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The impact of Covid-19 on Circles of Support and Accountability, Circles Europe, Research Commitee
Circles of Support and Accountability [CoSA] are groups of trained community volunteers who support people convicted of a sexual offence susually contact offences against children) to integrate back into the community post-release. CoSA programs operate on thesss premise that by providing recently-released Core Members (people convicted of a sexual offence, CM) with a Circle of 4 -5 community volunteers who provide both practical support and accountability, they will be better equipped to lead law-abiding lives in the community. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual face-to-face sessions were not possible.
AIMS OF THE RESEARCH
This research looks to investigate the impact that COVID-19, mainly social distancing and remote working, has had on CoSA provision and providers in Europe, the USA, and Canada and the potential impact of the pandemic on Circle processes moving forward.
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Newsletter August 2026 out now
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CEP’s latest newsletter is out now! It includes:
- Approaching deadlines for upcoming events (ITSCCS26, 14th EM and DG leadership training) and the Mental Health curriculum pilot)
- Call for European Probation Journal on the topic of Workload in Probation
- EU documents like SPACE II, revised Victims’ Rights directive and so on
- and much more!
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