AFFECT

A Non-Judgmental organisation.

We are a small organisation; there are six members of the Board of Trustees, all our counsellors are members of BACP. Funding is precarious; The Home Office does not fund us. Much of the money comes out of our own pockets. We all give our time on a voluntary basis; we have no paid workers. Most of us have full time jobs except Veronica the “Chair”, who is retired. We do not have an office or a permanent base; our private homes are used for storing equipment, literature etc. Our committee meetings take place in the home of our long suffering Director. And counsellors within a private house man the AFFECT phone.

Whatever crime your loved-one may have committed, you and your family are innocent; you and your family are amongst the “hidden victims of crime”.

We can offer:

	Counselling (Face-to-face &/or Telephone),
	Group meetings,
	Information and Publications,
	Court support,
	Home visits.

Our advice & support is based on the experiences of having an offender in the family or from many years of working in this field.

We are always looking for telephone supporters &/or befrienders. Have you experienced a family member committing a crime? Would you be willing to support someone else? If so, please contact us. If you join us, we will give you training, guidance and support.

Mission Statement

Our services:

Counselling (Face-to-face &/or Telephone counselling)

Most counselling is face-to-face; but telephone counselling is provided when required.

We have:

Trained counsellors – Dip. Counselling. †

2^nd year Diploma students. †

Those wishing to be considered for a placement on our counselling team will have to supply a brief synopsis of their experience, state what they hope to gain from working with an organisation such as AFFECT. All perspective counsellors undergo an interview before they are accepted for what is very sensitive and unique work.

Supporters – OCR (Oxford, Cambridge). †

Listeners – We provide in-house training.

^†Bound by BACP’s ethical framework.
There is supervision for the volunteers at every level.

AFFECT is here to help & assist anyone needing support and guidance when a loved-one is caught up in the Criminal Justice system. Not just the physical & legal aspects of dealing with the police, the court or prison, but also the distress and pressure all this can cause. The trauma of having a loved-one accused, tried, convicted and imprisoned is great.

Some may:

	abuse alcohol / drugs; or self-harm;,
	develop eating disorders: (e.g. Anorexia, or Bulimia),
	suffer from uncontrollable rage,
	become agoraphobic [fear of the outside or open spaces]. An agoraphobic would be unable to make prison visits.

Many may experience a period of depression; sometimes severe, self-loathing is common, along with feelings of guilt and a sense of tremendous loss.

AFFECT is here to help, assist & support anyone living though the ordeal of the Criminal Justice system.

By supporting the family & friends of an accused and/or imprisoned person;

We are supporting the:

“victims of circumstance”
who are also some of the
“hidden victims of crime”.

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Group Meetings

These are closed meeting, held at public but secure and private venues, and are hosted by trained AFFECT members.

The meetings are:

	Non-Judgemental;
	Private & confidential;
	an opportunity to meet others in similarly situations;
	a way of sharing information and / or experiences;
	a safe place to talk through difficult subjects;
	a private place to express controversial opinions.

They are for the support and development of the families or friends of the accused and / or imprisoned.

No one attending a meeting is required to do, say or share anything. The primary concerns of AFFECT, during a meeting, are privacy and security. Only then, is it possible to create an environment that supports and encourages emotional wellbeing. Many who have come to an AFFECT meeting, have said that it was the first time they could speak plainly about what was happening to their family.

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Information and Publications

AFFECT endeavours to keep up-to-date with every aspect of the criminal justice system, and provide this information to those we support.

We maintain:

	A list of prison addresses.
	Each prison’s category (and what “category” means to you and the accused / prisoner).
	Assisted Prison Visits advice.

See Information page for downloadable documents.

AFFECT has created a number of publications to assist & guide a family or friends, though the ordeal of having a loved-one accused, tried, convicted and imprisoned. We also stock other material on related topics. See Publications.

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Court Support

We cannot take away the terrible ordeal of attending court, but we can be there with you. We can help smooth the passage, by attending to the minutia that can easily be overlooked.

We can provide:

	check lists, so that nothing is forgotten at a time when concentration is diverted;
	help and advice on how to cope with the Press;
	a free leaflet on how to cope with the Media [written in conjunction with MediaWise].
	checks on the facilities for disabled people or those with special needs.
	assistance & protection by attending the court or the prison at your on request.

help though the times of waiting, that can seem interminable.

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Home Visits

We always make an introductory visit; this helps the family or friend feel less alone; this can be held on neutral ground, if required. Subsequent home visits will depend on the need and circumstances of the family or friend.

Home visits, fulfil a similar function to the Group Meetings, but are more private (only family or friends and at least two trained AFFECT members). They are for the support and development of the family or friends of the loved-one accused or imprisoned.

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For more information please email information@affect.org.uk.