User Voice may be small but they have a lot to say

Emma Parton

13/12/2013

It's a fair assumption that probation officers come into this line of work due to a genuine desire to help, support and change people’s lives. This is often due to personal life experiences that enable us to empathise with others.  My life could have turned out very differently but I somehow managed to channel my negative experiences into something positive and this led me to where I am today. I believe in change and want to support people to change. Someone once said that I was a 'rescuer' although this has been to my detriment at times. As a Probation Officer, finding the right balance of punishment and rehabilitation is difficult. The ever increasing layers of bureaucracy has seen the Probation Service focus primarily on enforcement and the traditional social work values of advise, assist, befriend have become diluted. In the five short years I've have worked for London Probation I've seen a rapidly changing service. Some of it good, some of it bad but there’s no doubt that the 'streamlining' of services; a fancy way of cutting resources is detrimental to the rehabilitation process.

Service users expect a lot from probation and whilst we genuinely want to meet expectations, the already shrinking service means we simply cannot deliver it all. This leaves me like others feeling frustrated. The biggest changes are yet to come with the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda and Chris Graylings crusade to create a disjointed, profit driven, untried and untested criminal justice system (this is only my view of course). The next 12 months I face uncertainty, worry and a moral dilemma; to CRC or not too CRC. Do I compromise my values to work for a company I do not believe in? Will it become a box ticking exercise? The truth is no one really knows.

Amongst the day to day probation politics there is User Voice. I've always been a supporter of their work and it's hard not to feel inspired by their passion and innovation. Quite simply they are a breath of fresh air in the changing world of changing Criminal Justice. I see service user involvement as fundamental to improving Criminal Justice services. It adds value, credibility, breeds creativity and is solution focused. The outcome does not only benefit the service user but also the staff. A positive probation experience encourages compliance and engagement. For the officer; less breaches, less paperwork, more job satisfaction. Service user feedback is a hot topic and I’ve been extremely impressed by the level of support from the senior management team. I credit Heather Munro’s enthusiasm for User Voice as instrumental in embedding service user involvement within London Probation.

At times the feedback is brutal, it makes people feel uncomfortable. It causes mixed emotions. Sometimes I cringe. It causes this reaction because we care about our work, our colleagues and our service users. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, Probation Officers like to do more than just breach and recall but no one wants to be told they are doing a bad job. That said it is important to mention that a lot of service users give praise to their officers and the support they receive. However there is always room for improvement and this is what the community councils seek to address. The Probation Service needs charities like User Voice to simply tell it like it is. They say what a lot of Probation staff wish they could say. I have been welcomed into the team and feel truly humbled to be a part of the rehabilitation revolution if only for a short time. The staff are lively, inspirational and committed to the User Voice mission and to each other. User voice may be small but they have a lot to say.

'Our greatest assets are those we seek to give a voice'

Chris Dossett

31/10/2013

‘What’s your story’ the youth wing of User Voice was born in 2011 following a consultation with over 740 young people across England. True to the principles of User Voice, young people themselves took their experiences directly to key decision makers, presenting their findings to Members of Parliament. The organisation has since evolved, engaging with well over 2000 young people with functioning youth advisory groups across the country; most of which I have had the privilege to be involved in. As we enter 2014 there has never been a more important time to give services users a voice and I believe User Voice is the most equip to do so.

The successive government now admits “we did a great job punishing people, we did a great job with crime going down and we did a poor job reforming people. We need to make sure there is mentoring, a buddying system, giving probation the autonomy they need.” – Sadiq Khan Shadow Justice Secretary (2013). Currently, under Justice Secretary Chris Grayling the criminal justice system is being privatised, untested on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to monitor impact on services users. User Voice is the mechanism in which to do so as it exists to bridge the once vacuum between those who decide policy and those that experience it. Offering some of the most excluded people in our society to have a say over decisions that affect their lives.

Having worked across the youth service, youth offending service and on the troubled families agenda, as well as studying participation; never have I seen such genuine empowerment as witnessed since joining User Voice 6 months ago. I contribute this to our model of engagement and that User Voice lives its values as an organisation; employing those who have been through the criminal justice system. This is unique as it is apparent through the entire organisation from the CEO, to management, right to the front line. In doing so User Voice has developed a team with genuine expertise and experience of the problems we seek to solve, creating genuine passion and understanding which lacks in other organisations. 

With a democratic progress of engagement I have witnessed young people empowered and able to offer some of the most insightful understanding to offending I have ever heard. With such strong values through our organisation I see our staff motivating institutions and our many partners within the criminal justice system; enabling them to better understand the experiences of the very people they are employed to work with.

Whilst I remain optimistic, not everyone believes in giving us a voice, nor anyone who has ever offended. Our journey as an organisation must continue as we produce growing evidence that our model works and we continue to challenge the very culture of our institutions and society.

I would like to conclude by stating that our greatest assets are those we seek to give a voice, those who are turning their experiences of crime into positive, beneficial and lasting change for others. I feel deeply privileged to have the opportunity to learn from them every day. 

