Crossroads Trust Annual Report 2013

Making Waves

Summary Report Crossroads Trust

August 2013 - August 2014

Contents

Operations Manager Overview

Report of the Director responsible for: risk management, support supervision for mentors and volunteer/mentor training.

Project: Transforming Lives

Project: Earth Project

Project: CLIP

Project: Hao Shen

Project Evaluation: Transforming Lives

Crossroads & Social Media

Supporters

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Overview

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As the Operations Manager for the Crossroads Trust I am delighted to be able to report on a very successful

Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

In the beginning we were coordinating support activities from a Directors home address; today we have an of


Probation Of


success already. There is a huge talent pool of individuals amongst our client base who just require a second chance. The evidence suggests taking on ex-offenders is very successful for businesses as they are more likely to stay with the business and have less sickness and absence than individuals who do not have a criminal record.

It is important to mention a lot of our early efforts were involved in attending networking meetings for the Ministry of Justice Transforming rehabilitation reform programme. The reforms open up the market to a diverse range of rehabilitation providers through Community Rehabilitation Companies. The plan was to consider working with the new Community Rehabilitation Company for Warwickshire once it was known who the successful provider would be. The Trust submitted a competitive tender to companies expressing an interest in becoming a provider of community rehabilitation services. The aim being to secure a contract, which would fund mentoring, services and provides salaries for project workers. It became clear the process was complicated and timescales for delivery kept changing, as did the mood of the local Probation Trust to work with Crossroads as mentoring agencies. After much discussion at Board level and engaging with volunteers and clients it was decided our strength would be to be independent from the criminal justice system and therefore our strategy was to remove us from the transforming rehabilitation process.

To continue our success it is vital we do not rely on volunteers entirely. Our focus in the next twelve months will be to secure funding for salaried Project workers to help develop the Trust to the next level.

As well as our robust links with relevant support agencies in the area. Crossroads strength in its


Report of the Director responsible for: risk management, support supervision for mentors and volunteer/mentor training.

I joined the team in January 2014 and have worked speci


this into our training repertoire. This indicates responsive support we provide to volunteers, as well as ensuring that they attain meaningful quali


Crossroads Trust Projects include:

Transforming Lives Project

Crossroads Earth Project

Clothes Line Initiative Project

Hao Shen Project

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Transforming Lives

The Crossroads Trust was delighted to receive grant funding in August from Awards for All Big Lottery to support its Transforming Lives Project. The Transforming Lives Project is an innovative way of helping to reduce re-offending rates in Warwickshire and promote safer communities. The Trust provides mentoring training for dedicated volunteers from the communities of North Warwickshire to support its clients. Some of the Trusts volunteer mentors have had personal experience of the criminal justice system themselves and successfully turned their lives around for the better.

Following referral to the Project our risk assessor will assess the individuals immediate needs. The Crossroads Trust will provide the much-needed support required to help with the individuals integration and resettlement back into the local community. Promoting social inclusion by working with individuals in their own communities. Up until now often the support needed has not been available or accessible and individuals leave prison with just a 46 discharge grant, and often have nowhere to go or nobody to help them. The Transforming Lives Project will provide the support necessary to help change lives for the better. The funding will secure the sustainability of the great work the Project does for individuals leaving prison for the next 12 months. The focus of Transforming Lives is encouraging positive lifestyles by providing peer mentoring support.

The main support required is help with access into meaningful employment. So individuals with criminal records can be economically independent. Our mentors give them hope by building their self-confidence and self-esteem. Their mentor will be there to guide them on their new journey to be a law-abiding citizen. Signpost them where necessary so they stay focused and keep on the right track.

From its early pilot work what is truly awesome about Transforming Lives is the community of North Warwickshire coming together to take responsibility and work in partnership to help ex-offenders reintegrate back into society and desist from offending.

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Crossroads Trust EARTH Project In the beginning there were weeds.

