Community Payback Manager, Sacro
Sacro works in partnership with Criminal Justice Social Work Services in Glasgow City Council to deliver the Unpaid Work (UPW) element of Community Payback Orders (CPO). Unpaid work provides individuals with an important, long established, community-based alternative to imprisonment where they perform useful work for the benefit of the community. Over 2021-22 Sacro supported 304 people through their Community Payback Order.
The UPW service is focused on:
- reducing the risk of reoffending;
- enhancing quality of life; and
- opportunity and increasing community safety.
Teams have been attending Tollcross Park, Bellahouston Park, Festival Park, Plantation Park, Western Necropolis Cemetery and most recently Eastwood Cemetery to improve and maintain facilities.
Sacro work in partnership to support:
- local community groups;
- vulnerable residents (through referral for outdoor support); and
- allotment holders in Tollcross Park and Bellahouston Park with activities to support aesthetics, accessibility, safety, cleanliness and appeal of the areas.
Our indoor unpaid work unit has been kept busy with our sustainable pallet wood projects this year. Sacro UPW service has established a link with a local business (Interplan) who has provided pallets to our unit on a regular basis. The pallets are carefully broken down and repurposed into benches, planters, bird houses and other useful items- we have even made a mud kitchen! Basic DIY, woodworking, and painting skills are developed in the making of these projects.
Having placements with varying skills sets enables our CPS staff to work within the capabilities of each individual, enhancing current skills and building confidence in developing new skills. The products have been imagined and designed by our very talented workers, who worked in partnership with placements in attendance at the unit to test the build concepts and agree on final projects. The team have supported in the creation of diagrams and instructions for our placements to follow.
Since December 2021 we have given out over 100 wooden products to community recipients. These items are being donated to Glasgow community groups, schools, nurseries and care facilities to encourage growth and support of green spaces, nature and the enrichment of residents’ wellbeing by spending more time outdoors. Paint, sandpaper and screws have been supplied on a “paying it forward” basis by those who have received the products to allow the teams to continue making more items and extend our community reach.
Teams have carried out indoor redecoration work within Lorne Street Primary School, Edrom Court Sheltered Housing complex, and within the offices and communal rest areas at The Western Necropolis. It has been reported to us that some of the pre-school children have developed an interest in woodworking as a result of receiving picnic benches made by UPW teams. And the communal areas within Edrom Court, which had been unused since the beginning of the pandemic, are now full of residents experiencing group activities and support of each other once again.
The work undertaken within our communities has been very well received and appreciated, as demonstrated in pictures. These pictures and feedback are displayed in our unit for our placements to see the results of their time and efforts to encourage pride in their Payback.