'It's fair to say if you do the crime you do the time, but how the time is spent will determine whether or not they will serve further time in prison'

Tanayah Sam

09/10/2013

For the past 20 months I’ve had the privilege of being a Programme Manager for User Voice. 

I facilitate three Prison Councils, which requires me to work inside those establishments four days a week. The job at times can be challenging but even more rewarding. User Voice Prison Council is not just a means for Prisoners to have their voices heard, but also at times it has enabled prison staff to have their voices heard also. 

It’s been three years since I was released from prison having served a 9 year prison sentence. The irony of it is the jail for which I received the 9 year sentence is the jail I now spend two days a week in facilitating the User Voice Prison Council and its Director was the Governor of one the jails I served time in on that sentence.

Since my release I’ve always had a strong desire to be involved in an organisation that pushed for a service user response within the criminal justice system. Facilitating space for co-production, enabling the service user and service provider to have dialogue to create better opportunities for rehabilitation and showcase desistance. 

It’s fair to say if you do the crime you do the time. But how the time is spent for many will determine whether or not they will serve further time in prison in their future. Only offenders can stop offending so the service user should have a voice in how best services can provide a meaningful service to help them break the cycle. 

"We are the vehicle for the young people; we carry their voices and their courage to the decision makers"

Ricky Sykes
09/09/2013

Hi, my name is Ricky and I work for User Voice as an Assistant Programme Manager, working on youth projects.

To find myself working with User Voice has been a great inspirational journey; day in and day out I still feel the privilege of working on my passion which is supporting young people.

For many years as I ground away at life with the little wisdom I had, I would ask myself time and time again, why do things keep going wrong?  Why do I find myself making the same mistakes over and over again, finding myself in situations and places surrounded with the same people making the same mistakes as I was? It wasn’t until coming to work with User Voice that I got my answers to the numerous why’s that I had asked myself over and over. I now understand that it was to give me that depth, that understanding and that energy to help transform Young People’s lives through my own experience of challenges, victories and failures.  I now find I am able to truly relate with the struggles these young people are facing daily, (and the direction they are heading in), if they aren’t to receive the support, understanding and care they so need.

To be a part of a team of people with the same passion and drive as myself at User Voice is also a privilege I find myself in every day of the  week,  as we come together to bring about change.  We are the vehicle for the young people; we carry their voices and their courage to the decision makers who then get the opportunity to hear from young people first hand; their struggles, desires, and their ambition, as they try to positively affect their own and their peer’s lives despite the challenging environments they face daily.

I believe that Young People should be allowed their mistakes; I explain to them that this doesn't mean I don’t want them to make the right choices but I do respect their personal journeys.  They may stumble, but that isn't necessarily a reflection of the quality of the work being done with the individual. I try to remain open minded and non-judgmental allowing young people the room to make mistakes and to grow from them; they know that I will be there for them regardless and that I value them.

‘’The proof is in the pudding!” so they say, well if that’s the case then I have tasted some pretty tasty proof puddings whilst being at User Voice!  My colleagues and I have witnessed some amazing transformations take place in the many Youth Offending Services we have worked in. To witness the change in character from the young people as they really feel listened to, valued and respected is amazing and never fails to remind me of why I work with User Voice.

My thanks to all the User Voice team and young people that I've worked with for your trust and belief that things can get better as long as we keep  believing  in people.

I will continue to do my best to bring about positive change as I work here at User Voice and as I gain more privileges meeting more young people and the professionals working with them, and enjoy my journey and learning that is never ending.

Poetic Justice

Shauna Dacres

30/08/2013

One wrong mistake took me out; I felt that I was drowning in the mist of my tears when the judge sentenced me to 5 years imprisonment. I felt this way because I saw my life flash before me. Every second, every minute, of every day, I felt that I wasted the last years of my teenage years being in prison and not doing anything remotely constructive. I remember I was put on a ‘Restorative Justice’ course: Sycamore Tree. I knew nothing about this; the only indication of what was meant by the word ‘restorative’ was to amend.

I started the course thinking that it would not benefit me. However, I found that it had helped me to help myself in dealing with the hurt and pain that I caused my family and me; I learnt to accept.

The course was designed to raise victim awareness and also to bring the offender face to face with the victim so that they could have their questions answered with an apology. This was a unique opportunity for the victim and the offender to communicate so they both could find closure and move forward.

During the course I found useful tools that would help me to understand how my actions can and would affect those around me.  For example, the ‘ripple’ effect, this was demonstrated by the offender dropping a coin in a pool of water which would then create ripples throughout the pool. The coin represented me and the ripples where my actions and each ripple got bigger as the coin sank.

