Beyond Youth Custody (BYC)’s Programme Manager, Pippa Goodfellow, co-delivered a workshop on ‘Achieving effective resettlement’ with Brian Redding, Project Manager for the East Midlands Resettlement Consortia (EMRC) and David Banks, member of the Youth Justice Board. The workshop explored the link between research and practice using practical examples of how the EMRC have taken up learnings from BYC and incorporated them into their delivery of services.

1. Achieving Effective
Resettlement
Pippa Goodfellow, Nacro (Beyond Youth Custody)
&
Brian Redding, East Midlands Resettlement Consortium
Thursday 26th November 2015

2. Beyond Youth Custody (BYC)
• BYC is a five year England-wide learning and awareness programme funded by
the Big Lottery Fund as part of the Youth in Focus programme.
• BYC exists to challenge, advance, and promote better thinking in policy and
practice for the effective resettlement of young people.
• BYC is a partnership led by Nacro along with three research and evaluation
partners: ARCS (UK), University of Salford and the University of Bedfordshire.

3. Beyond Youth Custody (BYC)
We focus on four main areas of work:
• Producing robust evidence about what works
• Developing and promoting good practice
• Giving young people a voice
• Identifying & communicating what needs to change

4. East Midlands Resettlement Consortium
• The Consortium is one of four projects currently funded by the Youth Justice
Board. It is a model bringing together – Secure Establishments, Youth Offending
Teams and a range of other partners to build on existing resettlement initiatives
that improve outcomes for young people leaving custody
• The East Midlands is a diverse region of urban and rural YOTs
spread over a large geographical area
• The Project is developing at a time of significant change within both the Secure
Estate and within community agencies. This offers both opportunities and
challenges

5. East Midlands Resettlement Consortium
• Project Governance
• Delivery Priorities (Year 1)
• Accommodation
• Link Youth Workers in YOIs
• Bringing consistency to DTO Reviews Meetings
• Resettlement Grants
• Sustainability beyond the life of the Project
• Data Collection and Evaluation

6. • There is a ‘window of opportunity’ following release when young people
are enthusiastic to change (and also at most emotionally vulnerable)
• Quick disillusionment if support not sufficient, relevant and timely
• Therefore important we get it right straight away - plans for suitable
support need to be in place by time of release
• ‘Resettlement’ has traditionally been focused on this period of transition
What we know: the importance of the transition

7. • For resettlement to be effective and sustainable, the aim has to go ‘beyond’
the usual thinking in criminal justice of short-term preventing reoffending.
• It must be about a shift in personal identity away from one that promotes
crime to one that promotes desistence
• From a resettlement perspective, this shift must be facilitated both in terms
of structure and agency.
• Structure: Services must provide structural support and delivery of services
that are focused on focus on facilitating that shift, through the provision of
individually tailored provision focused on achieving positive outcomes.
• Agency: Supporting and promoting belief within the young person that they
have the capacity to change.
Resettlement as an engagement journey
encompassing desistance

8. • Crucial to meeting complex needs is to offer an individually tailored,
wrap around package of support delivered by partners across
sectors.
• Engagement of partners across sectors involving high-level buy-in,
joint planning and information sharing.
• There needs to be a strong ‘brokerage’ function to establish working
partnerships to jointly plan and deliver the required range of support.
Principles for effective resettlement…
Coordination of services

9. • Escalation of resettlement issues to Steering Group members
• Resettlement leads identified in YOTs and Secure
Establishments
• Commissioning of Services
E.g. Accommodation
• Co-commissioning of services
• Contractual conditions
• Retainers to secure accommodation
• Young people at the 18+ ‘cliff-edge’
Coordination of services

10. • Ensuring that a young person is engaged in the resettlement
process will improve their motivation to comply
• Encouraging user participation and involving young people as
agents in their own resettlement are both of central importance
• Positive relationships between young people and staff, based on
mutual respect are key
Engaging the young person for positive change

11. • Link Youth Workers in Werrington YOI and Wetherby YOI:
• Building relationships with young people in custody
• Support on release alongside the YOT and post-licence support
• Ensuring Young People have a voice in DTO Review Meetings:
• Preparing Young People before meetings and supporting them
afterwards
• Structure of DTO reviews
• Mentoring Support in the community
Engaging the young person for positive change

12. Continuous service:
• Services between custody and community needs to be joined up
• Opportunities for continued support once statutory involvement of
the youth justice system has come to an end should be available
Preparation for release:
• Should begin at point of entering custody
• Securing stable and suitable accommodation is key
• More opportunities for ROTL to ease the transition, arranging for
training and/or employment on release
Early preparation for release & sentence planning must focus on
resettlement

13. • DTO Review Meetings
Workshops run with YOTs and Secure Establishments
Creation of resources to support best practice
• Use of ROTL and Mobility (Temporary Release)
Increasing opportunities to prepare young people for release
Early preparation for release & Sentence Planning must focus
on Resettlement

14. • Research has consistently found that reoffending, or breach, are
both more likely in the critical period immediately after release.
• Young people are adjusting to new environments, more pressurised
regime and renegotiating relationships
• They should be prepared, their expectations managed with
immediate implementation of support plans
• They should be met at the gate by someone they know and trust.
• Release times should allow the opportunity to access a wide range of
services
Transition to the community needs enhanced support

15. • Supporting young people living independently
• Supporting young people into education and training
• Supporting young people adjusting to the return to the community
Transition to the community needs enhanced support

16. Thank you
If you would like any more information, please contact:
Pippa Goodfellow, Programme Manager
Pippa.goodfellow@nacro.org.uk
07739 219 461
http://www.beyondyouthcustody.net/
Brian Redding, Project Manager
East Midlands Resettlement Consortium
brian.redding@derbyshire.gov.uk