We believe that the people we support should be genuine partners in everything we do, whether that’s shaping the services we deliver, or influencing the campaigns we run.
We are committed to listening to and learning from the people we support, involving them in every part of Nacro, helping to shape our service delivery, inform research and policy, and create better experiences.
There are many opportunities for our service users to get involved – locally, regionally, and nationally. You can find some of the different ways you can get involved below, how to find out more, and how to get in touch.
The Justice ExChange is a national forum for Nacro service users who have had contact with the justice system. The group meets regularly and is an informal get-together where attendees can share their experiences of the justice system; contribute to our campaigns and have their voices heard by those in power to push for change while gaining skills and experience.
Nacro’s Service User Advisory Board works with Nacro’s leaders to ensure the people we support have a voice and can improve things both within and outside of Nacro. The Board is made up of up to 15 service users, representing different services within Nacro. It meets around four times a year, either online or in person. No experience is needed, although membership is ideally suited to those who have already taken a lead role locally or expressed interest in local community voice initiatives.
The Justice ExChange is a national forum for Nacro service users who have had contact with the justice system. The group meets regularly and is an informal get-together where attendees can share their experiences of the justice system; contribute to our campaigns and have their voices heard by those in power to push for change while gaining skills and experience. We regularly talk with MPs and decision makers, making sure they hear about the issues that matter from those with lived experience of the system.
We work together to produce briefings on various issues that we believe could be improved, informed by not only data, but real lived experiences.
Student voice is essential at Nacro because it ensures our students are heard, respected, and actively involved in shaping their learning journey. It helps us to improve our services and builds a sense of ownership and confidence among students. Listening to student voice supports Nacro’s mission to empower individuals and remove barriers to progress.
In our housing services, we make sure tenants have a real say in the support they receive and how it’s delivered. We gather feedback in a variety of ways, from house meetings and one-to-one support sessions to surveys and forums.
Importantly, we also run the Nacro Tenant Voice Group: an informal, regular forum where tenants from Nacro-managed or supported housing can come together to share their experiences, provide feedback, and collaborate with us to improve homes and services. Through this group, tenants can influence consultation processes, help shape new policies, and guide how we communicate with residents.
We listen closely to what our tenants say – their challenges, ideas, and experiences – so that we learn continuously, adapt, and improve. And because their insight is vital, we use it to inform not only how we deliver services, but also our policy and campaigning work.
The What IF..? Fund provides grants to our service users and learners. It’s available to groups of current Nacro service users and students.
The What IF..? Fund has been developed to help the people we support to improve their confidence and build life skills. It should be used to enrich the lives of the people we support, and/or support their personal development.
We have a range of local forums across all our services, giving our service users the opportunity to have their voice heard. We encourage feedback in various ways, including our ‘have your say’ leaflets which are available in every service.
These allow you to submit your feedback to the team directly, ensuring that we feedback to our service users about the actions we’ve taken. These are displayed on our ‘ you said we did’ displays across all our services.
Being involved with the Advisory Board has helped me to feel confident and valued by the organisation. I have had the opportunity to be a judge for the Nacro staff awards, have been involved in the recruitment of senior staff and trustees, and inputted into the new brand.Gino - Service user involvement participant
Artwork by Karl Davis who has lived experience of the justice system and is a member of the Nacro Justice ExChange
Andrea Coady is Nacro’s Head of Service User Involvement. She works directly with our learners and service users to ensure their views and experiences shape Nacro’s services and the campaigns that we run. Andrea is passionate about ensuring that everyone has a voice.
She is a member of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP High Down, volunteers with Shannon Trust, and previously worked for The Magistrates’ Association after a career in law.
Mya Clark is a Service User Involvement Officer, working across Nacro’s Justice, Health and Housing directorates. Whilst at University, Mya volunteered with Nacro in the departure lounge based at HMP Doncaster, providing practical support for people on the day of release from prison. Since graduating, Mya has worked as a community and custody accommodation advisor at Nacro, supporting people both before and after their release from prison.
She has seen first-hand the challenges people face when trying to rebuild their lives after being caught up in the justice system and so knows how important it is to offer a voice and platform to the people who are impacted most in order to try to create positive change in the system.
Andrew Yates is a Service User Involvement Officer, working across Nacro’s various directorates. Andrew started with Nacro in 2021 first working on the Departure Lounge project in South Yorkshire supporting people on their day of release from prison. He then became a community engagement officer and Team Manager, predominantly working to provide accommodation support for those in prison or in the community.
Andrew is passionate about making a difference and helping our service users to make a positive change for themselves but also society more widely. Andrew is also keen to give our service users a voice and to create a positive impact across the various directorates that we serve.
Richard is a tenant in one of our housing services. He is part of our Justice ExChange forum and regularly contributes ideas for campaigns and policy work that can help people in his situation.
If you would like to participate in service user involvement, or would like any further information on the activities outlined above, complete our form below.
