Written evidence from The Prince's Trust
(PB 64)
ROLE OF
THE PROBATION
SERVICE
The Prince's Trust is a youth charity that helps
change young lives. We give practical and financial support,
developing key workplace skills such as confidence and motivation.
We work with 14 to 30-year-olds who have struggled at school,
have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble
with the law.
We have helped more than 600,000 young people since
1976 and support 100 more each working day. More than three in
four young people we helped last year moved into work, education
or training.
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Our response highlights how The Prince's Trust programmes
can benefit young adults involved in the criminal justice sector,
how we can work in partnership with the Probation Service and
how we are developing a UK-wide mentoring service for young adults
leaving prison.
2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION
The Prince's Trust is a youth charity that helps
change young lives. We give practical and financial support,
developing key workplace skills such as confidence and motivation. We
work with 14 to 30-year-olds who have struggled at school, have
been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble
with the law. We have helped more than 600,000 young people since
1976 and support 100 more each working day. More than three in
four young people we helped last year moved into work, education
or training.
3. HOW OUR
PROGRAMMES CAN
BENEFIT YOUNG
OFFENDERS
Last year The Trust worked with over 40,000 young
people. One in five of these young people were involved in the
criminal justice sector. We offer grants to individuals for education/training
(Development Award) and to groups of young people who want to
make a positive impact in their community (Community Cash Awards).
We offer short courses in a variety of subjects (Get Started)
and courses which are more focused on careers eg construction
(Get Into). Our longer term programmes include the 3-month Team
programme and our self-employment programme called Enterprise.
In addition we offer mentors for young people who are leaving
care or leaving prison.
4. BUILDING A
MENTORING NETWORK
FOR YOUNG
OFFENDERS
The Prince's Trust runs a leaving prison mentoring
project. The project enables former offenders to support young
adults through their transition from prison to community. This
project works with selected prisons in the South West and South
East of England and in Northern Ireland. Mentors work with young
adults six months before release and six months afterwards. In
addition The Prince's Trust is leading the "GateMate"
campaign in partnership with Clinks, Catch22, St Giles Trust and
the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. Our aim is to map all
the mentoring providers on a visual online map and to work together
to offer a universal mentoring service to all young adults on
their release from prison. (www.gatemate.org)
5. HOW WE
CAN WORK
IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH PROBATION
SERVICE
The Prince's Trust is keen to work closely with the
Probation Service. We believe that our programmes/mentors can
add value to the work of the Probation Service. On our "leaving
prison mentoring" project, many of our mentors work together
with their mentee's probation officer. In addition we would like
the Probation Service to signpost young people to our programmes
as a meaningful and positive activity that they can do while on
probation. Programmes, such as Team, help young people to progress
to education, training and employment and to sustain these outcomes.
6. PAYMENT BY
RESULTS AND
OUTCOMES
We feel that payment-by-result models should acknowledge
the many steps taken to rehabilitate/support a young adult involved
in the criminal justice sector, for example, the client has:
— Remained
engaged with our service/their probation officer.
— Secured
sustainable accommodation.
— Registered
with GP/mental health services.
— Reduced
their drug/alcohol misuse.
— Applied
for benefits/managing finance/debts.
— Changed
their attitude/behaviour towards crime.
— Integrated
into community eg hobbies, volunteering.
— Improved
relationships with their family/children.
— Progressed
to education/training/employment.
— Reduced
re-offending in terms of frequency/severity or completely.
January 2011
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