No Going Back is an innovative pilot programme to break the cycle of reoffending.
Developed in partnership with the Livery Companies (see below) it will be delivered by the charity, Bounce Back who have 10 years’ experience of working with people in prisons and the community by providing training in construction and related skills and supporting them into sustainable employment. https://www.bouncebackproject.com/
The remit is jobs in construction, the built environment and facilities management and we will be matching candidates to vacancies provided through the Livery Companies based on participants skills and interests.
No Going Back has astrong focus on housing and community integration.
Alongside a tailored approach to training and intensive case management support, accommodation will be offered to those who do not have a suitable place to live – a unique aspect of this programme. In addition, the project will support employers to recognise and maximise the economic benefits that come from recruiting this way to fill their vacancies.
The ambition is to demonstrate impact and swiftly scale the approach.
We are looking for housing partners so we can complete the final element of the programme. The expectation is that, based on Government figures, 1 in 7 are likely to be leaving prison without housing. With a target of assisting 40 people into employment during the pilot programme, we estimate that we will need no more than 10 units of housing during the coming year.
We currently only work in men’s prisons, mostly in London, including Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Isis and are about to start working in Coldingley prison in Surrey. Most of our participants are single men of all age ranges who would require bedsit or one bed accommodation. We are very open to discussing referral pathways and assessment processes which meet the needs of individual housing providers.
Our Engagement Managers, one of whom is a housing and resettlement specialist will work closely with housing providers to identify suitable participants who need housing and who are able to access the employment market. The expectation is that the participants will have relatively low support needs. They will continue to receive regular support from their Engagement Manager as well as any other agencies identified to meet a participant’s needs. The Engagement Manager will stay with the participant on this journey and be available to respond to any issues which may arise regarding their housing, mental or physical health etc. This will include liaison with landlords.
We are looking to work in genuine partnership with housing providers to better understand the housing landscape and how best to meet the needs of our participants. This will be a key aspect of the independent evaluation which is being conducted by Russell Webster, a leading authority on the Criminal Justice Sector and the prisons are hugely enthusiastic for this to go ahead. Everything will be done to prevent people returning to prison.
Clearly Covidi9 has had significant impact on the way that the programme is going to be delivered – the prisons are still locked down, prisoner engagement is a challenge and the entire employment landscape has changed considerably. However, both Bounce Back and the Livery Companies are determined that this programme can offer hope and opportunity to prison leavers. To this end we are launching on 1 July, and will be exploring new and exciting ways to navigate the system to achieve success.
We are breaking completely new ground and all parties, including the prisons, are ‘learning on the job’ to respond to this unique situation.
We would be very happy to discuss the programme in more detail and explore how we can work in partnership to make this project a success which can then be scaled and replicated nationally. Our Project Leader is Paulette Howard Jackson who can be contacted on paulette@bouncebackproject.com and our Interim CEO is Frances Mapstone frances@bouncebackproject.com
*Note: What are the Livery Companies? Livery Companies have a strong tradition of philanthropic giving. As the original City of London ‘Guilds’ they are now at the heart of the business world in the City of London and include Haberdasher’s and Goldsmiths. They give charities over £60m p.a. and have for some time provided funding specifically to enable offenders’ rehabilitation. In the context of No Going Back, the Livery Companies are keen to broaden understanding with a wider audience including prisoners, housing partners, local authorities and the Corporates that will be engaged on the programme. A number of people have never encountered the Livery and they hope to change this though this programme.
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