Yesterday POPS hosted a conference in partnership with BTEG at King’s House in the heart of Manchester. One of a series of three events being held by BTEG across the country, the conference looked at the Young Review and reflected on the role of Transforming Rehabilitation providers and local criminal justice agencies in delivering improved outcomes for BAME offenders.
Delegates heard from MMU Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Patrick Williams, whose presentation examined the history of research already undertaken in this field and highlighted the wealth of understanding already gleaned from years of studies and consultations. Building on Patrick’s presentation and reflecting on the Young Review recommendations, Mark Blake, Project Development Officer at BTEG, reflected on the factors which TR providers need to consider and the importance of adopting a strategic and consistent approach to improving BAME offender outcomes.
The conference were privileged to hear from Angela Lawrence, founder of Manchester Active Voices and Warren Williams from Community Change Foundation who reflected on the central importance of the user voice in developing services and the challenges that local BAME organisation face in the current climate. This included a challenge to commissioners to consider the way in which local projects are funded, taking into account the structure of smaller organisations and the time it takes to bring about change in individual’s lives.
Workshops throughout the day gave delegates the chance to have their say and pose questions to the speakers which generated lively discussion and a constructive analysis of what had gone before. The event concluded with a commitment to building relationships in order to drive forward some of the ideas from the day within the context of the TR agenda.
Slides from the event will be available shortly.