Nacro news

This week we bid a fond farewell to our outgoing CEO Jacob Tas. We are thankful for all the work he has done to lead Nacro over the last five years, embodying our values with his constant focus on our mission of changing lives. We will miss him but wish him well in his next…

We commend the Government for taking decisive action on the plethora of evidence over recent years that the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms have not delivered. Today’s announcement is a huge opportunity to drive dramatic change for people leaving prison or under community supervision and for wider society. The new system must have people at its heart….

Our alternative education, for some of the most hard to reach young people and adults across the country, has been rated ‘good’ across the board by Ofsted, following an inspection during March 2019. Inspectors found that Nacro leaders, managers and staff hold high ambitions for learners that help them make good progress, achieve well and…

Campbell Robb has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of social justice charity Nacro. He will take up his position in July 2019. Campbell joins Nacro from his role leading the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. Prior to JRF, Campbell was CEO of Shelter from 2010 to 2017 growing and…

In response to the Justice Committee prison population report, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “Today’s report from the Justice Select Committee rightly highlights that staffing shortages and other disruptions have severely undermined the delivery of rehabilitative services in prisons. We set out in our evidence the real impact this has on our staff’s ability…

In response to the publication of the HMI Probation report, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “As we anticipate government plans for probation reform, today’s report from the Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, underlines the urgent need for a step change in the way that probation services are delivered across the country. “Thousands…

In response to the recent government announcement that new schools are to be opened across the country to cater for pupils facing challenges in mainstream education: “We welcome government plans for more new schools to support troubled young people that are not progressing in mainstream education – this is a vital step to preventing offending…

Filtering and criminal records We welcome the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court today, recognising the disproportionality of parts of the current system of criminal records disclosure. We believe the judgment provides an opportunity for the Government to undertake a fundamental review of the current system to ensure it is fair and transparent. The…

Efforts to ensure the survival of the Tees Valley based SWITCH (Supporting Women in the Community and Home) Project, have resulted in £300,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund to keep the project running for a further three years up to 2021. The SWITCH Project, delivered by social justice charity, Nacro, helps hundreds of…

Nacro Education Spalding celebrated the opening of their new centre this week, supported by referral agencies, Nacro’s leadership team, and actor Warwick Davis who has a local connection to the area. There was a preview event on Wednesday before the official opening on Thursday. Davis attended the preview event with his wife Samantha to support…

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/DRptMwwxJDI” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe> Nacro Policy Manager Caroline Drummond outlines the difficulty that job applicants with criminal records and employers face about declaring criminal records and our support of Business in the Community’s Ban the Box campaign. We are calling for employers to remove questions about criminal records from…

Seventy per cent of adults in the UK support social justice charity Nacro’s campaign to stop prison releases on Fridays and before public holidays, including Christmas, according to a recent poll. The public support comes as further figures reveal that there was a 20% increase in recall to custody among people released from prison on…

Analysis by social justice charity, Nacro, has identified a lack of valid ID as a critical barrier to resettlement and moving away from crime among people leaving prison, leading the charity to urge the government to take action. Nacro supports more than 30,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the country every year, including those at…

Nacro’s Director of External Engagement, Helen Berresford, spoke to the Justice Select Committee yesterday as part of their Prisons 2022 inquiry on the future of the prison population. Key topics covered include prison reform, resettlement and access to affordable housing and healthcare. You can watch the video here.      

Our 2019 Nacro wall calendars are available to order now. An essential reference guide for the year ahead, it features 2019’s key religious festivals, bank holidays and public holidays.   Price – £1.20 per calendar Postage and packing: 1 copy: £1.20 2-5 copies: £1.80 6-9 copies: £3 10-20 copies: £3.60 21-30 copies: £4.20 31-40 copies: £4.40…

In response to the Ministry of Justice £6 million rough sleeping initiative announcement, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “Every month, around 1,000 people are homeless or sleeping rough on release from prison. Plans to introduce accommodation and support pilots for people leaving prison in Pentonville, Bristol and Leeds are a much needed step in the…

In response to the Health and Social Care Committee report on Prison Health, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We welcome today’s report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee highlighting that the duty of care towards prisoners is not being met. “In recent years, there have been almost daily reports of problems within…

In response to the Twinning Project announcement, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We warmly welcome the Twinning Project, which aims to harness the power of sport as an engagement tool alongside training and employment opportunities for people in prison. We have seen first-hand the positive effects of this approach, with anti-social and offending behaviour with…

