Nacro Annual Reveiw

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Annual Review 2006/07

beyond

the expected


contents

a message from the chair

1 2 4 7 8 11 12 14 15 16 18 20 21

Welcome to Nacro

Face-to-face: Sarafea meets Nacro’s chief executive Diverting young people from crime

Employment works for young offenders A new approach in criminal justice

Working with prisoners to change their future Supportive housing for former offenders

Changing futures and addressing crime in Wales

Newid y dyfodol a lleihau troseddu yng Nghymru Finance: making your money work harder Highlights: this year’s key achievements About Nacro

Looking forward

This year’s annual review is all about challenging expectations.

Nacro does vital and innovative work to help resettle offenders, to divert people from offending, and to campaign for a more effective criminal justice system. Yet many people don’t know what we actually do.

This review highlights the breadth and diversity of Nacro’s projects, illustrating the many ways in which we fulfil our mission to reduce crime and its impact on people’s lives.

We also hope to challenge many negative images and expectations of offenders and young people in trouble.

And we also show how, again this year, Nacro has performed beyond expectations with the funding we have received. We are working with nearly 6,000 more offenders and people at risk of involvement in crime than last year. We now have over 340 projects across England and Wales. Our work is consistently of a high standard, effective and respected, but we are always striving to improve its impact and to find new approaches to challenging problems.

So it is no surprise that we remain one of the most trusted organisations in our field, working in partnerships which aim to reduce offending and create safer communities for the benefit of us all. Thank you to all our partners for continued support this year, and to Nacro staff for their sterling hard work.

Do you need this report in another format? Tel 020 7840 6433

Anne Mace, OBE


beyond the expected First impressions can be deceiving. Until a few weeks ago, all I knew of Nacro was the youth project I attend in Battersea, south London. It offers football and other activities, while helping kids out with CVs and job applications. You probably have your own impression of Nacro, too. You may have heard a spokesperson on the radio, talking about rising prison numbers or Asbos. Or maybe you had an idea that Nacro is something about criminals or prisoners? In fact, as the stories in this annual report show, Nacro does far more than just work on the issue of prisons. I didn’t realise Nacro helps over 85,000 people each year. I’ve learned the organisation is lucky enough to have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, across England and Wales, who work with people of all ages, all backgrounds. There’s work both inside and outside of prisons, to help offenders resettle after their sentence: getting them help with addictions, mental health problems, training. I didn’t know Nacro also runs housing projects, where former offenders and others can live while they get their lives together, supported by key workers. Nacro also helps people get jobs or college places, it runs employment projects and keeps kids away from trouble by offering sports and education.

Nacro is all about prevention of offending. And I should know. I got in trouble at school when I was 15 for fighting and pushing a teacher. After I was excluded, I started worrying about the future. If I didn’t do well in exams, I wouldn’t get a job. I’d already got a name as a trouble maker, I thought I’d failed. Nacro helped me to change. At the Battersea project I learned new skills, and got extra help to get my grades. They treated me like a young adult, not a kid. It felt different, and I behaved myself. Nacro helped me to apply for college, and I became a volunteer on a football project. People expected me to get into trouble with the police when I was excluded. But just like the other people in this report, Nacro helped me to go beyond the expected.

Sarafea Braveboy

welcome to Nacro

Though Nacro does many different things, I’ve learned that the aim is always the same. To prevent crime.

Though Nacro does many different things, I’ve learned that the aim is always the same. To prevent crime. If former offenders have a job or training to go to, they’re less likely to get into more trouble. If someone has a secure home, they are less likely to commit crime. When someone’s drug problem is treated, they don’t have to steal.

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face-to-face Sarafea and Paul

S: Were you a naughty child? P: I wasn’t a particularly naughty child, although I got into my fair share of scrapes when I was young. But I was the sort of kid who often gets up teachers’ noses, because if there was a point to argue, I’d argue it. Not just on my own behalf, but if I saw anyone who I thought was being treated unfairly. S: Have you ever been in trouble with crime? P: I’ve had motoring convictions, but otherwise I don’t have a criminal record. But one of the good things about Nacro is that we’ve such a wide variety of people in the organisation. We’ve got men and women, people from a whole range of different ethnic backgrounds. We have people of different ages and sexual orientation, people with disabilities and without, people who have a criminal record, and people who haven’t. We’re all about including people, and helping them to make something of their lives, whatever their background. S: People say to kids let’s do this and let’s do that, but they don’t really know where we’re coming from. How does Nacro talk to people about their needs? P: That’s down to our staff, and volunteers. Our staff are a very committed and enthusiastic group. They care a lot about the people that we’re working with. It’s the relationships that they build up with the people using our services that are crucial to assessing their needs. S: What went well last year, what was the best aspect? P: We managed to increase the work that we’re doing, and the number of people that we’re helping. In resettlement, we’ve increased the number of prisoners we’re dealing with and helping to resettle. At the same time, our work with young people has increased, reducing the risk that they’ll get into trouble with the law. 2

