www.counselling-directory.org.uk

This site provides a UK wide huge counselling support network, enabling people to find a counsellor close to them and appropriate for their needs. This is a free, confidential service.

Victim Support Scotland - North Ayrshire
Coopers Close
158A High Street
Irvine
KA12 8AN

Tel: 01294 277040

Victim Support Scotland Victim Service exists to help people with the aftermath of crime. The service provides with free and confidential emotional and practical assistance and information about the criminal justice system.

Support is available from the office, by telephone, on an outreach basis and through home vists.

Victim Support Scotland - South Ayrshire
McAdam House
34Charlotte Street
Ayr
KA7 1EA

Tel: 01292 266441

Victim Support Scotland Victim Service exists to help people with the aftermath of crime. The service provides with free and confidential emotional and practical assistance and information about the criminal justice system.

Support is available from the office, by telephone, on an outreach basis and through home vists.

Victim Support Scotland - East Ayrshire
43/49 John Finnie St
Kilmarnock
KA1 1BL 

Tel: 01563 540252

Victim Support Scotland Victim Service exists to help people with the aftermath of crime. The service provides with free and confidential emotional and practical assistance and information about the criminal justice system.

Support is available from the office, by telephone, on an outreach basis and through home vists.

Witness Support Service - Dumfries & Galloway
Dumfries Sheriff Court
Buccleuch Street
Dumfries
DG1 2AN

Tel: 01387 264804

Victim Support Scotland Witness Service exists to help people through the judicial process by providing practical and emotional support at court. This can include court familiarisation visits, information on the criminal justice system and at the court.

You can contact the service at any time - before, during or after attending court. Support is available by appointment, by telephone, and at court.

Victim Support Scotland - Dumfries & Galloway
34 Charlotte Street
Stranraer
DG9 7EF

Tel: 01776 707229

Victim Support Scotland Victim Service exists to help people with the aftermath of crime. The service provides with free and confidential emotional and practical assistance and information about the criminal justice system.

Support is available from the office, by telephone, on an outreach basis and through home vists.

Women in Focus is an innovative service delivered across South West Scotland CJA by Barnardos Scotland. The service works with women offenders from East, North and South Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway, who are currently serving Community Based Orders, to reduce their levels of reoffending and reconviction, reduce the levels of breached Community Based Orders and help them make a positive contribution to their local community. Women in Focus is the only service in Scotland which tackles this problem.

The service was commissioned by South West Scotland Community Justice Authority after results from an earlier pilot, run in South Ayrshire, proved highly successful. Outcomes from the pilot showed the number of women who successfully completed their Community Orders more than doubled and reoffending levels were significantly lower. In the first year there was a reduction in breach rates for orders from 37% to 14.5%. Early indicators for Women in Focus show that the service is already showing similar significant improvements in all of its target areas.

Women serving Community Based Orders are referred to Women in Focus by their local Criminal Justice Supervising Officer. The service helps young women to comply with their orders by giving them constant support and practical help which includes how to comply with their order; help to avoid reconviction; information about budgeting and social skills to enable them to sustain family links. Through this package of support women are in a stronger position to regain control over their lives.

Women who have completed their Community Based Orders with the support of Women in Focus have significantly reduced their offending behaviour and increased their opportunities to contribute towards their own communities.

South West Scotland CJA is working with North Strathclyde CJA and Turning Point Scotland to deliver the Turnaround Service.

Turnaround is a unique partnership between three national voluntary sector agencies (Turning Point Scotland, Apex Scotland and Venture Trust). Each agency has their own experience, skills and expertise to offer to service users.

Women in Focus is an innovative service delivered across South West Scotland CJA by Barnardos Scotland. The service works with women offenders from East, North and South Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway, who are currently serving Community Based Orders, to reduce their levels of reoffending and reconviction, reduce the levels of breached Community Based Orders and help them make a positive contribution to their local community. Women in Focus is the only service in Scotland which tackles this problem.

The service was commissioned by South West Scotland Community Justice Authority after results from an earlier pilot, run in South Ayrshire, proved highly successful. Outcomes from the pilot showed the number of women who successfully completed their Community Orders more than doubled and reoffending levels were significantly lower. In the first year there was a reduction in breach rates for orders from 37% to 14.5%. Early indicators for Women in Focus show that the service is already showing similar significant improvements in all of its target areas.

Women serving Community Based Orders are referred to Women in Focus by their local Criminal Justice Supervising Officer. The service helps young women to comply with their orders by giving them constant support and practical help which includes how to comply with their order; help to avoid reconviction; information about budgeting and social skills to enable them to sustain family links. Through this package of support women are in a stronger position to regain control over their lives.

Women who have completed their Community Based Orders with the support of Women in Focus have significantly reduced their offending behaviour and increased their opportunities to contribute towards their own communities.

South West Scotland CJA is working with the Wise Group [link to Wise Group] to deliver the Routes Out of Prison Project. The project helps prisoners develop the life, social and employment skills they need to rejoin society.

At first the project worked with prisoners in Barlinnie, Cornton Vale and Polmont Young Offenders Institution but Routes Out Of Prison is now being rolled out to Kilmarnock and Dumfries Prisons. Participation in the Routes out of Prison project is offered to prisoners serving sentences of between three months and four years.

Life Coaches are employed to work with prisoners for about four weeks before they leave prison. They provide a confidential support service to prisoners returning to South West Scotland and work with them to prepare an action plan for release. The action plan can include arranging for assistance with housing; debt, money and benefits advice; health and addiction; training, education and work experience.

Life Coaches continue to give one to one support to clients for a number of weeks after release from prison to support them achieve the life, social and employment skills needed.

Many of the Life Coaches have a background of offending themselves and use their experiences in turning their own lives around to help other offenders.