Effecting institutional change: The impact of some strategic issues on the integratiye use of IT in teaching and learning

This paper addresses the effective implementation of change through the identification of issues associated with three key institutional areas which, together, will ensure the effective'integration of multimedia technologies into teaching and learning. These are the need for a firm commitment of support at the institutional level, the development of an institutional strategy, with related staff‐development policies and programmes, and provision for students and academic staff to. acquire enabling IT skills through resource‐based learning as a means to maximize the benefits to be gained from the use of these new technologies. The essential conditions which ensure effective implementation ‐ communication between all stake‐holders, leadership by senior managers, responsive central services and a mixture of funding arrangements ‐ are discusse

Developing the Heritage Destination: An investigation of the implementation of strategic plans

This paper attempts to investigate the factors which are influential in the effective implementation of strategic planning in a heritage tourism setting. In particular, the paper looks at the respective roles of the public and private sectors in relation to creating an economically viable, augmented tourist experience from a core heritage resource, and the role of strategic planning in this process. This study is set within the context of a wider research programme which focuses on the strategic marketing planning of tourism at two heritage regions in Northern Ireland, which are made up of both publicly and privately owned resources. A conceptual model is presented, which serves to outline the marketing tasks of heritage tourism, making a distinction between strategic and operational dimensions and assigning each between public and private sectors. Findings are presented from in-depth interviews carried out with private sector tourism providers operating in the region

Enabling learning through technology: Some institutional imperatives

This paper considers the importance of the institution as the dynamic interpretative element on which will depend the successful integration of the learning technology developed through our national initiatives into the academic curricula of Higher‐Education institutions. Based on our experience of working on teaching technology programmes, within the framework of national and institutional initiatives, it is evident that the establishment of an institutional strategy, and its implementation in a supporting university‐wide programme of staff development and training, together with strong commitment at the senior managerial level, are imperatives which determine the successful integration of learning technology within academic institutions

Circles of Support and Accountability social impact evaluation: Final report

A report on research funded by the Cabinet Office examining the social impact of the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) programme, which seeks to to prevent further offending and sexual abuse by sexual offenders through community engagement and reintegration

Student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia

This research investigates student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and their explanations for the current crisis of paedophilia. The research methodology is based on a previous research design (Sternberg, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 607 627, 1985), and consists of two interrelated studies. Study 1 (n = 60) develops scales for student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and Study 2 (n = 188) uses these scales in conjunction with other scales to define the student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and to measure the potential explanations for the current crisis of paedophilia. The findings indicate that student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilic personalities (pathology, abusive and mentally disordered old offender) and behaviours (devious, child focused, cognitive distortions, secretive, child lovers, sexual abusers, socially inept and grooming) seem to reflect both previous research and expert opinion. These tentative findings suggest that student/trainee-professionals' implicit theories of paedophilia, and as such the current crisis of paedophilia in modern society, seem to have developed in part from the transfer of expert knowledge (explicit theories), the impact of the media, and social constructionalism; and not from the student/ trainee-professionals' individual personality and coping traits. © 2010 Taylor & Francis

Circles of support and accountability: Cabinet office - Social Action Fund evaluation