S: What would you want to improve? P: First, I’d like to have more resources. There are many people who could benefit from the kind of help that we can offer, and a lot of offenders who need resettlement help who aren’t getting it. I’d also like to be able to offer more joined up and co-ordinated services, in more areas of the country. Very often people need help with housing, and employment, and education, and benefits and personal support, as well as help with drugs and alcohol misuse. If we can only offer to help part of their needs, then we’re only solving part of the problem. S: What didn’t go so well? P: We’ve tried to campaign for the reduced use of prison, and for other methods such as supervision in the community. Unfortunately, over the last few years, we’ve seen a rapid increase in the prison population. A more sparing use of custody is something we’ve not achieved. We need to redouble our efforts there, and lobby very hard to reduce that trend. S: What else does government need to do? P: First, put more resources into social forms of crime prevention: providing opportunities for people at risk of offending in order to enable them to achieve something positive. We also need more resources for all kinds of constructive work with people in high crime areas, to reduce the likelihood that they’ll get into trouble. I’d also like to see more resources for the resettlement of people when they leave prison.

Sarafea Braveboy interviews chief executive Paul Cavadino about Nacro’s performance this year, and his hopes for the future.

Nacro’s work is all about including people, giving them opportunities and second chances. It says something crucial about the kind of community we want to live in.


S: I think Nacro’s work is very important. I got qualifications and it did change my life. Why do you think Nacro’s work is important? P: It helps the people we’re working with to make something positive of their lives, rather than wasting it on criminal activity. It also reduces the number of victims of crime, the number of people suffering distress, or loss or injury, because we’re reducing the number of crimes that are committed. And Nacro’s work says something very important about the kind of society that we want to be. Do we think those who have committed offences should be punished in ways that simply push them further out of society? Or do we believe that when people have made mistakes, we should help them to put their mistakes and problems behind them? The second approach, Nacro’s approach, works better and it’s also a morally preferable response to people in trouble.

S: Is there an increase in the number of people using the service? P: Yes, we worked with nearly 86,000 people directly last year, compared with 80,000 the year before across England and Wales. I’d like to see us continue to increase the number of people we’re working with, because we’re only working with a small proportion of the people who could benefit from our services. S: What are you looking forward to next year? P: I’d like to increase the work that we do to resettle offenders and the amount of preventive work that we do with young people. I’d also like to improve our effectiveness at influencing government to pursue a more positive and effective response to crime and punishment. S: Thank you, it was good talking to you. P: It was nice talking to you too.

Sarafea and Paul chat about alternatives to prison, and how the number of people Nacro works with continues to increase.

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diverting A few of my mates have been in trouble with the police. Now if they do something I just walk off and go home.

‘When I was thrown out of school, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to do anything I was told to do. It was all a laugh.’ For Chris, being excluded started off being fun. But it didn’t last as long as he expected. First the boredom set in, then arguments with his mum for sitting around the house all day. Then Chris was hanging out on the streets, messing around with his mates. Run-ins with the police happened more and more often. ‘I thought I didn’t care, but I started to worry about not getting a job when I’m older. I felt bad because I thought I’d end up doing nothing.’ It was the table tennis that turned things around. Chris didn’t want to go along to Moves. It would be just more people telling him what to do. But the project had ping-pong, and a youth club afterwards, and well, what else was there to do? Moves is Nacro’s youth inclusion project in Kensington, just outside Liverpool city centre. The project offers alternatives to young people like Chris who have been excluded from school or who have just stopped going. At Moves, young people are tutored in basic skills, like English and maths, alongside courses in computing, sports, science and media. And afterwards, there’s table tennis. And film making and science experiments and free DVDs. The aim is to get young people engaged in learning, interested in their future. It’s another chance for Chris who might otherwise end up in petty crime, substance misuse and antisocial behaviour. At Moves, young people are expected to take responsibility for themselves. Soon after joining, Chris worked with a volunteer mentor to complete an education plan, setting out his own timetable and his own targets. So Chris got his head down. He got qualifications for the first time; qualifications that he knows he never would have achieved in school. With the project’s help, Chris started to think about what he wanted to do in the future and to put together a CV. This summer, he was accepted to do an NVQ in information technology at college. ‘When I go to college, I know I’ll carry on enjoying work and achieving things. I still hang around with my mates, but they realise I’ve changed. I don’t want to be in trouble all the time.’

