Knowledge Exchange
Regular readers will be aware remember that in 2021 the Butler Trust launched a new resource aimed at everyone who works in a criminal justice setting. The Knowledge Exchange is an online library of guidance and examples of best practice. The resource encourages users to suggest examples of best practice and guidance and allows users to search content by both source and sector. There are now over 600 resources instantly available for download. The resource is continuously curated and updated with any items which have now been superseded removed. I work in partnership with the Butler Trust to manage and update the site.
How to use the site
The site has been designed to be simple to use. The front page includes both featured entries and recent additions but the two most useful ways of finding what you are looking for are the search box at the top of the page or the ability to browse by source, sector (custodial, probation or youth justice) or a wide range of themes (e.g. women, neurodiversity, knife crime, mental health…).
Recent additions
To give you a flavour of the resources are on offer, I am including links to some of the more recent additions on a wide range of topics.
Prisons
An interesting report from the Prison Reform Trust on Post-pandemic prison digitisation in England and Wales.
How art work in prison can help create the roots of hope.
Probation
A new Research & Analysis bulletin from HMI Probation on how youth justice and probation work together to provide services to young people to ensure Transitional Safeguarding.
Youth justice
A new resource for working with children who have caused criminal damage
Trauma informed pre-sentence report templates.
Hidden Heroes
Finally, just a note for your diary.
While the Butler Trust Annual Awards focus on outstanding individuals working in custodial and community justice settings across the UK, our #HiddenHeroes campaign celebrates the workforce as a whole.
Criminal justice practitioners perform a critical and incredibly challenging public service, yet because they work largely out of sight – and literally, in the case of prisons, IRCs and approved premises, behind closed doors – they can often feel forgotten; and the public they serve know little about them or the extraordinary jobs they do.
The #HiddenHeroes campaign helps to shine a light on the dedicated, and highly skilled, men and women who work in our criminal justice system; and #HiddenHeroes Day is a chance to say a heartfelt thank you for all they do, and show them that they may be hidden, but they are not forgotten.
This year #HiddenHeroes Day will be taken place on Wednesday 24 September. Don’t forget to put it in your diary.
Thanks to vnwayne fan for kind permission to use the header image in this post which was previously published on Unsplash.
