At the end of September a celebratory event was held at the Midlands Arts Centre to mark the end of the Birmingham Transition to Adulthood Alliance (T2A) pilot project, which was managed by Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust.
 
Marking the great achievements of both the staff and young people they work, speakers at the event included Mike Maiden, Chief Executive of Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation, Dawn Roberts, Head of Birmingham Youth Offending Services and Debbie Pippard, Vice Chair of the T2A Alliance and Head of Programmes at the Barrow Cadbury Trust, who noted that: “We now have a good evidence base to show politicians that this approach does work”.
 
Project staff and programme participants also spoke movingly about their experiences. On team member, Emma Bignell, described her time on the T2A Pilot team as: “one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had”. You can read a longer account of the event on the website of Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust.