The AIM Partnership Review - Three Years of Innovation
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The AIM Partnership
Review
Three Years of Innovation
In collaboration with Inside ‘n’ Out Publications
The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
Our Partners:
West Mercia Probation Trust places David Chantler, the Trust’s Chief
a high value on its partnership work Executive says:
and on developing innovative ”We know that getting a job
The AIM Partnership
ideas. It was therefore pleased is the single most important factor
to take on the role and in reducing the risk of reoffending.
responsbilitties of Lead Partner Stable employment is one of the
within the AIM partnership. best predictors of success”
”Working with the AIM partnership we have been successful in developing innovative
ways of achieving positive outcomes for offenders”
Donald McGovern, Assistant Chief Officer, Warwickshire Probation Trust
Michele Hatfield
AIM Partnership Manager
AIM partners are:
Management Group:
West Mercia Probation Trust
YSS
Business Enterprise Support (BES)
Research Pilots Transnational M&D
Ubique Partnerships
Accord Housing • Offender access to services • Employer engagement Partners in: • Strategy and Policy
• Social Enterprise options • Peer mentoring • Hungary • Tools and Media
Members of the full Partnership:
• Women Offenders • Intensive individual support • Sweden • Events and Conferences
National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
• Delivering ETE in rural areas • Enterprise development • Portugual • Sustainability
Coventry City Council
Stoke on Trent College • Working with families • Service veterans • Sardinia
Pertemps People Development Group • Social Housing • Women offenders
Willowdene Farm
Staffordshire West Midlands Probation Trust
Warwickshire Probation Trust
2 3
The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
• Family Pathways and peer Models and Training
mentoring support
Research&Evaluation • The impact of the government’s
• Individual and Holistic Project
Evaluations
welfare reform on offender
accommodation
The AIM Partnership is now in a posi-
• Evaluation of a Veterans Contact tion to sustain the work and build on
Point and approaches to working this repository of knowledge by offer-
with veterans ing its expertise through key person-
nel in research, SROI studies, Self-as-
• Comparative analysis sessment, peer reviews and project
of approaches to working evaluation.
with women offenders on
employment and training The partners are also in a position to
extend these areas of action based
• Mapping the offender enterprise research for commissioners, as part
support market and the of consortia, or in a commercial
development of a conceptual context with Payment by Results and
support model Social Impact Bonds (SIB) in mind.
Lorraine Preece, YSS
Hayley Doswell, Fry Housing
Social Return
on Investment Studies
A key part of the strategy for the AIM studies (SROI) and innovative evalua-
partnership was to obtain and further tion tools and processes. • Veteran contact point
develop research to inform the pilot
projects and action research ele- The key pieces of work conducted to • Enterprise Coaching
ments of the work. date are:
• Job Coaching through social
The AIM partnership has now built a Research housing
strong repository of knowledge in the
Criminal Justice sector over the life- • Entrepreneurial Intentions • Family Pathways Support
time of the project and through part- of offenders
ners experience over many years
prior to AIM being formed. • Social Enterprise Options Evaluation
for offenders
This repository is building constantly • Developing self-assessment
through action based research, but • Education options for offenders training and materials
also through specific commissioned and those with a previous
research, social return on investment criminal conviction in rural areas • Development of Peer Review
4 5
The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
The findings will inform the rest and mutual approaches with
Business Enterprise Support of the pilots. one ‘spinning out’ into a fully
trading independent social
Enterprise Options for Offenders’ Support • Develop an infrastructure model enterprise
for social enterprises working
within the criminal justice system • 7 Peer Enterprise Coaches Trained
to level 3 qualification and 3
• Develop and pilot a set worked on the delivery of support
of assessment and training tools to peers
for delivery to those with criminal
conviction that will enable them • 5 Stakeholder training
to create new ventures programmes on Social Enterprise
in an entrepreneurial paradigm Options in the Criminal Justice
PILOT ACTIVITIES
PILOT ACTIVITIES
System (CJS)
• Recruit and train a new set
of enterprise coaches to support • 10 Social Enterprise awareness
the budding entrepreneurs events for offenders and those
with a previous criminal
• Publish the results of the pilot conviction
activity
Ian Carlier BES has achieved and exceeded all
Director of BES the planned outcomes of the proj-
ect to including:
The aim was to develop and deliver port systems and access routes to • 3 research reports published
innovative measures that would inte- self employment or social enterprise around Entrepreneurial Intentions
grate those with a criminal conviction options for offenders, their families or of Offenders, Social Enterprise
into the mainstream labour market. those at risk of offending. Options for Offenders and the
Offender Enterprise Journey
The measures developed and tested These objectives translated into a se- (Enterprise is the Answer?)
enterprise pathways and innovative ries of pilot programmes designed to
approaches to mainstream conver- test the ideas in a real action learn- • 13 established or new social
gence of offenders and lawful enter- ing approach. enterprises supported in their
prise. ambition to work in the Criminal
These objectives were to: Justice System.
The principal pathway utilised social
enterprises, both as the enterprise so- • Undertake research into: • 10 feasibility study reports for
lution and the delivery vehicle. entrepreneurial models and established or developing social
assessment, social enterprise enterprises
Our key objective was to reduce of- in criminal justice context • 3 probation services supported
fending levels by designing new sup- and infrastructure development. around potential of ‘spin out’
6 7The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
or as we prefer to call them Russell, will progress to a fully accredited
Ubique Partnerships Kirsty and Rebecca. award during her apprenticeship.
An emphasis on peer support Our peer support workers are reliable,
hard-working and most of all com- For further information on our work
mitted to the jobs they do. please visit:
Ian Henshaw
They have made a real difference ubiquepartnerships.com
Ubique Partnerships
in our ability to engage and support
Social Enterprise current offenders and veterans who
feel more confident and comfort-
able in working with peers whilst sup-
ported by professional employment
PILOT ACTIVITIES
and skills case managers.
PILOT ACTIVITIES
Kirsty was keen to provide help and
support to others who are engaged
in offending behaviour.
Her partner is an ex-serviceman and
he and Kirsty were initially supported
through the Veterans Contact Point
in Nuneaton where Ubique Partner-
ships provides information and ad-
vice services.
Kirsty initially progressed to provide
Ubique Partnerships Ltd is a new so- risk from offending and we deliver be- volunteer support and was recently
cial enterprise company that has a spoke projects, developed with the recruited by Ubique Partnerships Ltd
vision to become the best in deliver- support of the ESF AIM programme, as a casual employee providing
ing skills and employability services to work with women offenders and peer support to women and PPOs
to those who are hardest to reach in Veterans. on the NOMS co-financing New Leaf
the labour market. Project.
The directors and employees of the
We work with people facing disad- company believe that our service Through our contract to deliver the
vantage in resettlement and access users and those with similar experi- National Careers Service we have
to the labour market in Warwickshire, ences have a leading role to play in been able to offer Kirsty an appren-
Coventry and the wider West Mid- providing support to their peers. ticeship which she commenced in
lands. March.
One of the achievements of which
The majority of our clients are current we are most proud is that we have She has already completed a cer-
offenders, ex-offenders and those at employed our former service users, tificate in employability services and
8 9The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
became closer to the job market
The YSS Project
YSS key workers supported service
users with: finding or maintaining and extra resources could be made
accommodation, accessing suit- available for job searches, filing in
Providing community based support able training or education, support applications, interview techniques
around any health concerns, sup- etc.
port around any drugs and alcohol
issues, helping with personal bud- Outcomes
geting, benefits or debt problems,
understanding relationship issues, Over the time of this project 88 par-
exploring thoughts, feeling and be- ticipants started the project, of which
haviour, developing strategies to 100% were unemployed, 9 were
change, accessing employment from ethnic communities, 17 were
readiness courses and helping find women and 10 had a disclosed dis-
PILOT ACTIVITIES
PILOT ACTIVITIES
the right job. ability.
