Building Trust Online: Strategies for Remote Engagement with Offenders

Building Trust Online: Strategies for Remote Engagement with Offenders

Working with offenders online presents a wide range of challenges, but also genuine opportunities to make a difference. Building trust through a screen takes intention and warmth, but it can work and it has already shown real results.

Why trust matters and why online work changes things
Without face-to-face contact, we lose the natural flow of body language, facial expressions, and gestures that help people feel seen and heard. That absence can make interactions feel distant or formal and on top of that, many service users face barriers such as poor internet access, lack of privacy at home, or limited experience with technology. These obstacles can make engagement difficult and trust even harder to build.

So how do we connect with people meaningfully in a remote setting? We asked our practitioners at RSMS what their best practice is when it comes to working online with service users:

Start with consistency and reliability
Turning up when you say you will, keeping promises, and creating a sense of stability are powerful actions. For people whose lives may have included instability or broken trust these small acts build credibility and show that you genuinely care.

Be transparent and reduce the unknowns
Explaining what the session is for, how it will work and what confidentiality means will help ease any anxiety, when people understand what they are engaging with they are more likely to feel in control and more willing to open up.

Be human, not clinical
Start sessions gently and ask how their day is going and acknowledge if the tech is being difficult. These little things create comfort and lower defences, using a calm tone and being patient can go a long way in making someone feel safe.

Offer choice whenever you can
Let the person decide whether they want to use video, phone or chat and try and allow them to shape the pace or timing of the session within reason. Giving them a sense of control helps build mutual respect and trust. Of course if the work you’re doing with an individual is court mandated or requires specific levels of engagement, you may not be able to do this. For example a domestic abuse perpetrator programme may require the service user to show they are in a private location and to keep their video on, being firm and reminding them of the ground rules of the session will support you in building rapport.

Use digital tools that are proven to work and back by evidence
The Intervention Hub, developed by Red Snapper Managed Services, is one of the clearest examples of how online tools can effectively support rehabilitation. It offers structured, self-guided programmes on topics like emotional regulation, substance misuse, and healthy relationships, all accessible 24 hours a day via phone, tablet or PC. The platform adapts to individual learning preferences through a mix of video, audio and text.

In recent evaluations, over 70 percent of users said the Intervention Hub helped them develop a better understanding of their behaviours. Probation staff also reported that the system saved time and improved engagement, especially for individuals who found face-to-face contact intimidating or inconvenient. Service users described the content as easy to follow, non-judgemental, and relevant to their experiences.

To take a deeper look into the Intervention Hub’s evidence click here