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“ “

Chris

young people from crime

A year ago, Chris says he would never have had his photo taken, or talked to anyone about his life: ‘I’m very different now to what I was like, I feel more responsible.’




employment works

Chris

for young offenders

‘Most times I’ve been able to blag my way out of it, or I’ve been given community service. But it was only a matter of time before I would be sent down for something.’ Everyone always expected Chris would end up in prison. And so did Chris. From age 15, when he’d been thrown out of school and arrested for hitting a teacher, he’d been getting into trouble with the police.

I’d be in prison by now if it wasn’t for Nacro. They’ve supported me and helped me get a job. They’re good people.

At first it was motorbikes and fast cars. Chris used to steal and race them around the streets, causing havoc before abandoning them down deserted lanes. Then it was drugs and alcohol: weed, vodka, cocaine, pills. And burglary, to fund the habit. ‘There were times when I couldn’t go through the day without drugs. I was a rebel. I can’t remember how many times I was arrested. My Dad hated going to the police station to bail me out.’ But Chris’ Dad refused to give up. When Connexions referred him to Nacro’s Entry to Employment project in Poole, it was his Dad who made sure he went along. The E2E scheme supports young people at risk of offending to gain qualifications and work experience, and to move into a job. Chris has become a volunteer at Nacro in Poole, working with other young people at risk of offending. He says it’s repayment for all the bad things he’s done.

Chris took to the NVQ mechanics course particularly well. After all, he was no stranger to cars. Over the eight month course, Chris found a new focus. And he got one-to-one help from Nacro to deal with the drugs and alcohol. ‘It made a big difference. I was committed to it, it kept me going. It made me change.’ Nacro managed to get Chris a work experience placement with a local bus company, working on engines. They were impressed, and offered him a paid apprenticeship. ‘It’s my first proper full-time job, and now I’ve always got cash to spend. I’m not going out to find money in other ways. What’s the point of robbing cars if it means you might not be able to turn up to work tomorrow?’ Now, Chris is not expecting to end up in prison. He’s become a volunteer with Nacro in Poole, helping out on fishing trips that give young people an alternative to mucking around on the street. And, of course, Chris is first to get his hands dirty when the minibus breaks down. ‘I want my own garage and I want people to work for me. I don’t like going back over my past. I won’t go back to that life.’

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Reena

in criminal justice

‘I’m going to lock them up. There’s nothing else that can be done.’ Put them in prison. That’s what’s expected. And that’s what the magistrates used to say. Reena has spent her career working towards an alternative. She knows that if you put someone away, they could lose their home, their job. They stay addicted to drugs. They get trapped in a vicious circle, and are more likely to offend again. Reena is manager of a unique Nacro project across Yorkshire and Humberside that works with people who are awaiting sentence. The Bail Support Scheme provides courts with an alternative to imprisoning defendants while they wait, breaking the circle. They join a Nacro programme of one-to-one support in the community. They get help with accessing accommodation, education, employment and training. Some work with a volunteer mentor who provides practical assistance and guides them through the rough patches. ‘Our bail support provides the courts with a credible and robust alternative to custody. Prison places are expensive and not a solution to deep-seated problems. Our scheme prevents defendants waiting in jail, and at the same time reduces the likelihood of future crime.’ Reena knows a thing or two about working with offenders. She’s spent nearly a decade doing it. First working with young offenders; then for Nacro with people serving community sentences. Reena and the Nacro team developed the Bail Support Scheme from scratch in May 2006. She built the programme and struck the vital partnerships needed to really make it work. And slowly her team gained the trust and respect of the courts. In just 18 months, we have rolled it out across Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Scarborough, York and North Yorkshire. ‘I’ve done bail work for a long time, and I’ve seen how looking for the positives in people can help them address their offending.’ But being on the scheme is far from a soft touch. To even qualify, defendants sign a contract promising to come to interviews. And to come sober. They have to stick to their bail conditions; they have to be committed to change. Any breach, and they’re back where they started: in court. ‘The public need to trust that this scheme really will reduce offending, and that it’s not an easy getout. We’ve shown it does work. Magistrates now ask us if they can place defendants on the scheme.’ Not a bad turnaround in just one year.