From that day on my outlook on life changed, I had more consideration for others, I cared about what people felt or thought. Most of all I cared about what I had put my family thought. Desperately trying to gain the respect and trust from my family especially my mum, I made a conscious decision that when I left prison I would try my best to help young people from going to prison and wasting their teenage years, as I knew having been locked up day after day, and night after night. This was no life for a young person who hasn’t lived or seen the world. There was more to life than just sleeping, there was more to life than just 4 walls and a small window that I could hardly stick one leg out of. There was more to life than looking at walls with disturbing thoughts of previous prisoners.

I wished and hope for the day I walked to freedom, I wish for the words ‘you’re free to go’. I often thought to myself, once I’m free what as the future got in store for me? Will I ever find employment? Will they accept me for me? Will I ever put the past behind me and will I cope?

Lo and behold I was free, after serving a two and a half year sentence. Upon release I had set myself targets that would help me get back on track and start my life again. I was lucky enough to have the help of service providers who helped me find employment. I had been short listed to go for an interview for a social enterprise scheme CanDo Coffee, who wanted to offer employment to people who had been involved with the criminal justice system. I was happy for the opportunity of employment and because they cared to help those with a criminal conviction, and I accepted the position as a Coffee vendor. Unbeknown to me the work I wanted to get involved with was a stone’s throw away from me, at User Voice! This gave me the pleasure of working on the Youth Team as a Youth Engagement Coordinator. Carrying out the responsibility of this role has enabled me to help young people to engage in positive and meaningful activities. It also allows me to share the journey that I have been on at such a young age. If I can reach out to one individual and make a difference in their day to day life then for me it is job done.

This is my blog...

Joanna Stabler
27/08/2013

To be forgiven.  Without judgement or blame.  To forgive myself.  Space to be honest with weaknesses.  Accept and be accepted by others without pretence. To be given another chance.   To see the best in everyone.  To be a friend you want to be, without ‘something’ holding you back. Accomplish balance.  Overcome embarrassment.  Listen as well as to be listened to.  Be open to the outcome.

This is me, or who I want to be

I try, I fail, and I learn & give it another go

This is me, this is User Voice?
This is why I believe

I’m not an expert, and will never pretend to be, but I do have belief.

That’s my passion, this is my blog!!!

Rehabilitation and Santa Claus; what's the difference?

Zoe Kennerson

19/8/2013

One is a social concept constructed on the understanding that hard work and behavioural change can reap benefit and reward, however is dismissed by many who doubt evidence of its existence…..the other is a fictional character created to encourage compliance.

So do we believe in rehabilitation?  Do we believe in change?

As an ex-offender and an ex-addict I believe! I believe that I am evidence that people can change, and that not only does rehabilitation exist, it is possible.

I began working for User Voice in October 2012 as a Programme Manager on a Peer Mentoring Project. It was during this work that I began to wonder if others shared my belief and recognised the potential in people and the power of change.

Criminal Justice Services seek not only to punish people who break the law, but to aid rehabilitation and support change. Surely for this to be achieved we need to believe it is possible?

So is rehabilitation real or just another myth like Santa Claus?

We often hear people talk about change, reform, desistance and rehabilitation. We see services strive to achieve and sell the benefits of reform. But do they really believe in it, that it truly exists?

Mum’s, Dads, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles all tell their young children about Santa. “Be good” they say, “Santa is watching!”   They spend lots of money on presents (to hide and pretend Santa delivered) and they prepare for his arrival on Christmas Eve. Like those trying to support people to rehabilitate, a lot of effort and energy is put into Santa, all the right things are said and done, but his actual existence is still dis-believed. A whimsy for children who know no better!

So how do we make people believe? Not just say they believe, but actually believe! We show them. We show them that not only does it exist, it works!!!

Through my work at User Voice I have been lucky enough to meet lots of rehabilitated “ex-offenders” who have made changes to their lives and are committed to helping others to do the same. My role includes training and supporting peer mentors to provide a service to people in the Criminal Justice System. I see rehabilitated people on a daily basis and my observations tell me that rehabilitation is real! I am fortunate enough to be in a position that enables me to see past the statistics.

The people I work with are evidence of change, the living proof! Not only have they been successful in not re-offending, but they offer hope and inspiration to others who wish to change.

It is human nature that if you are going to try something new (always a daunting prospect when hard work is involved), you look to others who have already done it, to give you some advice and guidance. Surely it makes sense that this opportunity should be available for those looking to stop offending.  Having a peer mentor who has rehabilitated and understands the dynamics of change can be so beneficial for marginalised individuals who want to change. I work with peer mentors who on a daily basis make a conscious decision to live their lives in a different way. These people are thoughtful, insightful, reflective, self-aware, sharing and hard working.

Peer mentoring is a powerful service that contributes towards the reduction of reoffending by providing an opportunity for people to share their own experiences and support others who are in situations they have experienced.

Peer mentoring in criminal justice services is the evidence base that change and rehabilitation are possible.

Of paramount importance, peer mentoring is about belief.  I like my colleagues at User Voice and the team of peer mentors I support, all believe in rehabilitation. We believe it, because we have lived it!   And we believe that the people we work with can achieve it too….…