Changing Directions offender mentoring project - Salford
About the project
This project helps offenders or those at risk of offending to adjust their lives. It began in March 2007 with a multi-agency steering group including Community Justice, Probation Service and the Youth Offending Service.
The mentor helps to address issues around offending, family relationships, debt and employment, supporting the offender and helping to build their self esteem and confidence and address issues in the life of the mentee. Volunteer mentors provide real support to assist in their resettlement within the Salford community where 66% of the 465 offenders released back into the community re-offend within two years.
The main objective of Changing Directions is to reduce offending and re-offending in Salford and build a relationship of trust whilst helping clients to integrate into their local community.
Priority groups are prolific offenders, community justice offenders, women and BME offenders, and those at high risk of offending.
The mentor helps to address issues around offending, family relationships, debt and employment, supporting the offender and helping to build their self esteem and confidence and address issues in the life of the mentee. Volunteer mentors provide real support to assist in their resettlement within the Salford community where 66% of the 465 offenders released back into the community re-offend within two years.
The main objective of Changing Directions is to reduce offending and re-offending in Salford and build a relationship of trust whilst helping clients to integrate into their local community.
Priority groups are prolific offenders, community justice offenders, women and BME offenders, and those at high risk of offending.
The relationship
Bernadette helped Tez to rebuild his self-esteem, supporting him through a 12-week Prince’s Trust Programme. She also encouraged him to apply for a work placement and to deal with the personal difficulties that faced him.
Impact of the relationship
“Tez was brilliant. He was confident and eloquent.”
Tez went on to talk of his experiences and the benefit of the mentoring relationship when taking part in the national Mentoring and Befriending annual conference, telling an audience of 300 how he had managed to turn his life around and obtain a work placement with a large Manchester property company. His moving story of sleeping on a park bench and living without hope was reported in the local press.
He now has a girlfriend and his own accommodation.
Speaking of his mentor he told the local press:
“Bernadette is someone I can trust and she made me realise things are not always that bad.
“Mentors can help you with so many things. I’ve got so much more confidence now thanks to the help of Bernadette. She made me realise you only get out of life what you put in.”
Bernadette said that it was mentoring and supporting someone like Tez that gave her enormous satisfaction from the volunteering work she undertakes. To see him transform into a completely different person was so rewarding.
“I allowed him to get a lot off his chest while going through major changes/events in his life,” she said.
Project details
Organisation: Salford Foundation
Location: Salford, Manchester M30 0PW