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Seven out of 10 defendants who have been placed on Nacro's bail support scheme have completed the scheme successfully.

When someone goes back to court after completing our scheme, it demonstrates to the magistrates that they’re committed to changing their behaviour.

a new approach




working with prisoners

“ “

Equal Engage has given me the opportunity to go out there and challenge myself to live a different life, not to go back to what I used to do.

Sarah

to change their future

‘I’ve booked in driving lessons. I’ve got a place at college. I’ve got job interviews lined up, and I’ve got housing waiting for me.’ The first time Sarah came out of prison, she wasn’t quite so sorted. After serving a sentence for robbery, it was all too easy for her to fall back into crime on release. And all too quick. Less than 24 hours after the prison gates slammed behind her, Sarah met ‘the wrong boy’. She had left prison with no money, no job and little training. With a prison stretch behind her, future choices were limited. Crime, it turns out, was the most appealing option. ‘We were running a Caribbean shop, selling foods and CDs from Jamaica. But under the counter, we were selling crack cocaine. After a few months I handed over a £20 rock to a guy, and caught a look in his eye. Then I knew he was an undercover copper.’ That night, the shop got raided. Sarah handed herself in. Sarah says the worst thing about prison was missing her family. Now she wants to be a role model for her younger brother and sister, to show there are better things to do than crime.

Four years later, she is about to be released. This time she’s determined it will be different. For the last few months, Sarah has been working with Nacro’s Equal Engage project in HMP Peterborough. The service links up with prisoners in the final months of their sentence. Together, they take practical steps that will steer offenders away from crime on release. Simple things like housing, training, help to claim benefits. The project works with offenders while they are still in prison, and then on the outside too. We know this joined-up approach is most effective. From inside, Nacro has helped Sarah apply for a hairdressing course and for funding to do it. On the outside Nacro also works with local employers to open jobs to former offenders. ‘In prison I sat down and thought: I’m 23 now, where am I going to be in 30 years’ time? Still sitting in a cell? Now it’s time I gave something good to my family, and to myself too. Now I have people that want to help me to achieve that.’ Sarah has now cut off contact with her old friends, and she’s been accepted at college. No one can predict the future, and it won’t be easy. But this time, with continued support on the inside and on release, the outlook is much brighter.

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supportive housing ‘The more I got, the more I wanted. It drove me to do certain things to make money.’ Crack cocaine. It was when Ronald started smoking it that he began the spiral into crime. Sure, he’d done some petty pick-pocketing before. Just something he picked up from the older boys in the care home where he was brought up. But it was his addiction to crack that led to the robbery and drug dealing.

‘I let it take half of my life away. I didn’t care what I did or where I lived. I didn’t have any respect for myself or my family.’ Ronald lost his home; ended up living in and out of hostels. Sometimes on the street. Soon his most frequent accommodation became police cells and prison wings. It was the four year stretch that shook him up the most. ‘That sentence changed my life. It was so long. It gave me a long time to think about my life and what I was doing to myself.’

His probation officer referred him to Nacro’s housing project in west London. But there are no quick fixes. Fifty-year-old Ronald had to live with his daughter for six months, before we found a small bedsit for him to move into. He says it was worth the wait. He now has somewhere to call his own again. For people like Ronald, just providing a set of door keys isn’t enough. Nacro gives him intensive one-to-one support, helping him get used to things like paying bills on time, respecting his neighbours and being part of a community. With our support, he’s been able to take control, to apply for benefits and look for work. To rebuild his life. And to stay clear of drugs. ‘My outlook on life now is to have a nice little pad. I can pay my own bills and look after my things. I can bring friends here, and they can appreciate my home. ‘I like having a nice place. It’s nice to be normal.’

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Nacro has given me the confidence to walk past the drug dealers. I know that if I’ve got a roof over my head, my life is back on track.

Anything to pay for the fix.

The decision to change was the easy part. Making it stick was more difficult. After years away, where could Ronald go but back onto the streets? Back to his old life?

Ronald

for former offenders

Ronald says he likes to keep his Nacro flat clean, because a dirty flat would take him back to the filthy places he used to go to smoke: ‘I am my own man, I have my own identity again.’