This project was successful as its An overall engagement rate of
workers didn’t sit in offices waiting for 54% was achieved. (That is 48 par-
people to turn up but were working in ticipants of the 88 enrolled on the
communities, meeting face to face project completed their package of
at times and places that are com- support.) 17 of the 48 completers en-
YSS Carden Street centre fortable, (including home visits and tered sustainable employment, and
evenings/weekend appointments 3 moved into full time education.
where necessary) and providing a The average length of engagement
YSS Background fied as Prolific Offenders and those very flexible support service. on the project was approximately
who were described as being vulner- 3-4 months.
YSS is a West Midlands charity, whose able with complex needs. Recognis- Another key point was that it was
patron is The Princess Royal, and has ing that many people are motivated based around the clear ownership Experience has taught YSS that par-
over 25 years experience of provid- to find work but can face a multitude by participants (and their families ticipants disengage quickly if they
ing community based support ser- of issues that prevent them from ac- where appropriate) which ensured think duplication and replication is
vices for those with complex needs tively seeking routes into employ- high levels of engagement. happening with other services. Par-
and who face difficult life challeng- ment that are linked into physical/ The family support element of the ticipants had an expectation that if
es. YSS staff and volunteers work with emotional health, accommodation, project became a significant fea- agencies were working together they
up to 2000 people per year. finance and debt issues, relation- ture and highlighted the benefits of would share information to prevent
ships and families and overcoming working directly with the partners of this happening.
YSS AIM project substance misuse. participants and working with them
as a single family unit to support and
The focus of the YSS project under This was then complicated by the ad- encourage each other and to make
AIM was to provide intensive and ho- ditional difficulties created by having positive changes in their lives.
listic one to one support to people, a criminal record. So by YSS providing Not only were the YSS key workers
who had offended, to overcome a holistic support approach to resolv- involved but YSS Volunteer Mentors
barriers to employability. ing these issues this would then allow were used to provide additional
In particular, the project encouraged them to seek more direct routes into support and back-up to the partici-
referrals for people who were classi- employment further down the line. pant, particularly when participants
10 11The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
One service user said of the service: are:
Fry Housing Trust “I got help to find a voluntary place-
• 22 service users were supported
into paid employment
A charity and Housing Association ment which then turned into a part • 4 service users have now set up as
time paid role. From there I built my self-employed in areas such as car
Mike Rogers, hours up to full time work. I always valeting, hairdressing, fitness instruct-
Employment and Skills Coach had the support and knowledge that ing and painting and decorating
help was there whenever I needed • 17 service users have secured vol-
it” – AF (Coventry) untary placements
• 3 clients completed work place-
Every client has been supported with ments with established employers
developing and improving CV’s and • 132 clients attended training
covering letters, learning interview and education courses. A range of
techniques and carrying out mock courses have been accessed such
PILOT ACTIVITIES
PILOT ACTIVITIES
interviews. Support has also been as numeracy & literacy, Access to
given with job applications and help Higher Education, HMRC rights and
to improve job searching skills and regulations as a Sole Trader, Business
methods. HG (Birmingham) said: “I Enterprise training, and courses at a
got help to complete confusing and specialist college (including anger
complicated paperwork to register management, coping with stress, as-
and establish my business with Com- sertiveness and decision making, ICT,
panies House and HMRC. I could not mentoring, understanding drug and
have done this on my own and I had substance misuse, gardening etc.)
no one else to turn to for help with
this. Mike has always been so ap- JL (Sandwell) said “I simply could not
Fry Housing Trust is a charity and employability needs. This support has proachable and helpful. My life is so have got my business up and running
housing association, based in the been at every level from supporting promising and busy now”. without the help from Fry Housing
Midlands. We have been estab- people into self-employment, full Trust. I had help in business planning,
lished for over 50 years and pro- time and part time employment, vol- Mike has also spent time helping funding applications, development
vide supported accommodation untary and work experience place- clients develop and set up their self- of my premises and contact with
and community-based services for ments and access to training and employment ventures. local business. I owe everything to
people with convictions and home- education. This support has been This has included business planning, the help I received from the Employ-
less people at risk of offending. The given either in a one to one capac- market research, financial forecast- ment and Skills Coach”.
