What is TV-SOGP?
This is a group programme for men who have committed sexual offences. It will help you change your behaviour and avoid further offending. The court may have ordered you to follow this programme as part of a community sentence or it may be a condition of your prison licence.
How will it help me?
It will help you understand your sexually abusive behaviour and change that behaviour so that you do not commit similar offences again.
What will I do in the group?
You will:
- Work with other men in a planned programme
- Talk about yourself and exploring your thinking, feelings and sexual offending in a lot of detail
- Learn ways of breaking behaviour patterns and how to go forward to a new life free of abusive behaviour.
You must:
- Attend and take part in all sessions
- Face up to what you have done and, if need be, change your life and lifestyle to avoid further offending.
You must agree to:
- Arrive on time and stay to the end
- Take part in the exercises
- Arrive with a clear head, not under the influence of drugs, alcohol or solvents
- Treat tutors and other group members with respect
- Respect confidentiality
- Turn off your mobile phone.
How long does the group last?
You will need to complete a number of tests. These will help us decide which blocks of the programme you will need to undertake.
The blocks are:
- Pre-programme meeting. Meeting programme staff and signing a contract of attendance
- Foundation Block. Two full weeks of meetings Monday to Friday
- Victim Empathy. Two 2.5 hour sessions a week for four weeks
- Life Skills Block. Two 2.5 hour sessions a week for 10 weeks
- Relapse Prevention. One evening session a week for six months
There will also be other meetings between yourself, your probation officer and programme staff as the need arises.
What happens if I miss a session?
You have to come to every session. If you miss a session you will need to do a catch-up session before you can carry on with the group. The programme is split into modules. If you miss more than two sessions in any module, you will need to do the whole module again. If you miss two sessions without good reason, you will be in breach of your order and will have to go back to court.
How will I know if I am making progress?
Before the group starts we will ask you to fill in some questionnaires which take two-three hours to complete. This helps us to put you in a suitable group. We will ask you to complete similar questionnaires three times during your order. What you say will show how much your skills and views about things have changed. We will also report back regularly to your probation officer who will talk about your progress to you.
Diversity
Gloucestershire Probation is committed to valuing and respecting differences between individuals. If you have concerns or questions about race, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, child care or other issues which might affect your ability to take part in the programme, please discuss this as soon as possible with your probation officer.
