Making Waves

Summary Report Crossroads Trust

August 2013 - August 2014

Contents
Page
Operations Manager Overview

Report of the Director

responsible for: risk
management, support
supervision for mentors and
volunteer/mentor training.

Project: Transforming Lives

10

Project: Earth Project

11

Project: CLIP

13

Project: Hao Shen

14

Project Evaluation:
Transforming Lives

15

Crossroads & Social Media

18

Supporters

19

Overview

!
As the Operations Manager for the Crossroads Trust I am delighted to be able to
report on a very successful <irst year of operations. The Crossroads Trust was
established as a not for pro<it social enterprise in August 2013. Since this time
due to an incredible team of volunteers it has evolved into one of the Midlands
leading peer-mentoring services.
For me personally it is with great pride I re<lect and see just how far the Trust has
developed and now making waves in the community rehabilitating individuals
with criminal convictions. As one of the original founders and an ex-offender
myself I identi<ied from my own personal experience a great need to help e-
offenders coming out of prison and resettling back to North Warwickshire.
Crossroads through its peer mentoring service is able to support individuals
involved in the criminal justice system who want to make a positive change for
themselves and their families. The aim being to help reduce the risk of re-
offending and transform lives for the better. Leaving prison can often be a
bewildering experience and the transition of resettling back into the community
can be challenging.
To understand the extent of the challenges and support required it was necessary
to facilitate focus groups made up of ex-offenders. Warwickshire Probation Trust
helped Crossroads Trust set up the <irst focus groups at Warwickshire Justice
Centre in Nuneaton. The focus groups produced invaluable research and
provided the grounding for prioritsing project work. In particular our
Transforming Lives Project. This project provides the individual with a carefully
selected matched mentor. Mentoring support is provided for at least 12 months
post release from prison.
Crossroads soon learnt from referrals that there are many in the community who
are struggling and receive no support. Such individuals were asking the Trust for
help often desperate because there was no support out there for them. In such
cases there is always a heightened risk of re-offending and the Trust will focus in
its next year of development to help and provide the necessary support required.
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

In the beginning we were coordinating support activities from a Directors home

address; today we have an of<ice base at Community House in Atherstone where
we coordinate our operations. Crossroads has a Board of 5 directors to help
manage the business ef<iciently and safely. Including a Criminal Justice Adviser
and Desistence Manager, Operations Manager, Communications Manager,
Employment Engagement Manager and a Chinese integrated medicine therapist.
All of our Directors bring a diversity of skills and expertise to the table and have
been instrumental in the successful development of the Crossroads Trust.

The mission of the Crossroads Trust is to peer mentor individuals with criminal
convictions being released from prison into the local communities of North
Warwickshire and surrounding areas. Including the towns of Atherstone,
Nuneaton and Bedworth. The Trust also supports individuals who may already
be struggling in the community due to the stigma of criminal convictions. Our
articles of association clearly specify our mission and our work and are available
on our website at www.crossroadstrust.org.uk
The Trust has a large team of 32 volunteers. 64% of who are individuals with
criminal records. We have been truly blessed by the diversity and expertise of
our volunteer base that contribute to the work of the Trust. This includes 4 ex-
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Probation Of<icers, a safeguarding lecturer, expert Domestic Violence risk