Trust is part of the Accord Group of ity or via group sessions. Being part of ing, registering with HMRC and Com-
housing associations and a member the AIM Partnership has also enabled panies House, developing logos and Although ESF funding has now end-
of the European Social Funded (ESF) service users to access vital funds for marketing materials and business ed, this project has proved so suc-
‘AIM Partnership’. job-related training and skills cours- development. cessful that Fry Housing Trust has es-
Access to ESF enabled Fry Housing es with the most successful being tablished Mike’s role as a permanent
Trust to employ a dedicated Em- CSCS tests, fork lift truck training for We have worked with local employ- feature of its activities, ensuring the
ployment and Skills Coach (Mike) to construction and manual work, ac- ers and contractors to secure inter- sustainability and legacy of the work
work specifically with the Trust’s ser- countancy courses, and health and views and jobs for suitable service started by being part of the AIM Part-
vice users and support them in their hygiene courses. users and some of our key outcomes nership.
12 13The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
Willowdene Farm awareness enabling the students to
discover the skills they already have,
Drug issues, emotional health and
family relationships improved by
Rehabilitation scheme but may never have realised, offer- 70%.
ing increased confidence and mo-
tivation. Drug use, emotional health and fam-
ily relationships improved by 30%.
In addition Ubique Partnership of-
fered IAG and employability services The project offered an innovative
to the students. and unique approach to providing
day services to women offenders.
The Programme was delivered two
days a week for ten weeks and of- By bringing together partner organi-
fered a structured day of cognitive sations with proven track-records in
PILOT ACTIVITIES
PILOT ACTIVITIES
development and the following day their fields it was possible to construct
looked at skills training. a service that blended practical skills
with cognitive development and ac-
The skills training covered activities in tive employment support, thus pro-
land based skills and key skills includ- viding a pathway for women with an
ing livestock, horticulture, woodwork, offending and/or substance misuse
tractor driving welding, food hy- background to engage, develop
giene, numeracy support and Health and move on to purposeful living in
& Safety. a working society.
75% of all students graduated, all
Willowdene began residential re- The inspired Living project was a with a completed CV and at least
habilitation and training in 1988 for bespoke female focused day pro- one nationally recognised qualifica-
individuals struggling with long-term gramme offering an innovative tion in Life and Living skills.
substance-misuse and offending. approach to female offenders to
provide positive, productive and Throughout the programme the
Throughout its 25 year history it has meaningful work-focused activities recovery StaR was used to record
continued to meet the needs of the with a view to providing outcomes changes in ten key areas (Alcohol
disadvantaged and continually de- based around qualifications, em- Use, Drug Use, Physical Health, Use of
velops to offer the best possible ser- ployment-readiness, and reduced Time, Emotional Health, Use of Time,
vice. substance misuse and reoffending, Family, Housing, Offending and
whilst challenging thinking behav- Money).
In 2011, day services were piloted iours.
with West Mercia Probation trust and Results showed a clear 40% im-
commissioned from 2012 onwards. A key element to the project was the provement across all measured ar-
Willowdene now works with men and partnership working bringing in addi- eas, including better social networks,
women with substance misuse, alco- tional expertise from JR Training and reduced alcohol use and higher
hol and/or offending backgrounds. Consulting, who provided cognitive levels of physical health.
