Safe Ground

About us

Safe Ground is an expert in designing and delivering arts-based therapeutic group work. We offer a range of programmes with flexible delivery approaches and bespoke programmes tailored to the needs of your service. We work in secure and community settings nationally.

We have a strong track record of engaging and retaining people who have been failed by traditional education and for whom a group work setting can be uncomfortable. A Safe Ground programme often represents the first step of sustained engagement in purposeful activity. So as far as possible, whilst staying safe, we aim to avoid the exclusion of participants.

Our impact

While the impact of our work is well-evidenced, we are committed to a rolling programme of monitoring and evaluation. We continuously develop and refine our programmes in response to internal and external research to ensure the needs of participants are always at the forefront of what we do. 

Ultimately, we believe;

People want to do their best
Attitudes and beliefs can change
Relationships are central to personal development
High-quality group learning is central to skills development
People can learn to understand themselves and others better
We all share responsibilities for the safety and well-being of the communities we live in

Our approach

Safe Ground group processes involve overlapping creative methods, therapeutic techniques, cognitive and affective learning, and practical work. Our essential function is to create spaces in which transformational change can occur.

We provide structured and accessible resources and a flexible approach that enables and responds to the needs and priorities of participants. We are used to working with complexity, and our anti-oppressive practice means we consider all participants equally significant, regardless of physical ability, language, learning style, group work experience, or confidence level. Group work is always delivered by a team of two experienced facilitators who encourage and enable participation, generating interest, engagement and reward for all.

How we work

Our programmes work by:

Developing and supporting personal development through an arts-based methodology
Using therapeutic group-work techniques to explore and develop ideas around identity, values and attitudes to support attitudinal shifts and
mental health provision
Developing and supporting family relationships to support desistance, resettlement, intergenerational bonding and kinship networks
Developing education, training and employment progression routes and engaging learners who traditionally struggle in a classroom setting
Improving staff-user relationships towards a whole institution approach
Training and supporting staff to deliver high-quality services and self-care in both custodial and community settings

Delivery methods

DIRECT DELIVERY
Two experienced facilitators trained and contracted by Safe Ground.

CO-DELIVERY
One freelance facilitator trained and contracted by Safe Ground and one member of establishment staff trained by Safe Ground with all associated costs covered.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Two members of establishment staff trained by Safe Ground and quality assurance support provided by Safe Ground with all associated costs covered.

Our programmes

MAN UP

FAMILY MAN AND FATHERS INSIDE (FMFI)

MAKE YOUR MARK

OUR OWN STORIES

THE COMFORT ZONE

THE THING IS…

(coming soon)

BESPOKE PROGRAMMES

Meet our team

Lindsay Murphy

Programmes Manager

Lindsay values the power of creative education and arts-based methodologies to support people everywhere to explore their internal worlds and express themselves in new ways. She is dedicated to working with and on behalf of marginalised communities. She has designed and delivered group work and arts outreach in various settings, including prisons, schools, with refugees and asylum seekers, women, and homeless people. As Programmes Manager at Safe Ground, she oversees all programme development, set-up, implementation and evaluation aspects. In her spare time, she coordinates Weekend Arts, a free cultural outreach initiative in London.

Callie Davidson

Programmes Coordinator

Callie has a background in drama and the arts. She believes creativity is instinctive and a universal means of relating to one another. She knows that with the proper support, everyone can engage with this innate capacity for creativity as a powerful tool for change on both an individual and structural level. Her role as Programmes Coordinator at Safe Ground is in designing and facilitating arts-based group work and developing resources to support creative self-expression. She has experience working with people in various settings, including prisons, probation, schools and homelessness services.

Colm Keegan

Director of Innovation and Impact

Colm trained as a Psychodynamic Counsellor and Supervisor at WPF London and is a graduate of Cass Business School at City University, London.
Colm has worked across the NHS and the Voluntary Sector in Substance Misuse and Mental Health Services for over 30 years, both in Operations and Development. He has a significant track record of implementing new services, including IAPT, Community Drug and Alcohol Services and Specialist Services for LGBT communities.