Manager, ex prison of<icer, special needs coordinator, an FA soccer coach, as well
as individuals with personal experience of the criminal justice system. All of our
volunteers receive mentoring training to prepare them for their role. At the time
of writing this report the Trust is in the process of obtaining accreditation for its
reintegrative mentoring training. OCN Level 4 Learning via Wycombe and
Amersham College will accredit the training.
It is true to say the <irst twelve months has been very much a learning curve for
both Directors and volunteers. From the start of setting up the business it was
clear we needed to keep everybody safe, as well as build the foundation for
developing a successful business, which had sustainable services. The <irst twelve
months has been largely about getting our infrastructure in place. This includes
management structures, governance arrangements, training and funding. We
have been assisted by expert business advice and coaching provided by Coventry
& Warwickshire Cooperative Development Agency as well as Coventry &
Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. I would also like to personally thank the
charity UnLtd for helping to provide the start up costs to get Crossroads Trust
registered with Companies House and up and running.
Thanks to a grant from the National Offender Management Service the Trust has
been working toward the National Mentoring & Befriending Foundation
Approved Provider Standard Award. This quality assurance award for our
mentoring services will be in place by September 2014. Such benchmarks are
crucial to our development as an organization as it demonstrates our credibility,
transparency and the fact our safeguarding procedures are robust to keep
everyone involved with Crossroads safe.
In its <irst year of operations the Trust has been very successful with grant
applications to fund its projects. This includes Awards for All (Big Lottery
Funding), Warwickshire County Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council,
Heart of England Community Foundation, UnLtd and North Warwickshire CAVA.
The Crossroads Trust team of Directors and volunteers are grateful for not only
the <inancial support of these agencies but their belief in our peer mentoring
work, which is transforming lives.
As a social enterprise and a business the Trust has a responsibility to generate
the substantial part of its income from generating business opportunities. We
cannot be reliant on grants for sustainability of services. The challenge of our
second year of operations is to achieve developing business which income
generates. Using the expertise of our team we are currently exploring the setting
up of Cash for Clothes recycling business, gardening maintenance services and a
bike repair business.
Our aim is also to raise our pro<ile with employers in the region. The evidence
suggests the main reason for reoffending is the inability of an individual to obtain
employment. A criminal conviction is often a barrier to employment for many
due to the nature of the conviction and disclosure issues. Employers also need to
understand the changes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act in 2014 and its
implications for recruitment of individuals with criminal convictions.
Engagement with key employers will be a focus of the next year building on our
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

success already. There is a huge talent pool of individuals amongst our client base
who just require a second chance. The evidence suggests taking on ex-offenders
is very successful for businesses as they are more likely to stay with the business
and have less sickness and absence than individuals who do not have a criminal
record.
It is important to mention a lot of our early efforts were involved in attending
networking meetings for the Ministry of Justice Transforming rehabilitation
reform programme. The reforms open up the market to a diverse range of
rehabilitation providers through Community Rehabilitation Companies. The plan
was to consider working with the new Community Rehabilitation Company for
Warwickshire once it was known who the successful provider would be. The
Trust submitted a competitive tender to companies expressing an interest in
becoming a provider of community rehabilitation services. The aim being to
secure a contract, which would fund mentoring, services and provides salaries
for project workers. It became clear the process was complicated and timescales
for delivery kept changing, as did the mood of the local Probation Trust to work
with Crossroads as mentoring agencies. After much discussion at Board level and
engaging with volunteers and clients it was decided our strength would be to be
independent from the criminal justice system and therefore our strategy was to
remove us from the transforming rehabilitation process.
To continue our success it is vital we do not rely on volunteers entirely. Our focus
in the next twelve months will be to secure funding for salaried Project workers
to help develop the Trust to the next level.
As well as our robust links with relevant support agencies in the area. Crossroads
strength in its <irst year has been taking advantage of networking opportunities
and working in partnership with agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, to
enable individuals with criminal records to put the past behind them and move
forward positively with their lives. In partnership we are making waves raising
the pro<ile of the mentoring work of the Crossroads Trust and the great need to
help a vulnerable group of individuals who are part of our communities.
Crossroads Directors and volunteers represent the Trust on strategic groups such
as the North Warwickshire Financial Inclusion Group, Community Action North,
Nuneaton and Voluntary Action North Forum. Such representation means
individuals with criminal convictions have a voice at a strategic level whereby
evidence we supply of the issues can help inform and reshape policy, which may
have an impact on our client group.
To change is to be perfect and to be perfect is to
change often. Crossroads Trust has an exciting next
stage of its development to look forward to as together
we continue to learn, evolve and grow. Peer mentoring
works and together we are all making a difference to
individuals and making our communities safer.
John Beesley
Volunteer Operations Manager
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Report of the Director responsible