We welcome the government response to this very important and timely review of Alternative Provision by the Education Select Committee. As part of our response to this inquiry, we highlighted the experiences of the young people that come to our education and skills centres having had poor experiences in mainstream school, who are often the…

London’s Southbank Centre has partnered up with the Koestler Trust for its UK exhibition I’m Still Here, showcasing artwork by ex-offenders, secure patients and detainees from the 2018 Koestler Awards, curated by prisoners’ families. Seven young people from Nacro’s Bluebird House created this piece called The Mental Health Hydra. Each head represents one person’s interpretation of what mental…

In London (Friday 22 September) the inaugural Tapping into New Talent conference, spearheaded by The Corbett Network, Nacro and Dominic Headley Associates (DHA), underlined the importance of employers including people with convictions within their workforce. Employers from a diverse range of sectors throughout the UK attended to hear first-hand the real benefits that come from…

Nacro is spearheading a new campaign to overcome the practical barriers to effective resettlement for prison leavers. While the government continues to consult on large scale reforms to probation services, as well as deal with the chronic violence and drugs problems in prisons, Nacro has looked at how practical solutions can be taken forward immediately…

Groundbreaking analysis of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the new Data Protection Act by Nacro reveals that employers across the country will struggle to justify requesting criminal record information at the initial application stage of a recruitment process, if they are to comply with the new laws which came into force on 25 May…

Nacro welcomes the Education Select Committee’s report on alternative provision published today. We are pleased to see some of Nacro’s recommendations reflected in the report, particularly the importance of quality alternative provision and that funding for AP should continue post-16. Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement, said: “We believe that all young people deserve high-quality…

Nacro has won a silver medal for a garden we made at the RHS Tatton Flower Show, which we enter each year. Gardener Andy Walker of Walker Landscape & Design designed the garden and received help from Nacro Manchester staff and service users. Doors opened to the public on Wednesday and the final day to…

Nacro has been recognised with the award of 2018 National Union of Students (NUS) People award for introducing Student Unions across all our education centres. The 2018 NUS People Award recognises extraordinary work and achievements to empower and support students. Student Unions exist to represent students within education institutions internally and externally, on wide ranging local…

In response to the Justice Committee report on Transforming Rehabilitation, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We welcome the Justice Committee report and the recognition that the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme cannot deliver its original ambition under the current format. “The report is right to highlight that the voluntary sector is less involved in probation…

In response to the launch of the Employment and Education Strategy, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We welcome the launch of the Employment and Education Strategy and are very encouraged to see greater focus on employers and prisons working together to provide more work opportunities for people upon release from prison.  A new apprenticeship…

Nacro’s Beyond Youth Custody (BYC) programme ends this month and the team has produced a legacy video. This resource is designed for practitioners, policymakers, researchers and service providers. The video outlines key learnings from the six years of the programme, with a focus on our final publication ‘Now all I care about is my future:…

In response to a generous donation by L’Oreal Bury, Nacro Housing North West manager, Pamela Dodoo, said: “Nacro is delighted to have been chosen by L’Oreal as one of their charities to support during 2018. Nacro Housing North West received a generous donation of £3,162 from L’Oreal Bury in Greater Manchester, following a charity event…

On Monday 16 April 2018, BYC hosted a conference at Portcullis House in Parliament to celebrate the successes of the six years of the programme and to consider how BYC’s research on effective resettlement can be adopted by various services across social work, justice, health and housing to improve outcomes for young people. The conference…

“It is welcome to see the Chancellor’s focus on the importance of housing and education in today’s Spring Statement. We know through our work with some of the most disadvantaged people across the country that having a safe and secure home is absolutely central to someone’s chances and opportunities in life. But too often high…

The Nacro SWITCH project, which helps vulnerable women in the Tees Valley area to turn their lives around, has been featured on the Guardian Public Leaders Network. This vital service faces closure on 31 March 2018 if additional funding is not secured. In the article Sujata Pant, who manages Nacro SWITCH, says: “We’ve helped many…

Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We are delighted to announce the Novus Nacro Partnership which seeks to deliver adult education in prisons. This unique partnership presents an exciting opportunity to deliver high quality education and skills training, which will drive ‘through the gate’ resettlement and help people with convictions to secure wraparound support such…

