Reflections from my first weeks at Nacro – A blog from Enver Solomon

A blog from Enver Solomon, Nacro’s Chief Executive, on his first weeks in post visiting our services across the country.

Sat in the corner of the classroom Neil (not his real name) was not relishing the prospect of a combined maths and English lesson. But what mattered most was the fact that he had showed up. He had missed the last two years of secondary school as he had found it so difficult that his parents stopped sending him. He was ‘home schooled’ but in reality he had been given barely any formal schooling. 

Visiting one of Nacro’s education and skills centres for 16 to 19 year olds, it was striking how many students had been home schooled like Neil and so were, not surprisingly, at risk of being not in education, employment or training. When I asked Neil, who had not been with us for long, what jobs he thought he might be able to do he shrugged and said he sometimes helps his dad collect scrap metal.

The prospects for Neil and many like him can feel, to say the least, limited. And the various challenges they are dealing with – online bullying, special education needs, eating disorders,  substance misuse or being in care –  are holding them back. The lack of aspiration that teachers said to me has overwhelmed so many students is not surprising. They struggle to see any prospects and have any hope.

This is compounded by the fact their local communities can feel like places that have been forgotten. In one service I visited I was told the shop nearby scrubbed out the sell by dates on much of the food it sold but no one cared about it.

When Labour was last in power there was much talk of addressing social decay. Various slogans and soundbites set the tone. ‘Education, Education, Education’ was the reforming zeal to ensure no child was left behind. Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime signalled an intention to grip the drivers of offending. And initiatives such as Sure Start, New Deal for Communities and Family Intervention Projects led to a huge injection of funding and support in the poorest neighbourhoods. Of course, the last Labour government did not fix everything or have all the right solutions. But the need for something of equivalent magnitude and effort is noticeable.

Spending time with those Nacro works with in supported housing, it is clear why this is needed.

Multiple disadvantage has become more deeply entrenched. For those who have complex, entrenched needs and end up homeless, addicted to drugs and with serious mental health problems it is too easy to end up in the criminal justice system. Without support, the likelihood of them reoffending is high. The state has had too little to offer them to ensure their lives are turned around or, when they first struggle, to step in and provide the help that will prevent their lives from spiralling out of control.

Seeking help has become harder as thresholds to get support have risen. Years of cuts to public spending means there is more rationing of services. I was told the simple act of getting onto a GP’s list can take days of phoning around numerous surgeries.

One person our teams knew had committed a crime as he wanted to go back to prison for the simple reason it gave him a roof over his head, a warm meal and some respite from the street. 

What’s clear is that the criminal justice system has very little capacity to address the causes of crime and focus on need. Risk management tends to be seen as most important. Understandably managing the risk of a serious offence being committed is critical. But what we see is that those who are low risk and high need inevitably can lose out.

Communities are more fearful too, anxious about them being housed next door. They are quick to think everyone is a sex offender and turn against them. In a more polarised world where rumours can spread like wild fire, this can be a real challenge.

It’s easy to dwell on the myriad challenges and difficulties. But all our work is rooted in seeing those we work with first and foremost as people who deserve to get their lives back on track. And in turn everyone we are supporting in the community who I met was quick to tell me how much they valued being treated well.

Having a place to live that is clean, well maintained and looked after really mattered to them. They desperately wanted to get their lives back on track but were struggling to overcome their deep rooted problems be that addiction or mental health or domestic violence.

For Neil it was clear talking to him and his teacher that what is making a real difference is someone listening to him, believing in his abilities and helping him have greater aspirations and fulfil his potential.

The quiet power and importance of relational work with young people who’ve fallen out of mainstream education, those who have been in prison or those who have ended up homeless should not be under-estimated. It’s at the heart of what Naco does and many organisations like us. It should be valued and championed far more than is often the case.