Amy

and addressing crime in Wales

‘I had loads of Twocs and I was under an ISSP order, so when I breached my Asbo they arrested me. I had to sit for hours in a sweat box.’ Amy knows the criminal justice system too well. She speaks its jargon like any other 18 year old does about a fashion trend or TV show. Not surprising. Amy was arrested for the first time at 11. Criminal damage. After that it was drunken affray and an antisocial behaviour order. Then drunk and disorderly. Then it was common assault, stealing cars. Drugs.

I can’t be drinking and fighting, because I have to get up for work.

The police became so familiar with Amy that they’d routinely stop her on the street. They just expected her to be trouble. They were usually right. Then on New Year’s Eve, not long after her 16th birthday, Amy was sent to prison. ‘I spent that weekend in the police station, and I didn’t know what was going to happen. But I knew I’d run out of chances.’ It was through her probation officer, after prison, that Amy came to Nacro’s Bethesda Bakery in north Wales. The project provides on-the-job catering training, as well as one-to-one support, for young offenders like Amy. Working in a real kitchen, Amy has learned to take responsibility for the first time. And she’s gained first aid, and health and safety certificates. Qualifications that will help her move into employment. These days, Amy speaks a completely new kind of jargon: that of flour types and dough-rising times, buns and barm cakes. Her chef’s whites have replaced the old jeans and t-shirt she used to wear in prison and she hasn’t offended since she began the course. ‘The police have seen me change. They still stop me, but now it’s to ask how it’s all going. One said he liked the new me much better. I like this me better too.’

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A fedra i ddim bod yn yfed ac yn ymladd, achos mae'n rhaid i mi godi i fynd i'r gwaith.

changing futures

With Nacro’s support, Amy has had help to deal with her drinking and to manage her violent behaviour. Through our Bangor housing project, she’s been able to rent her own flat.


newid y dyfodol Amy

a lleihau troseddu yng Nghymru

‘Roedd gen i lwyth o Twocs ac roedd gorchymyn ISSP arna'i, felly pan dorrais i fy Asbo, fe wnaethon nhw fy arestio. Roedd rhaid i mi eistedd am oriau mewn fan heddlu.’ Mae Amy'n adnabod y system cyfiawnder troseddol yn rhy dda. Mae hi'n siarad ei iaith fel mae rhywun arall 18 oed yn siarad am y ffasiwn ddiweddaraf neu am raglen deledu. Dydy hynny ddim yn syndod. Cafodd Amy ei harestio am y tro cyntaf yn 11 oed. Difrod troseddol. Wedyn ffrwgwd meddwol a gorchymyn ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol. Wedyn yn feddw ac afreolus. Wedyn ymosodiad cyffredin, dwyn ceir, cyffuriau. Daeth yr heddlu i adnabod Amy mor dda nes eu bod yn ei stopio yn y stryd fel mater o drefn. Roedden nhw'n disgwyl iddi fod mewn trwbwl. Roedden nhw fel arfer yn iawn. Yna, ar Nos Galan, a hithau ond newydd gael ei phen-blwydd yn 16 oed, cafodd Amy ei hanfon i'r carchar. ‘Fe dreuliais y penwythnos hwnnw yn swyddfa'r heddlu, a doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod beth oedd yn mynd i ddigwydd. Ond o'n i'n gwybod mod i wedi rhedeg allan o gyfleoedd.’ Gyda chefnogaeth Nacro, mae Amy wedi cael help i ddelio gyda'i hyfed ac i reoli ei hymddygiad treisgar. Drwy gyfrwng ein prosiect tai ym Mangor, mae hi wedi gallu rhentu ei fflat ei hun.

Ei swyddog parôl, yn dilyn ei hail gyfnod yn y carchar, oedd y cyfrwng i ddod ag Amy i Fecws Pesda, Nacro ym Methesda, gogledd Cymru. Mae'r prosiect yn darparu hyfforddiant arlwyo yn y swydd, yn ogystal â chefnogaeth un ac un i droseddwyr ifanc fel Amy. Wrth weithio mewn cegin go iawn, mae Amy wedi dysgu ysgwyddo cyfrifoldeb am y tro cyntaf. Ac mae hi wedi ennill tystysgrifau cymorth cyntaf a iechyd a diogelwch. Mae'r rhain yn gymwysterau fydd yn ei helpu i symud i mewn i waith. Erbyn hyn, mae Amy'n defnyddio ieithwedd wahanol iawn: sôn am fathau o flawd ac amserau codi toes, byns a rholiau bara. Mae ei dillad cogydd gwyn wedi disodli yr hen jîns a'r crys-T roedd hi'n arfer eu gwisgo, ac nid yw Amy wedi troseddu ers iddi gychwyn ar y cwrs. ‘Mae'r heddlu wedi fy ngweld yn newid. Maen nhw'n dal yn fy stopio, ond erbyn hyn holi maen nhw sut mae pethau'n mynd. Dywedodd un ohonyn nhw ei fod o'n hoffi'r fi newydd yn llawer mwy. Mae'n llawer gwell gen i'r fi newydd hefyd.’