for: risk management, support
supervision for mentors and
volunteer/mentor training.
I joined the team in January 2014 and have worked
speci<ically to assist Crossroads Trust develop robust, safe
risk assessment and management processes; I have
managed the interaction between clients and mentors and
have been responsible for managing the risk connected
with such work. I am responsible for training and learning
development.
Crossroads Trust Directors have developed policies and procedures to effectively
and safely manage such work in the community. We have been busy making
preparations for our <irst inspection by the Mentoring & Befriending Foundation,
with the aim of being awarded The Approved Provider Standard (APS). This is
the national quality standard designed speci<ically for all types of mentoring and
befriending projects. Projects which are assessed as meeting the requirements of
the standard are accredited for three years and undergo a thorough inspection
including. To achieve this award will ensure Crossroads is the only accredited
mentoring organization in Warwickshire.
In terms of training, Crossroads Trust is busy working toward OCN Level 3
accreditation for its Reintegrative Mentoring. The Trust is working with OCN
Credit 4 Learning in conjunction with Amersham and Wycombe College to
achieve this goal. The training package will comprise of several units, including,
mentoring individuals with convictions, safeguarding and safe working, and
domestic abuse awareness for volunteers, motivational interviewing and
involuntary client training. We will be delivering this accredited training to our
own volunteers, and those from other voluntary organisations.
Reintegrative Mentoring was a phrase coming from the work of John
Braithwaite who wrote about reintegrative shaming in the criminal justice
system, to encourage people who commit crime to be ashamed of their actions,
but at the same time, to allow them to be reintegrated into the community. We
felt that to reintegrate citizens into our community by way of mentoring sounded
like an effective, non-stigmatizing way of thinking about clients with convictions.
It felt like a non-labeling, forward thinking form of mentoring.
Since launching our Transforming Lives project we have successfully offered life-
changing peer mentoring to our clients. This includes signi<icant increases in self
con<idence, well being, debt reduction, health improvements including mental
health, of refurbishment of homes, of improving social activities and in ensuring
that our clients feel like valued members of the North Warwickshire community.
I have offered support supervision sessions with all mentors, and this system
appears to have worked really well in monitoring and managing risk, in
reassuring safe practice and in retaining our mentor volunteers. As a response to
training requests, for example; domestic abuse awareness, we have incorporated
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

this into our training repertoire. This indicates responsive support we provide to
volunteers, as well as ensuring that they attain meaningful quali<ications whilst
working with us.

Some of our Crossroads mentors

have attained HSE First Aid at
Work after meeting Steve Tiso,
First Aid trainer via Twitter.

1 Braithwaite, John (1989). Crime,

Shame, and Reintegration.
Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Crossroads Trust Projects include:

Transforming Lives Project
Crossroads Earth Project
Clothes Line Initiative Project
Hao Shen Project

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Transforming Lives
The Crossroads Trust was delighted to receive grant funding in August from Awards
for All Big Lottery to support its Transforming Lives Project. The Transforming Lives
Project is an innovative way of helping to reduce re-offending rates in Warwickshire
and promote safer communities. The Trust provides mentoring training for dedicated
volunteers from the communities of North Warwickshire to support its clients. Some
of the Trusts volunteer mentors have had personal experience of the criminal justice
system themselves and successfully turned their lives around for the better.

Following referral to the Project our risk assessor will assess the individuals
immediate needs. The Crossroads Trust will provide the much-needed support
required to help with the individuals integration and resettlement back into the local
community. Promoting social inclusion by working with individuals in their own
communities. Up until now often the support needed has not been available or
accessible and individuals leave prison with just a 46 discharge grant, and often have
nowhere to go or nobody to help them. The Transforming Lives Project will provide
the support necessary to help change lives for the better. The funding will secure the
sustainability of the great work the Project does for individuals leaving prison for the
next 12 months. The focus of Transforming Lives is encouraging positive lifestyles by
providing peer mentoring support.

