept in touch after
graduation. In May of this year, Brian requested to meet with us again. He was touring with
students and lecturers, Dr Jon Hobson Academic Subject Leader Social Sciences (University of
Gloucestershire), Dr Daniel Bear and Dr Joanna Amirault, Dean of Criminal Justice (Humber
College Toronto) and wanted them to see for themselves the work carried out by CRJI; to fulfil his
request, we arranged an Information Seminar at a local venue.

With the intention of helping the students understand fully the ethos of CRJI and its beginnings, we
felt that we needed to go back in history to the start of what is now referred to as, “The Troubles”.
To this end, we created a DVD “The Legacy” using archive footage and news reports to trace the
journey from the Civil Rights Marches in 1968 until the birth of CRJI in 1998.

You could hear a pin drop during the showing as the understanding of what had happened
in Northern Ireland and why, began to register with the students.

Questions were fast and furious at the Q & A session; Jim McCarthy Deputy Director of CRJI and
Jane Young Co-ordinator CRJI Colin answered frankly and honestly. This seemed to give the
students a better insight into the historical and present day issues still faced by the people in the
North of Ireland.

Feedback was very positive and the email
received from Brian sums it up:

“Just a quick email to thank you once
again for your amazing event. The
students were bringing up your

arguments again and again on the way
home and my Canadian colleagues
particularly loved it as it helped their

students to look at the various aspects
here in a much more critical light!”

17

CRJI Colin
Community Safety Initiatives

18

World Suicide
Prevention Day
10th September 2016

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on 10 September every
year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides with various
activities around the world.
The World Health Organization estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year, that’s
one person every 40 seconds. Up to 25 times as many again make a suicide attempt. The tragic
ripple effect means that there are many, many more people who have been bereaved by suicide or
have been close to someone who has tried to take his or her own life.
As members of Colin Neighbourhood Partnership (CNP), CRJI Colin was involved in the Planting
at St Luke's Celebration of Life Garden on Saturday 10th September 2016. The garden was
originally built in 2006 to remember and celebrate the lives of young people from the Colin area
who lost their lives in tragic circumstances. Celebrated artist Ross Wilson worked with
schoolchildren and bereaved families to produce a life sized bronze cast of what they believed St
Luke would look like today.
A tree planting ceremony was arranged in remembrance; trees and flowers were planted in a hand
crafted willow planter built by members of the Colin Area Men's Shed Project.
Other events held throughout the Colin area to tie in with World Suicide Prevention Day:

 Self Harm Awareness Training.
 Guided Walk in Belfast Hills.
 Colin Allotment Holder's Harvest Festival.

St Luke's
Celebration of Life

Garden
A focal point for
hope and healing
for a community

who have
suffered so much

19

World Mental
Health Day

10th October 2016

World Mental Health Day is the annual global celebration of mental health education, awareness
and advocacy.
The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year.
This year's theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is psychological first aid and the
support people can provide to those in distress.
This annual event is a day for supporters to raise awareness and advocate on mental health issues
worldwide. When terrible things happen in our communities, we can reach out a helping hand to
those who are affected.
To participate in the event, a booklet, ”Healthy Heads & Heart was launched. The booklet was
designed by a team of experts in mental and physical health and includes information and advice
on how to improve your mental health, what warning signs to looks for and where to get local
specialised help. The concept for the booklet came from the Suicide Prevention Task-group (CNP),
whose aim is to support the mental health of residents in the Colin community. With 1 in 5 people
in the North of Ireland affected by mental health problems, this booklet is an important resource.
Colin Neighbourhood Partnership organised the distribution of 9,000 copies of the booklet to every
home in the Colin area to coincide with World Mental Health Day.
A copy of the Booklet can be downloaded here:
http://www.newcolin.com/Publications.aspx

20

Case Studies

Case Study 1 ~Case referred to CRJI Colin office from Safer Neighbourhood Project:
Neighbourhood Dispute

The initial case presented that neighbours had been involved in a series of verbal altercations in
the street. The Neighbourhood Police Team and Housing Associations had also been involved in
trying to resolve the issues that had been ongoing for some time.

The CRJI conflict resolution process was implemented which created the space for all parties to tell
how ongoing issues had affected them; mediation was facilitated to allow all parties the opportunity
to work through their issues and come to an outcome acceptable to everyone. Mediation proved
successful and to date there have been no further issues reported to CRJI or other agencies
involved.

During the process, it became clear that most of the issues between the adults were because of
their children fighting in the street. In an attempt to avert any further conflict, we suggested
‘KIDS’ TALK”, a Children’s Restorative Journey Initiative.

KID’S TALK is a mediation process aimed at young people from the ages of six to sixteen years
old. Children will always encounter
conflict; KIDS TALK offers them an
option to talk through the issues
without it resulting in physical or
verbal altercations. The process
creates a relaxed and healthy
environment by asking restorative
questions about, what happened,
how they were affected and how
things could be made right. Young
people are encouraged to take
responsibility for their actions and
words, empowering them to take
ownership of their issues and
outcomes. All young people receive
a letter thanking them for their
participation as well as a certificate
of achievement.

In this particular case, CRJI, with parental consent,
facilitated a KIDS TALK with two young people
aged eight and nine; this proved to have been
very successful; both young people have
agreements in place to resolve any issues
between them when they arise without involving
their parents. To date, no further incidents have
occurred.

21

Case Study 2 ~Case referred to CRJI Colin office from Safer Neighbourhood Project:
Community Safety Initiative
A concerned resident on the advice of CSNP contacted our office after her neighbour gave her two
children sparklers to play with unsupervised. Whilst playing with the sparklers, the children were
startled as it burned and threw them into her garden, damaging a trampoline in the process;
thankfully, the children were unharmed. The resident was more concerned about the dangers of
the children playing with sparklers on their own rather than the damage caused. She stated that
she did not want to approach or identify her neighbour for fear that it may lead to ill feelings
between them and asked for our advice on how to deal with the issue.
Due to her reluctance in approaching her neighbour, we suggested a different tactic to deal with
this issue, which was to launch a Community Safety Initiative in and around her neighbourhood,
which would draw attention to the dangers of young children using sparklers unsupervised. She
thought this was “a great way of getting the word out there without confronting anyone”.
CRJI Colin designed a Community Safety leaflet namely –

“The Halloween Sparkler – Pretty but Dangerous”.
We hand delivered leaflets to all homes in the surrounding area, posted the leaflet on CRJI Twitter
and left copies in local shops.
The resident called to the office after Halloween to thank us for our support and to let us know that
“the leaflet worked .. I never saw the kids use sparklers again without their mammy or daddy.”

22

Feedback

23

CRJI Colin Series1
Casework Statistics
Categories Breakdown

400
350

Total Number of Cases presented to
CRJI Colin Project: 365

300
250
200
150
100

50
0

24

CRJI Colin

Statistics on Closed Cases
January – December 2016

3500

Volunteer Hours on Cases: 3219 No: of People involved: 1009

3000 Resolved Cases: 308 Unresolved Cases: 33

2500

2000

Series1

1500

1000

500

0 Ppl Involved Resolved Unresolved
Volunteer Hrs

25

CRJI Colin

Community Safety Statistics
January – December 2016

Community Safety

Neighbourhood wardens supported Series1
Ppl involved in dealing with the impact of interface

issues
Homes with increased security

Victims of crime supported
Young people benefiting from youth inclusion /

diversionary projects
Crime prevention initiatives implemented
Ppl participating/attending community safety

initiatives
Community safety initiatives implemented

Ppl receiving advice on crime prevention

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

26

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