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finance making your money work harder

Nacro works hard to ensure the money it receives from generous individuals, trusts, foundations, companies and statutory funders is used efficiently and effectively to support our projects, and to reduce crime.

Income

Thank you to all who have supported our work over the last year. You have made it possible for us to work with over 85,000 people across England and Wales.

Income breakdown (£)

We are pleased to present here a summary of Nacro’s audited accounts, for ease of understanding. If you would prefer to see a fuller version, Nacro’s complete accounts can be downloaded from our website or you can request a copy from our publications team.

2006/7

Statutory sector contracts and grants Earned income

9,565,000

Trust, company and individual donations

1,058,000

Investment income

127,000

Other

184,000

Please email publications@nacro.org.uk or call 020 7840 6427.

Please note: Nacro’s head office will move in April 2008. For new contact details, visit the website www.nacro.org.uk. 16

48,822,000

> > > > >

Statutory sector contracts and grants - 81.7% Earned income - 16% Trust, company and individual donations - 1.8% Investment income - 0.2% Other - 0.3%


Expenditure

Totals 2006/7

2005/6

Income

59,756,000

63,123,000

Expenditure

57,085,000

61,245,000

2,671,000

1,878,000

703,000

(54,000)

Designated funds

13,868,000

11,901,000

Endowment funds

255,000

245,000

Subtotal

14,826,000

12,092,000

Less pension reserve

(9,934,000)

(11,990,000)

4,892,000

102,000

2006/7 Expenditure breakdown (ÂŁ) Services with direct beneficiaries

45,813,000

Development and training services for criminal justice agencies; policy and public affairs

8,448,000

Governance, human resources, IT, finance and administration

2,705,000

Fundraising

119,000

Total income and expenditure (ÂŁ)

Operating surplus Fund balances (ÂŁ) Unrestricted, general funds

Total funds

> > > >

Services with direct beneficiaries - 80.3% Policy and public affairs - 14.8% Governance, human resources, IT, finance and administration - 4.7% Fundraising - 0.2%


highlights this year’s key achievements

Working with young people to prevent crime Around 1,140 volunteers worked with Nacro on sports, arts and other projects in over 50 deprived communities, engaging over 17,000 young people. Volunteers also support Nacro’s 23 Youth Inclusion Programmes (YIPs), community projects and projects working with children excluded from school. Preston peer panel Established with local authority and criminal justice partners, this pioneering project trains young people in restorative justice. They facilitate meetings between an offender and victim, or local community, finding solutions to offending and antisocial behaviour. Revolution Arts Academy One of 200 youth theatres selected to perform at the National Theatre’s Connections festival, the academy aimed to get disadvantaged young people into performing. However, as with other pioneering schemes, after six years of activity, Nacro has been unable to secure funding for the project and it had to close in November 2007. Getting young people volunteering v, the agency established to encourage more young people to volunteer, gave Nacro £174,000 to support six football projects involving hard-to-reach young people in voluntary work. Westminster visit Young people from Nacro’s Kensington YIP visited the House of Lords to take part in a programme encouraging wider participation in the democratic process.

Education, skills and employment Nacro runs 147 education, skills and employment projects, which have helped 15,000 young people and 5,000 adults develop skills and improve their prospects of getting into education or work.

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Achieving quality A July 2007 Ofsted inspection showed Nacro projects to be satisfactory overall, and excellent in learner support and in meeting the government’s Every Child Matters objectives. Preparing prisoners for release The European Social Fund Community Initiative Programe has awarded contracts to Nacro to develop Equal Engage, a series of flexible, innovative services in 13 prisons across the East and South East of England. Preparing people for employment before release, the scheme’s through-the-gate support means advice and guidance continue to be available through a network of agencies once prisoners return to their local community. Basic education for young offenders Nacro ran a pilot scheme to deliver the Foundation Learning Tier for young offenders at our training centre in Medway, Kent. The project works to improve youth offending team clients’ low levels of attainment.