The main support required is help with

access into meaningful employment. So
individuals with criminal records can be
economically independent. Our mentors
give them hope by building their selfconfidence and self-esteem. Their mentor
will be there to guide them on their new
journey to be a law-abiding citizen.
Signpost them where necessary so they
stay focused and keep on the right track.

From its early pilot work what is truly awesome about Transforming Lives is the
community of North Warwickshire coming together to take responsibility and work in
partnership to help ex-offenders reintegrate back into society and desist from
offending.

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Crossroads Trust EARTH Project

In the beginning there were weeds.
Crossroads Trust's EARTH project is
a community-based project designed
to support community members
with convictions to stop offending
behaviour. Supported by a grant
from North Warwickshire CAVA it is
based In Atherstone, North
Warwickshire. The aim is to provide
a supported route for men and
women with convictions to reintegrate back into our community, offering a sense
of hope, encouragement and new con<idence. A pathway to learn new skills and
a way to potentially gain employment.

It is exceptionally dif<icult for people with
convictions, particularly ex-prisoners, to
secure and sustain employment upon
release from custody. This can be due to
employers being unwilling to employ
anyone with a criminal record, or because
sometimes individuals lack the skills,
motivation or experience necessary to
work. Naturally enough, this means that it
is very easy to slip back into old criminal
thoughts and habits. EARTH project hopes
to change this by helping people to build
and develop a range of new positive
relationships, social responsibilities and
communicative skills. This makes re-
offending less
likely and community connection far more likely.
Gardening and horticulture are healing tools for
many conditions. Psychological and medical
research has demonstrated that the presence of
plants makes us feel better, being in the open air,
working with the earth all have noted therapeutic
effects on us. Garden settings can be bene<icial for
people with mental illness, as well as those
recovering from trauma. For example, people
healed faster when they were simply given a
hospital room with a view of a garden. Simple
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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

physical activity can have profound healing effects. Exercise lifts the mood; it
eases depressive illnesses and helps release positive hormones into the
bloodstream.
Doing something with the community, for the bene<it of the community is
uplifting. It gives us a sense of purpose and connection to the area around us.
This empowers our clients to feel a connection to the North Warwickshire
community, to care about their piece of land and the people around them.
EARTH project encourages a link to the
community.

The EARTH project offers a supported

environment to make constructive use of time
and to enable our clients with convictions to
work as part of the community. It provides a
restorative environment to stimulate our
senses. A relaxing way to unwind and be
productive in the process. The quiet time
allows us to gather our thoughts, re<lect on
things that weigh on our minds, or maybe to
just forget them for the time being and think of
more pleasant things.

EARTH
Empowerment.

Action.

Reintegrate.

Therapeutic.

Healing
Neil Cox Project Lead

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Clothes Line Initiative Project (CLIP)

Supported by a grant provided by the Heart of
England Community Foundation the largest
independent grant maker in Coventry,
Warwickshire and Solihull. The Clothes
Line Initiative Project (CLIP) has been
successfully supporting clients in North
Warwickshire. Including the towns of
Nuneaton and Bedworth.

The Trust has a storage facility in Atherstone

from where clothing items are dispatched to
individuals in need throughout the region.
Every clothing donation from the community
helps to transform the lives of individuals
who are in need. Crossroads works with
individuals striving to turn their lives around
to lead positive law abiding lives.