Staff from our Sandwell education centre attended the Joshua Ribera Achievement Awards at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre in early February. The event was organised by Alison Cope, the mother of Joshua Ribera, a rapper known as Depzman, who was killed as a result of a knife attack in 2013. Alison had previously visited…

A new campaign is being launched to help boost efforts to ensure the survival of the Nacro’s SWITCH (Supporting Women in the Community and Home) Project in Tees Valley. The SWITCH Project, delivered by social justice charity, Nacro, helps hundreds of disadvantaged and vulnerable women, many of whom have been victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse…

Hosts Gary Philipson and Andy Bell featured Nacro’s SWITCH project on BBC Tees, talking about the project and its need for further funding before its closure in March. Click here to listen to the segment. Specific SWITCH mentions are as follows: 02:00 – 02:52 07:36 – 16:18 01:07:29 – 01:16:46

The SunEmployment ‘care leavers’ article co-ordinated by the Department of Work and Pensions features a Nacro advice/top tips section. You can read it here.

Last week, the Charity Commission published new guidance for individuals and for charities about changes to the ‘automatic disqualification’ rules which affect who can run a charity. What is changing? The existing rules disqualify people from being a trustee of a charity if they have unspent convictions for certain offences including dishonesty and deception. A…

Nacro’s Supporting Women in the Community and Home (SWITCH) project team held a roundtable discussion on Friday 19 January, which followed recent visits to the SWITCH project from Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, and Simon Clarke, Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. Simon Clarke MP and numerous local stakeholders came together to raise awareness…

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have launched a basic check service for people living and/or working in England and Wales. This replaces the service previously offered by Disclosure Scotland. What are basic checks? A basic check is the lowest level of criminal record certification available in the UK. They reveal details of any cautions…

Continued support – and individualised study programmes with a vocationally geared curriculum – result in more success stories, writes Nacro’s principal and director of education and skills Lisa Capper Alternative provision remains under the spotlight. In 2016, Ofsted published a report on this area after a three-year survey. More recently, the Commons Education Select Committee has…

Nacro’s resettlement advice team’s job advice for former offenders is featured in SunEmployment, which today highlights initiatives to get people with convictions into work, by former offender Moses Adeyemi. Minister for Family Support, Caroline Dineage, and Prisons Minister, Sam Gyimah, are quoted in support of helping to bring former offenders back into the workforce as…

Nacro’s Osmaston Family Project achieved success at their recent Ofsted inspection, gaining a ‘Good’ rating. Ofsted highlighted their teamwork, self-evaluation and strong parental relationships. The children were observed to make good progress and the staff were seen to embody Nacro’s values, as the young people regard them as role models who encourage good behaviour and…

Our Beyond Youth Custody (BYC) programme, which brings together Nacro with three research and evaluation partners, ARCS (UK), and Salford and Bedfordshire universities, has released a new report that proposes a theory of change for the effective resettlement of young people leaving custody. It recognises that effective and sustainable resettlement facilitates a shift in the way…

Our 2018 Nacro wall calendars are available to order now. An essential reference guide for the year ahead, it features 2018’s key religious festivals, bank holidays and public holidays.   Price – £1.20 per calendar Postage and packing: 1 copy: £1.20 2-5 copies: £1.80 6-9 copies: £3 10-20 copies: £3.60 21-30 copies: £4.20 31-40 copies: £4.40…

Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the Langridge Initiative Centre in Middlesbrough, where Nacro’s SWITCH (Supporting Women in the Community and Home) mentoring project is based. Rudd was visiting the area to see what various organisations are doing to support the community. SWITCH supports vulnerable or disadvantaged women aged 16 and older in Middlesbrough, Redcar and…

A new joint briefing, ‘Race, mental health and criminal justice: moving forward’, from social justice charity, Nacro, Clinks, the Association of Mental Health Providers, Mental Health Foundation and the Race Equality Foundation has found that voluntary sector practitioners and service users from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are extremely concerned that too many…

Nacro has been mentioned in the Boston Standard highlighting Nacro’s GCSE results, which outperformed the national average. Simon Ashton, Senior Tutor at Nacro Boston education centre, said, “We are absolutely delighted with the progress our post-16 students have made and all their hard work in the lead up to their GCSE exams this summer. English…

Lisa Capper, Nacro Director of Education and Skills, said: “We are delighted that Nacro students have performed so well in their recent GCSE exams. Their results for both English and maths have exceeded the national average for the second year running, taking many of them a step closer to their chosen career. Our 18 education centres…