No / The Silences Framework as a tool for exploring marginalised perspectives The Silences Framework was devised for use as a vehicle for exposing additional viewpoints in studies revolving around sensitive subjects and marginalised perspectives. Cyril’s presentation conveys the use of The Silences Framework in the provision of a nurse-led intervention for custodial community based ex-offenders. ‘Screaming Silences’ as exposed were located in the subjective experiences of ex-offenders known as the ‘listener’ and the social and personal context in which their experiences occurred. Crucially, The Silences Framework as used sought to acknowledge and redress the balance of power relating to ‘what and whose’ experience count in a research study. Epistemologically, the generation of knowledge using the framework necessitated an anti-essentialist perspective which was interpretive in nature. Thus, the intent was to arrive at what constitutes as truth from the lived experiences of the individuals researched. It is hoped that this presentation will facilitate understanding by unravelling the process of using The Silences Framework to underpin applied research and concurrently contribute to the wider use of the framework in research with other marginalised groups.

No

No / The current context of offender health in England and Wales indicates that the health needs of ex-offenders are significantly greater than those of the general population with a lack of equity existing between need and supply. The study presented herein is aimed at mapping the ex-offender health pathway towards identifying “touch points” in the community for the delivery of nurse-led interventions. The study was underpinned by the “Silences Framework” which enabled the study to gain theoretically by situating power with ex-offenders. A total of 26 respondents were ranked on the basis of poor health with those scoring the lowest and confirming their ranking through a confirmation of a health condition selected as cases and interviewed over the course of 6 months. These interview narratives were validated by interviewing individuals in the professional networks of ex-offenders and were analysed using the inductive qualitative thematic approach. The study uncovered that ex-offenders were not prepared in prison for the continuity in access to health care in the community on release. Ex-offender’s on-release preparation did not enquire as a matter of procedure on whether an offender was registered with a General Practitioner (GP) or had the agency to register self with a practice on release. Postrelease, the study uncovered a disparity between services, which address the physical health needs of ex-offenders and those which address their mental and substance misuse health needs. Finally, the study identified the site of postrelease supervision as the “touch point,” where a nurse-led intervention could be delivered.

No

No / The Silences Framework and its underpinning concept of ‘Screaming Silences’ was originally presented with the invitation for further peer review and utilisation in other contexts in order to test its usefulness and enable critique by a wider audience. This paper reports the use of the framework in a study researching nurse-led interventions for released ex-offenders. Screaming Silences were situated in how an issue, as experienced by ex-offenders, screams out to them in relation to their health and its impact on their reality while remaining silent in the consciousness of society and the application of practice. In addressing these Screaming Silences, we associated the Silences Framework within marginal discourses as they are less prioritised by policy and frequently positioned as far removed from what society considers as normal. Screaming Silences were situated in the subjective experiences of ex-offenders known as the ‘listener’ and the social and personal context in which these experiences occurred. We affirmed that the framework is ideally suited for researching issues which are under-researched, silent from policy discourse and excluded from practice, as it is oriented towards exploring individual experiences by valuing individual interpretations of events.