From our early work we discovered many of our clients were leaving prison with only
the clothes they are wearing. This situation really is unacceptable. Can you imagine
not having a change of clothing? How are they supposed to manage with their
resettlement back into the community without adequate clothing? The Trust is able to
provide donated clothes and new underwear and socks to give them some dignity. We
are also being contacted by referral agencies to help homeless individuals who have
no possessions and looking to get their lives back on track. There is such a great need
for the clothes bank facility in North Warwickshire. The communities of Atherstone,
Nuneaton and Bedworth have been fantastic with their generous support of the
Clothes Bank. Giving a helping hand to individuals motivated to change their lives for
the better is a community responsibility.

Lucy Hall, CLIP Project Lead

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Hao Shen Project

Steve is an accredited practitioner
in Integrated Oriental Medicine
(IOM) and facilitates the
Crossroads Hao Shen Project. Hao
Shen means "good spirit". It
involves integrated therapies,
which Steve has become quali<ied
in to deliver in recent years. IOM
is practical, not mystical, and is
based on sound, effective
principles. It has had a positive
impact and proven to be very
effective for Crossroads clients
encouraging positive thinking.
Oriental medicine is a complete system, and is holistic, it deals with practices
built upon the Chinese medical theory of balance: the "san h sheng" (3
Harmonies) - harmonizing what was called the blood, or cardiovascular system;
the Qi, or respiratory system; and the spirit, or nervous system.
Hao Shen deals with meditation, target speci<ic health exercise, breathing
method, physical therapy, activating acupuncture channels with needles, or in a
speci<ic way without them, sport style rehabilitation, and several adjunct
therapies.
Its exercise form is a gentle but effective alternative to <itness regimes like gym
work, or circuit training. It is the combination of Integrated Oriental Medicine
knowledge, tailored speci<ic to the individual or a group, along with exercises,
breathing methods, social interaction and with a calming mental focus. Our
clients actively engage and love doing Hao Shen because it helps them to cope
with anxiety and feel better about themselves.
Steve Wallbank Project Lead

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
August 2014
An Interim Evaluation of
THE TRANSFORMING LIVES PROJECT
Crossroads Trust
North Warwickshire
Beverley Gilbert DipPS, BA (Hons), MA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An internal evaluation of the Transforming Lives project has been completed; a
mentoring service delivered by Crossroads Trust, North Warwickshire that is
designed speci<ically as a peer mentoring initiative. Providing motivated mentors
to guide, support and inspire law abiding citizens with criminal records to
develop the attitudes and skills that will help them become successful in their
personal lives, to help alleviate the risk of social exclusion and support them to
make a positive contribution to society. The evaluation was undertaken internally
to ascertain the effectiveness of the project with a view to extending it with more
clients in Nuneaton, Bedworth, Atherstone and North Warwickshire areas.
Crossroads Trust have had con<irmation that their volunteer and mentor training
programme has received Level 3 OCN accreditation. This demonstrates a robust,
quality programme of training and support for all involved. At the time of
submitting this report, Crossroads Trust is awaiting the outcome of an inspection
by the Mentoring & Befriending Foundation regarding their Approved Provider
Standards (APS).

Conclusions

This evaluation concludes that the Crossroads Trust Transforming Lives

project, in the three-month period from 31st May until 31st August 2014, is
a well delivered, robustly managed initial project from Crossroads Trust.

It seems able to play a signi<icant part in the local coordinated community

response to the lives of those affected by crime.

Crossroads Trust provides excellent value for money in terms of delivery

of Transforming Lives.

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

It is clear from the evaluations, questionnaires and personal testimonies

of the four clients that have piloted Transforming Lives, that the project
has and is certainly having a profound impact on them as individuals and
is improving self worth, con<idence, employability and their commitment
to their own communities in leading a positive, non offending lifestyle.

It is hard to see how sustainable this project will be unless further funding
can be located to roll out this project further and to extend it in terms of
numbers of clients supported past 31 May 2015. This is when the Big
Lottery Awards for All funding <inishes.

Further funding applications should be made given the early success of

the Transforming Lives project, or methods of self-<inancing could be
explored.