At the heart of Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) is an ethos and approach that society as a whole shares with statutory criminal agencies a responsibility for creating safer communities. When someone with a known risk of committing sexual offences is released from prison, there are both ethical and practically sound reasons as to why resources should be provided in ensuring they do not reoffend. Most sex offenders are released into back the community. The nature of their offences raises particularly hostile reactions from the public, which are entirely understandable but potentially counter-productive. Those with such convictions are then likely to ‘ go to ground’ and once of the police and public ‘radar’, isolated and disconnected from usual social contact they are much more likely to reoffend. Circles have proved, with their volunteer ‘ workforce’ that local people offering to spend time with someone so alienated and art risk of reoffending, but monitoring their behaviour too and liaising with Police and Probation services make a real community contribution to reducing such reoffending. The potential therefore through the Rehabilitation Social Action Fund to secure funds to extend the service, recruit more local volunteers and work with more sex offenders trying to lead offence-free –lives was a invaluable opportunity for us. The programme has developed as planned and the following interim report provides a study as to the progress to date.METHODThe main objective of this review is to evaluate the outcomes of the Circles of Support and Accountability work funded by the Cabinet Office through the Social Action fund. This will be achieved through the adoption of mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative (Robson & McCartan, 2016), combining Core Member case studies, Core Member socio-demographic databases, post circle data, an online questionnaire with Volunteers and a series of in-depth follow up qualitative interviews (Stakeholders; Volunteers; Core Members).It is important to note, given the small (completed Circles, n = 29; Complete DRR, n = 27; Complete adapted DRR, n = 9; Complete DRR and adapted DRR for the same Core Member, n = 3) and medium sized quantitative databases (volunteer online surveys, n = 62), as well as the nature of qualitative data, we cannot make generalisations to all circles, Core Members and volunteers from this research (Robson & McCartan, 2016). The current research gives us insights into the reality CoSA and the impact of individual circles; therefore the evaluation raises points of interest, poses questions and allows us to discuss CoSA in regard to past research.FINDINGS -The findings reinforce past research showing that CoSA deals with, in the main, male , heterosexual sex offenders (who traverse a range of contact and online offences with adult females and children) who are low (n = 57) to medium (n = 12) MAPPA cases and medium (n = 21), high (n = 28) and ver high (n = 12) on the Risk Matrix. -CoSA provides social and emotional support to the Core Members across the life of the circle with the majority of the Core Members, who completed their circle, being in a stronger position to live offence free in the community than at the beginning of their circle. The research shows that 29 of the 75 Core Members who started their circle during the research period completed, with 19 having planned completions and 10 having non-planned competitions; it is important to note that the staggered start of the 75 circles and the issues involved in, sometimes, starting circles meant that all 75 Core Members did not complete in the research period.-CoSA parallels and supports statutory working in sex offender community management.-Core Members and Volunteers agreed that the Core Members risk had reduced by the end of the circle; but, interestingly, they have different perceptions of what level of risk the Core Member is poses at different points during the circle, what are the different issues is that the Core Member face and how the Core Members actions should be understood. -While volunteers , through the online surveys and semi-structured interviews, are happy to work with Core Members, they are cautious in telling other people that they work support sex offenders or introduce the Core Member to people in their lives. Which is important as it suggests that the volunteers separate out their work with CoSA and compartmentalise it as a protective mechanism; but it does raise the question if they are getting the informal social support that they need to be able to work with Core Members and effectively build relisence.-The findings stress the central role of volunteers in the circles process, suggesting that volunteers act as a bridge between Core Members and statutory agencies.-Clear roles, responsibilities and training are essential to the work done by CoSA. It is important to recognise that CoSA works with statutory agencies in a productive and collaborative way, it is a form of partnership working and that this needs to be realised as well as enforced by all parties. -These findings suggest that the different groups of participants have different views on the role, function and viability of “support and accountability” within the circle. The balance between support and accountability does have significance as the Circle is integrated into the Criminal justice System in the UK.Recommendations -A clearer more defined role for the “service user” [Ii.e. the Core Member] voice within the Circle process, epically in respect to defining and evaluating success factors.-Work needs to be done on streamlining and improving the roll out of new data collection tools and their implementation. -More reflection, planning and development focused on how CoSA conducts research; ongoing action research and evaluation needs to be more central to CoSA. Circles UK, as well as each individual project, needs to consider how they collect, collate and analysis information on Core Member (especially their social, emotional, psychological and physical well-being) before as well as post the circle.-There needs to be consideration of how volunteers receive informal support regarding their work with circles, that they have a healthy outlet if they are not all sharing their experiences with significant others in their lives. -CoSA needs to consider how best to reconcile the roles and responsibilities of the circle and with those of statutory agencies so that everyone knows what the role and responsibilities of the circle is. -That CoSA needs to consider what “support and accountability” means to all participants (Volunteers, Core Members and Stakeholders) and how best to measure if this is happening; this is important in the UK version of CoSA as it is tied to the Criminal Justice System in a way that other international variants are not

Introduction to the special issue: International approaches to sex offender risk assessment and management

This is an introduction to a special edition of "Sex Offender Treatment" on international approaches to sex offender risk assessment and management