Previous research projects

Change happens when we work together. This is the approach we take with our Service Users, and with our partners.

We have a long history of collaborating with leading industry experts and organisations to drive meaningful change to the lives of the individuals we support. Whether this be in a health, educational, justice, or health and wellbeing context.

Our previous partnerships

We have worked with partners to deliver on projects relating to health, constructive resettlement, and liaison and diversion. Our work has made a real impact at both a regional and national level – putting communities at the heart of what we do.

Offender Health Collaborative

The Offender Health Collaborative (OHC) was a partnership in 2015-2017, between specialist organisations which was set up to develop an operating model to meet the needs of all those who are in contact with the criminal justice system with mental health problems and/or a learning disability. It advanced and promoted better thinking, practice and outcomes in offender health and criminal justice for the National Liaison and Diversion Development Network (NLDDN). The OHC:

• Developed a sustainable network of existing and new liaison and diversion schemes across England, based on evidence of what works;
• Supported NLDDN members in developing and implementing improvement priorities;
• Engaged with diverse communities and disadvantaged groups;
• Hosted annual and regional events;
• Created an online social network and briefings.

The OHC was a collaboration between specialist organisations working in criminal justice, health and social care, policy development, research, work force development and training, and project management, these included:

• Nacro – lead partners
• Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) – Centre for Charity Effectiveness
• The Centre for Mental Health (CMH)
• Revolving Doors Agency
• Centre for Health and Justice, Institute for Mental Health at the University of Nottingham (IMH)

Raising Your Game

“I would like to get a job, be independent, to go on holiday and to live on my own or with a friend.”

Raising Your Game was an initiative to improve the lives of young people with a learning or communication disability who have offended or are at risk of offending.

Due to the lack of support available, these individuals are at an increased risk, with statistics showing that 23% of prisoners under 18 have a learning disability or learning difficulty.

The Raising Your Game project:

• worked with young people with a learning or communication disability to increase levels of participation;
• developed services for young people with a learning disability who have offended or are at risk of offending;
• piloted participation in selected existing services and in new services for young people at risk of offending;
• disseminated the learning from the project, with the aim of achieving national recognition

We worked in partnership to deliver this programme with Mencap and I CAN with support from Big Lottery Fund.

Working with our charity partners, we established regional groups that informed decision-makers in public and private organisations about the services and products needed by young people with a learning disability or communication disability who are at risk of offending.

Other research projects from our portfolio

We have continued to drive change through our research in youth justice, constructive resettlement, and wellbeing. Explore more from our portfolio of previous research projects.