Working with the criminal justice system Nacro worked in the community with over 500 defendants and offenders to prevent reoffending, including intensive supervision and surveillance programmes, restorative justice and community remand projects. We also promote better responses to offending in general, including tackling discrimination against young offenders and those with mental health needs. The Academy Nacro has helped Bradford’s innovative dance group Dance United establish The Academy. The group runs dance-led rehabilitation programmes for young offenders on community orders. The scheme helps individuals see themselves as achievers rather than offenders, so they begin to fulfil their real potential.


Improving criminal justice practice Nacro published a good practice guide for health and social care agencies, enabling them to set up criminal justice mental health liaison and diversion schemes. These schemes ensure police and courts get specialist advice about how best to deal with defendants with mental health needs. With Department of Health funding, Nacro will evaluate the success of the schemes, particularly examining how they meet the needs of people from black and minority ethnic communities.

Working with prisoners Nacro provides resettlement support in 42 prisons, helping over 14,600 prisoners. Our Resettlement Plus helpline provided a further 26,500 people with information and advice about housing, employment and the impact of a criminal conviction. Research Nacro research among foreign national women prisoners revealed the problems they suffer around poor communication with probation, immigration and, most painfully, their families. Other problems included the expense of prison phone cards, and that they ran out before prisoners could speak to their children. The research suggested the Prison Service should examine cheaper telecommunications suppliers for prisoners. DVD A leading TV producer donated his time and skills to put together a DVD promoting Nacro’s Milestones mentoring project at Portland Young Offender Institution. Screenings of the DVD among potential donors have generated many offers of support. Corston Report Nacro joined other voluntary organisations in welcoming the publication of the Corston Report into vulnerable women in the criminal justice system. We also lobbied for adoption of all recommendations.

Partnership Nacro’s Leeds-based MOVE project, one of five National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Change Up pilots, completed a successful year’s work with local voluntary and community groups. Nacro’s expertise in working with prisons and probation enabled 25 groups to come together as a consortium to work with NOMS.

Housing Nacro provided a home and support to nearly 3,000 former offenders and vulnerable homeless people, and floating support to a further 600 people. Floating support In Lincolnshire, staff have been exploring ways to ensure geographically dispersed service users can become involved in the management and practice of their floating support schemes. Service users in Lincoln, Gainsborough, Boston and elsewhere have been commenting on policies and designing new working practices. In particular, they have provided advice on how best to engage people who are still in prison. Service users said they felt more connected and confident as a result. New Leaf Nacro’s Manchester housing project’s New Leaf garden won a bronze award at the 2006 Tatton Park Flower Show, and then won a silver award in the 2007 show with their sustainable garden Sanctuary. The garden was, for the first time, designed and built by residents without professional help. Prince’s Trust consultation Nacro residents from Chester helped in a Prince’s Trust consultation about young people’s experiences of the criminal justice system and what helped turn their life around. The event was held at Clarence House and hosted by Prince Charles. The result is a new programme offering support to prisoners inside prison and on release.


highlights uchafbwyntiau

Nacro Cymru - highlights Welsh Language Scheme A new Welsh Language Scheme was developed so people can receive Nacro’s services in Welsh or English as they prefer. Drug Intervention Programme Nacro’s North Wales Drug Intervention Programme exceeded its Home Office targets – successfully bringing agencies together so service users get the help they need. BBC Wales coverage Two Nacro Nightshelter staff members took part in a BBC Wales radio programme looking at regeneration in Rhyl, outlining its sometimes negative impact on homeless people. Their description of the work of the shelter prompted a £50,000 donation from a private individual, which was used to fund an extra project worker.

