I have been involved with the Network from quite early days and was very pleased to lead on an earlier evaluation project. Over the years I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous meetings of the Network and to visit and meet people at many of the member secure units. The Network goes from strength to strength and I continue to be impressed with its positive impact and attributes, not least of these is the role of Jo and Holly who keep things going and are an effective bridge into the units. The Yorkshire and Humber Network was the inspiration for national developments and remains the leader in creative innovation and systematic support for developments and individuals. Our report on the successes and challenges for the Network emphasised a number of things that still ring true. We particularly celebrated the quality of communication and voice within the meetings. One person we spoke to really stressed the importance of “the talk”. He was so animated by this that we made “It’s the Talk” the title of a paper we wrote that was all about how good forms of talk make for a better democracy and relationships between people. We also noticed how it isn’t always easy to recreate the powerful atmosphere and impact of the Wakefield meetings back in the different secure environments. We stole the title off a Bob Dylan album to make the case for continuing to work hard at “bringing it all back home” so that as many people as possible can get involved and benefit from the work of the Network. This seems to me to be the really important role of the Network – and being part of this is good for everyone involved, service users and staff … and visitors like me!
