Violence Intervention Project Annual Report 2021-22

Introduction

The VIP Project aims to reduce re-offending and equip young people aged 10-24 with the skills they require to lead successful lives. Funded by the Violence Reduction Network, it provides specialist education, training and employment support to young people who have been referred from the custody suite or accident and emergency with violence-related injuries.

The VIP Project has been operational from January 2022. Since its inception, we have received 27 referrals from Turning Point, of whom 22 have engaged in the project. Over 50% of the participants who engaged have raised their aspirations and attained education, training, and employment outcomes. Some of our key learning is based on providing interventions on a person-centred basis and adapting flexible methods of delivery to encourage engagement from participants.

Key successes

Some of our key successes for this year are:

• 22 young people engaged
• 15 attained ETE outcomes
• 15 Goal setting sessions
• 10 CV building sessions
• 8 CV clinic sessions
• 13 Job search sessions
• 12 Employability sessions
• 2 Music therapy and learning sessions in collaboration with Seraphim Studio and Powering up Project (ongoing)

During their engagement in the project, some participants admitted that they engaged in criminal behaviour due to the absence of the right influences. As part of the intervention provided, we collaborated with members of the business community to obtain career support, mentorship, and feedback on CVs. Social capital (one of the six capitals identified in the Levelling Up white paper) has been evidenced within our work as we have built relationships based on trust between our participants, the business community, and the wider community.

Find out more about some of our mentorship sessions at Mentorship a community approach to reducing Crime | Leicestershire Cares and Bridging the gap between prison and the workplace | Leicestershire Cares

Challenges

One of the main challenges we faced was inconsistent attendance by some participants. In order to overcome this, we organised taxis for some of our participants and offered virtual options to others to enable them fit sessions in around their lives.

Another challenge participants experienced was an unwillingness to work and an overreliance on the benefits system. To deal with this, we developed and delivered goal setting and mentorship sessions to raise participants’ aspirations.

A third challenge we faced was complex issues amongst participants related to mental wellbeing which require external therapeutic support. Referrals and introductions have been made with partner mental health organisations to help participants access the support they require.

for some of our participants and offered virtual options to others to enable them fit sessions in around their lives.

Another challenge participants experienced was an unwillingness to work and an overreliance on the benefits system. To deal with this, we developed and delivered goal setting and mentorship sessions to raise participants’ aspirations.

A third challenge we faced was complex issues amongst participants related to mental wellbeing which require external therapeutic support. Referrals and introductions have been made with partner mental health organisations to help participants access the support they require.

Opportunities

The government’s plan to address deprivation in certain areas creates many opportunities for the VIP Project to link with wider schemes and national interventions. For example, the government’s plan is to focus on the skills, health, and experience of the workforce, including investing more funding in adult education.

As part of the work we have been doing with our participants on the VIP project, we seek to help them identify areas of strength and opportunities to upskill themselves through work experience and apprenticeships. We also aim to help participants raise their aspirations by creating intentional encounters with employers, employees, workplaces, and institutions of higher education. As such, there is a strong alignment between our work and the government’s Levelling Up agenda, which puts us in an ideal position to leverage additional support for the VIP Project.

Priorities

Over the next year, the VIP project will continue to provide interventions on a person-centred basis. The levelling up agenda aims to reduce homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime by 2030 with a focus being placed on the worst affected areas. In line with this aim, the interventions delivered by the VIP Project will aim to steer young people away from criminality by raising their aspirations. We aim to:

• Secure more funding from the Violence Reduction Network to continue the VIP project
• Create more mentorship opportunities for young people
• Obtain ongoing feedback from YP on services provided – Utilizing video, audio, and written formats
• Seek out apprenticeships and work experience opportunities
• Collaborate with community groups and schools to provide violence prevention workshops

Case Study

TC joined the VIP Project in February 2022. TC attended a goal setting session and an employability session, along with various key working appointments. During these sessions, TC was able to acknowledge the intense trauma he had experienced and commit to personal development. He accessed support from other third-party organisations and read books provided by his VIP ETE worker to raise his aspirations and move to a more motivated, positive mindset.

This enabled TC to start taking steps towards his preferred role, which he felt was in education. Using the information and support he received from Leicestershire Cares, TC took the initiative and liaised with his former headteacher who expressed understanding of TC’s situation and confirmed that she would inform TC if a suitable employment position became available at his old secondary school.

When discussing his career options with his VIP worker at Leicestershire Cares, TC realised that he did not value money and had no wish to become rich but just wanted enough money to pay his bills and live a good life. It was more important for him to have a job he enjoyed. TC expressed a desire to work in customer services roles and he was able to secure various interviews. With the support he received from the VIP ETE worker at Leicestershire Cares, TC successfully secured and started a sales position with a local company.