14 15The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
Transnational Work to local service delivery in the UK. The AIM partnerships Transnational
Work has itself been recognised re-
In Sardinia, Italy, we learned about cently winning the ESF ITM award for
their approach to working with young Best Transnational Project. Michele
offenders to try to prevent recidivism Hatfield and Ian Henshaw recently
through the use of sports and drama received the award which recog-
activities delivered alongside more nised the project’s contribution to
traditional social work models. the European Union’s objectives on
transnationality, particularly in rela-
A common theme across Transna- tion to facilitating the sharing best
tional partners was the role peer sup- practice across member states.
port and peer mentoring can play
PILOT ACTIVITIES
PILOT ACTIVITIES
in helping engaging offenders and
helping deliver rehabilitation servic-
es. In Hungary we were impressed
with the work being undertaken to
empower the Roma community
Final ITM Event 27 Feb 2013 through the development of peer
with Adrian Neal
European Commission support as a means of encourag-
ing integration and crime free lives
whilst in Sweden we were impressed
with the role that Ex-Cons, a charity
AIM is funded through the Innova- pean Partners and learn from their run by reformed offenders, plays in
tion, Transnational and Mainstream approaches. Key learning points providing accommodation services
strand of the European Social Fund have then been disseminated to the to offenders.
Programme. A key part of the pro- partnership.
gramme is the development and Each Transnational Study visit has
participation in transnational net- A number of approaches have been thought provoking and chal-
works to help underpin the work be- sparked interest across the partner- lenged our thinking and current
ing undertaken at a national level. ship with some ideas and practice practice. Those who have partici-
incorporated into UK provision. These pated have benefitted from the
The AIM partnership selected a include the use of family conferenc- opportunity in terms of their own
range of partners with similar interests ing, mentoring and peer support. development; “visiting Portugal has
in tackling offender employment is- Other practices such as family fos- provided me with an insight into their
sues. tering, where offenders are settled approaches to mentoring which was
within a family environment as part a combined approach involving
Through the support of the ESF pro- of their resettlement, as we saw in professionals and peer support. It is
gramme representatives of our UK Sweden, were thought provoking an approach that organisations de-
partnership have had the opportu- and have made us consider whether livering mentoring and peer support
nity to undertake study visits to Euro- such practice could be introduced should consider”.
16 17The AIM Partnership Review ........................................................................ .........................................................................The AIM Partnership Review
The New AIM Partnership Contacts:
Ian Henshaw West Mercia Probation Trust
024 76 796440 01562 748375
ian@ubiquepartnerships.com headoffice@west-mercier.probation.gsi.
ubiquepartnerships.com gov.uk
Ian Carlier Matt Home
(0)1283 537 151 01746 718658
IanC@enterprisesupport.org Matt@willowdenefarm.org.uk
enterprisesupport.org.uk willowdenefarm.org.uk
AIM award winning far we will continue the AIM Partner-
ship after the ESF funding comes to
partnership now an end in April 2013.
entering into an exciting Rob Smith Paul Wright
new phase. All the partners are determined to rob.smith@yss.org.uk paul.wright@fryha.org.uk
build on the learning achieved so far. 01952 246749 0121 559 6406
For the last 3 years the partnership Whilst the original ESF funding may yss.org.uk fryha.org.uk
has been funded by ESF to develop have ended, The AIM Partnership
new approaches supporting offend- will continue, focused on research-
ers into employment and enterprise. ing, developing and disseminating
innovative approaches to reducing
Our success has been recognised re-offending, both domestically and
by awards for our work with women internationally.
offenders, and the way that we have Employment and enterprise will re-
worked with our Eurpean partners main the critical underpinning fac-
tors of our work. www.theaimpartnership.org.uk
and we were runners up for the best
UK project of our type. Visit our new website to keep up to
To make sure we build on our learn- date or to get in touch.
ing from the work we have done so www.theaimpartnership.org.uk
18 19Design&Production: andrew.perkins@libero.it
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