Nacro Cymru - uchafbwyntiau Cynllun Iaith Gymraeg Cafodd Cynllun Iaith Gymraeg newydd ei ddatblygu er mwyn i bobl allu derbyn gwasanaethau Nacro yn Gymraeg neu Saesneg yn ôl eu dewis. Rhaglen Ymyriadau Cyffuriau Llwyddodd Rhaglen Ymyriadau Cyffuriau Gogledd Cymru Nacro i wneud yn well na thargedau'r Swyddfa Gartref ar ei chyfer - gan lwyddo i ddod ag asiantaethau at ei gilydd er mwyn i ddefnyddwyr gwasanaethau gael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt. Sylw gan BBC Wales Bu dau aelod staff o Loches Nos Nacro'n cymryd rhan mewn rhaglen radio ar BBC Wales gan edrych ar adfywio yn y Rhyl, ac yn amlinellu'r effaith negyddol mae'n gallu ei gael weithiau ar bobl ddigartref. Arweiniodd eu disgrifiad o waith y lloches at gyfraniad o £50,000 gan unigolyn, gafodd ei ddefnyddio i dalu am weithiwr prosiect ychwanegol.

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about Nacro

Our mission To reduce offending and so create a safer, more inclusive society. Our vision That Nacro leads the way in ensuring comprehensive preventive and resettlement services are available across England and Wales by 2015. Our core principles • empowering our service users to make a positive difference to their lives • embedding equality and diversity in everything we do • responding with understanding and integrity to the needs of service users and staff • using our expertise in service delivery to influence national policy What we do • Run activities for young people living in disadvantaged areas or excluded from school, to divert them from crime and antisocial behaviour. • Provide work-based learning and job search support for offenders and people at risk. • Operate community-based services, such as restorative justice, for defendants and offenders to prevent reoffending. • Offer accommodation and support for ex-offenders and people at risk to give them a stable foundation for building a new life. • Develop resettlement services for people in prison and on release, to enable them to make a fresh start. • Provide consultancy, training and research to assess and promote the best ways to reduce offending. • Offer a prominent and constructive voice in the national and media debate on crime and disorder. People For a full list of Nacro directors, trustees and other committee members and a breakdown of staff by ethnicity and gender, visit: www.nacro.org.uk/about


looking forward

Nacro has established a corporate plan, setting a clear route to achieve our vision. The strategy will start in 2008 but objectives are already being translated into directorate, project and individual staff and volunteer plans. Stakeholders • Service users: To grow our portfolio of services - working in partnership wherever this benefits our service users - to meet the needs of a greater number and wider range of service users. We will also improve levels of satisfaction and engagement experienced by our service users. • Funders: To be the preferred national provider of resettlement and preventive services to offenders and those at risk of offending. • Policy makers: To be the rational and constructive voice in public discussion of crime policy.

Nacro would like to thank the service users, staff, volunteers and partners who contributed to this review and appeared in the photographs. A special thank you to the projects in: Liverpool – Nacro Moves Poole – Nacro E2E Yorkshire and Humberside – Nacro Bail Support Scheme Peterborough – Nacro Equal Engage London – Nacro Housing Bangor – Nacro Cymru Housing and Nacro Bethesda Bakery

Learning and development • To attract, develop and retain a diverse, motivated workforce. • To achieve Investors in People status across Nacro. Finance • To undertake a major fundraising and awareness campaign. • To increase free or unencumbered reserves. • To ensure full cost recovery on all contracts and activities. • To control the cost base. Internal process • To identify and manage risk through a rigorous selfassessment process. • To contract for co-ordinated services. • To establish an integrated and robust IT system and automated finance and accounting procedures.

Concept Nacro communications and ngo.media Writer Gideon Burrows, www.ngomedia.org.uk Designer Zac Thorne, www.milkitdesign.co.uk Printer RAP Spiderweb, www.rapspiderweb.com Photographer Stuart Rayner, www.stuartrayner.com Translator Catrin Alun

And our particular thanks to Sarafea, Chris (Liverpool), Chris (Poole), Reena, Sarah, Ronald and Amy for sharing their stories.

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Nacro Annual Review 2006/07

Nacro 169 Clapham Road London SW9 0PU

Tel 020 7582 6500 Fax 020 7735 4666

Nacro head office will be moving in April 2008. Please see the website for contact details. www.nacro.org.uk

Nacro is a company limited by guarantee, registered London no. 203583, registered as a charity no. 226171 Nacro Community Enterprises (NCE) is a company limited by guarantee, registered London no. 1052098, a registered social landlord no. H2030, registered as a charity no. 264658 © Nacro November 2007

Sarafea Thanks,

If you’ve been inspired by the stories in this review, you can help more people like me to keep away from crime. My teachers used to say I’d never make it to year 10, but Nacro had faith in me. I’m calmer now. I want to be a professional football coach, and now I’ve got the grades I need for college. Nacro helped me to do something constructive.

Help more people like me keep away from crime.


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