In September last year, Alice Dawnay, CEO of Switchback, addressed a New Philanthropic Capital virtual conference on 'What Probation Service reforms mean for charities', alongside HMI Justin Russell who had much of interest to say. I notice Lord Ramsbotham was in attendance and earnestly hope he will carry on with his work in keeping the probation ethos alive.
“What drives us at Switchback is making this system work. This is about behaviour change and building a system of challenge and opportunity that is going to work for the people in it. The starting point has to be the human beings at the heart. The system needs to be built around them; it has never worked to fit people around a payment structure.”
Not living in London, I wasn't aware of the Switchback charity and its work with young men leaving prison. Formed only some 12 years ago by Alice Dawnay, a beneficiary of a Churchill Travelling Fellowship, it won the 2019 prestigious Longford Prize and boasts some impressive solid gold backers:-
Switchback is an award-winning charity helping young Londoners to find a way out of the justice system and make real-lasting change in their lives. By providing intensive one-to-one support either side of the prison gate alongside real-work training after release, they support 18-30 year-old men (Trainees) to build a stable life they can be proud of.
The Switchback model is centred on a meaningful relationship between Switchback Mentor and Trainee, beginning in prison and lasting as long as it takes. Switchback Mentors work with the same person in prison and in the community, offering them the continuity, support and opportunities they need to make positive change happen for themselves in the immediate and long term.
Switchback challenge and encourage Trainees to take control and build stability across all areas of life, spanning 10 Switchback Pathways from housing to health. By combining consistent 1-to-1 support with training in a real work environment, Switchback enable Trainees to make a fundamental shift in their mindset and lifestyle. And it works; Switchback Trainees are six times less likely to reoffend than other offenders (9% v’s 49%).
Building on 11 years of impact, Switchback work with others and share what they’ve learned to inspire change across the justice system and beyond.
covid drift...
ReplyDelete"Labour has said it is “completely outrageous” that up to 8,000 tourists may be arriving in Britain every day and demanded the government tighten up its hotel quarantine system to avoid new coronavirus variants being brought into the country."
"The immigration minister Kevin Foster said “we do not recognise these figures” and that “tough health measures” were in force"
No-one seems to be questioning if anyone's using the Stanley Johnson approach, i.e. entering the country via indirect routes to escape the 'red list' ban.
On 1 April 2021: "France escapes UK 'red list' travel ban - Ministers decide against adding any European nations, but early summer holidays overseas still appear unlikely"
Today the UK.Gov website shows the following advice:
"On 11 March, the French government announced it was easing restrictions on travel from the UK. From 12 March, arrivals no longer need to justify an essential reason to enter France."
The current incidence rate per 100,000 in:
* Dept.62, incl Calais, is v.high at 530.1
* Dept.76, incl Dieppe & Rouen is high at 414.3
* Dept.95, incl CDG airport is v. high at 847.4
* Dept 75, incl Gare du Nord (eurostar) is v high at 614.4
France as a whole - 408.7
The most recent equivalent UK data shows:
Kent (Dover) - 35.2
East Sussex (Newhaven) - 19
London (Camden) - 23
UK as a whole - 50
Why on earth would you facilitate open, unfettered travel without quarrantine in these circumstances???
The whole vaccination programme & months of 'lockdown' is going to be totally compromised in a matter of days by these utterly selfish, myopic fuckwits.
I am reading about “what works” and “end to end offender management”, which probation officers have done for 100 years, which HMPPS have stopped probation officers doing under the banner of OMiC.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when politicians, civil servants and profiteers meddle with public services, the actual core services become bid candy for charities and private companies seeking financial contracts.
If wasn’t muffled by red tape and bureaucracy the probation service and probation officers would be talking and writing about real probation work.
End to end not that old at all and what works not so very old either a bit of USA Ross and plenty of adapted priestly and Maguire. All mid 90s actually. Before the managerialist generation it was home office sponsored po structures and that was an awful period of the 50s do as your told labeled and heavy use of surnames or criminal delinquent. It is important get the facts right. What probation did in the 60 70s awful. Not so cool 80s and fallen over now regardless.
DeleteFrom the beginning Probation began with receiving and supporting offenders from courts. Helping those released from prison has been part of probation for a long time. What works and end to offender management have been concepts that describe this. The point is, every charity, academic and his dog wants to teach Grandma Probation to suck eggs.
DeleteCoal miners British steel the post office local gp health surgeries council accomodation social care for elderly community centres. I could name a good few more . Anything Tories ruined happened before us and we watched on . Then Napo looked the other way.
ReplyDeleteMore about the lying bastard pint-o-beer man-of-the-people Dirty Shagger (as seen on twitter):
ReplyDelete"Describing himself as a “wine man”, Johnson told political newsletter Politico Playbook: “Someone bought me a crate of Tignanello and I had no idea how expensive it was. I was just glugging it back. “It’s extraordinary stuff, it was delicious. I was so amazed by this wine, I thought – what is this stuff?..."
It starts at just over £100 a bottle, presumably depending on the vintage.
Reminds me of reading the Alan Clark Diaries when (if I remember it rightly) he describes a fleeting moment when he realises the bottle of wine he has just opened cost more than a month's unemployment benefit for one of the families he'd met earlier that day; it didn't stop him & his drinking companion finishing off several bottles.
Switchback really is a great charity/programme and I had great success with one person who was very committed to seeing it through. That said, another of mine wasn't so great at attending their work placement and kept telling me he didn't like his mentor - after a few three way meetings he was kindly asked to leave the programme. I always wondered if he counted towards their highly dubious 9% re-offending rate - I presume this is 9% for those who complete their programme, rather than the ones they give up on, though I'm not sure. This was many years ago, perhaps they have changed now - but in my mind if you give intensive work and training to very motivated offenders, it's not rocket science that these are the ones who re-offend at extremely low rates.
ReplyDelete