Should Crossroads Trust be able to secure further funding, this approach

to assisting ex offenders in the community of North Warwickshire,
Nuneaton and Bedworth is likely to make a difference to individuals, their
families and indeed the whole community in terms of social inclusion,
reduced risk of reoffending and reduction in deprivation and
disadvantage.

It re<lects the UK government's stance in promoting peer mentoring as a

way forward in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Peer mentoring is a cost effective, potentially effective way for local

communities to re-engage ex offender individuals returning to the
community from prison.

The approach builds on social capital and resilience within deprived and
denied communities.

The potential number of peer mentoring individuals possessing the

necessary experience, aptitude and skills may be small.

Hopefully, the relatively large number of well suited peer mentors

volunteering with Crossroads Trust, coupled with accredited training and
skilled risk assessment and management will ensure that this
organisation will thrive. However, this might be in<luenced by the future
funding options that such an organisation can access and the denial of
support by certain sections of the county who will continue to
discriminate against ex offenders in the community.

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Recommendations

That the Transforming Lives project should be rolled out with a larger
cohort of clients after further funding is secured.

That volunteers, mentors and peer mentors should receive high quality
accredited mentoring training and be recognised by quali<ications
re<lecting their role.

That peer mentors should be nurtured and included in all Crossroads

Trust activities to promote their inclusion and ensure that they feel valued
within the organisation.

That successful Transforming Lives clients, who are deemed suitable and
committed, be trained and prepared to replicate the peer mentoring
approach and become accredited peer mentors themselves.

That Crossroads Trust, in the face of discrimination related to community

members with convictions being involved in such a project; seek
alternative self-<inancing options for future project sustainability.

That given the level of prejudice towards volunteers and mentors with
convictions within the criminal justice system, that Crossroads Trust
preserve its independence and work more closely with the voluntary,
third sector organisations and those within the North Warwickshire area
who embrace diversity.

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

Social Media Links

Crossroads Trust has had a very positive
experience making use of the Twitter social
media network, developing new contacts,
access to resources, links, and initiatives
nationally. As a result, we have developed
useful links with academics and specialist
advisers in the criminal justice system, of
organisations similar to our own in areas as
widespread as Grimsby, Burnley and London.
We have taken peer mentors up to a No
Offence CIC criminal justice conference in
York and have been shortlisted from over 60
applications for a Social Enterprise West
Midlands Award 2014.
Jonathan Robinson, prison author, attended our launch on 31 May 2014.
He has remained in contact with us offering his encouragement, personal
contacts and links.

Social Events
Crossroads Trust has participated in food
bank collections for North Warwickshire
Food Bank, and in a fund raising quiz
night for the Volunteer Centre in
Bulkington as the winning team. We have
robust links with local church groups, the
voluntary sector in our area and with
those working to make the community as
safer, more inclusive place to live and
work.

Crossroads meets the Mayor of

North Warwickshire, Councilor
Ray Sweet

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Crossroads Trust Annual report 2013-2014

A big thank you to all our supporters

The Crossroads Board of Directors and team of volunteers would like to thank
the communities of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth for their
incredible support. To the numerous agencies including the voluntary sector that
have been immense with their guidance and help to ensure Crossroads has a
robust foundation and infrastructure on which to develop. And a big thank you to
the funders without whom we could not have got Crossroads started. They
include:

UnLtd
Awards for All: Big Lottery
Warwickshire County Council
Heart of England Community Foundation
National Offender Management Service
North Warwickshire Borough Council
Warwickshire CAVA

Some individuals have gone the extra mile and we will always be indebted to
them for their encouragement, support and wisdom.
1. Davina Key, Locality Manager, North Warwickshire CAVA
2. Shamsher Dhasani, Business Coach, Coventry & Warwickshire
Cooperative Development Agency.
3. Jo Giblin, Community Development Worker, Northern team,
Warwickshire County Council.
4. Carol Musgrove Manager, Loraine Verrall Deputy Manager, North
Warwickshire CAB

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