Crossroads Trust's EARTH project is a community-based project designed to support community members with convictions to stop offending behaviour. Supported by a grant from North Warwickshire CAVA it is based In Atherstone, North Warwickshire. The aim is to provide a supported route for men and women with convictions to reintegrate back into our community, offering a sense of hope, encouragement and new con


physical activity can have profound healing effects. Exercise lifts the mood; it eases depressive illnesses and helps release positive hormones into the bloodstream. Doing something with the community, for the bene


Clothes Line Initiative Project (CLIP)

Supported by a grant provided by the Heart of England Community Foundation the largest independent grant maker in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull. The Clothes Line Initiative Project (CLIP) has been successfully supporting clients in North Warwickshire. Including the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth.

The Trust has a storage facility in Atherstone from where clothing items are dispatched to individuals in need throughout the region. Every clothing donation from the community helps to transform the lives of individuals who are in need. Crossroads works with individuals striving to turn their lives around to lead positive law abiding lives.

From our early work we discovered many of our clients were leaving prison with only the clothes they are wearing. This situation really is unacceptable. Can you imagine not having a change of clothing? How are they supposed to manage with their resettlement back into the community without adequate clothing? The Trust is able to provide donated clothes and new underwear and socks to give them some dignity. We are also being contacted by referral agencies to help homeless individuals who have no possessions and looking to get their lives back on track. There is such a great need for the clothes bank facility in North Warwickshire. The communities of Atherstone, Nuneaton and Bedworth have been fantastic with their generous support of the Clothes Bank. Giving a helping hand to individuals motivated to change their lives for the better is a community responsibility.

Lucy Hall, CLIP Project Lead

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Hao Shen Project

Steve is an accredited practitioner in Integrated Oriental Medicine (IOM) and facilitates the Crossroads Hao Shen Project. Hao Shen means "good spirit". It involves integrated therapies, which Steve has become quali


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

August 2014

An Interim Evaluation of THE TRANSFORMING LIVES PROJECT

Crossroads Trust North Warwickshire

Beverley Gilbert DipPS, BA (Hons), MA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An internal evaluation of the Transforming Lives project has been completed; a mentoring service delivered by Crossroads Trust, North Warwickshire that is designed speci


It is clear from the evaluations, questionnaires and personal testimonies of the four clients that have piloted Transforming Lives, that the project has and is certainly having a profound impact on them as individuals and is improving self worth, con


Recommendations

That the Transforming Lives project should be rolled out with a larger cohort of clients after further funding is secured.

That volunteers, mentors and peer mentors should receive high quality accredited mentoring training and be recognised by quali


Social Media Links Crossroads Trust has had a very positive experience making use of the Twitter social media network, developing new contacts, access to resources, links, and initiatives nationally. As a result, we have developed useful links with academics and specialist advisers in the criminal justice system, of organisations similar to our own in areas as widespread as Grimsby, Burnley and London. We have taken peer mentors up to a No Offence CIC criminal justice conference in York and have been shortlisted from over 60 applications for a Social Enterprise West Midlands Award 2014.

Jonathan Robinson, prison author, attended our launch on 31 May 2014.He has remained in contact with us offering his encouragement, personal contacts and links.

Social Events

Crossroads Trust has participated in food bank collections for North Warwickshire Food Bank, and in a fund raising quiz night for the Volunteer Centre in Bulkington as the winning team. We have robust links with local church groups, the voluntary sector in our area and with those working to make the community as safer, more inclusive place to live and work.

Crossroads meets the Mayor of North Warwickshire, Councilor Ray Sweet

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A big thank you to all our supporters

The Crossroads Board of Directors and team of volunteers would like to thank the communities of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth for their incredible support. To the numerous agencies including the voluntary sector that have been immense with their guidance and help to ensure Crossroads has a robust foundation and infrastructure on which to develop. And a big thank you to the funders without whom we could not have got Crossroads started. They include:

UnLtd Awards for All: Big Lottery Warwickshire County Council Heart of England Community Foundation National Offender Management Service North Warwickshire Borough Council Warwickshire CAVA

Some individuals have gone the extra mile and we will always be indebted to them for their encouragement, support and wisdom.

1. Davina Key, Locality Manager, North Warwickshire CAVA

2. Shamsher Dhasani, Business Coach, Coventry & Warwickshire Cooperative Development Agency.

3. Jo Giblin, Community Development Worker, Northern team, Warwickshire County Council.

4. Carol Musgrove Manager, Loraine Verrall Deputy Manager, North Warwickshire CAB

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Documents

Crossroads Trust Annual Report 2013