We recently spoke to Abbie Gregory, Senior Switchback Mentor, about her work supporting young men during resettlement. The charity supports young men to find a way out of the justice system and build stable, rewarding lives.

Abbie studied social sciences with a focus on criminal science and child psychology. This led her into a career in youth offending work before she joined the Switchback team in January 2022.

“As a senior mentor, my job is to work 1-to-1 with our trainees who are 18–30-year-old men in prison. Switchback works in London based prisons, and I work in Brixton, Isis and Pentonville.

“I start working with the trainees three months before release. If someone needs support with housing, addiction, employment, family or relationships, we can support in one or all those areas. The programme is really individual to the person.”

Young men can self refer themselves or be referred via the probation service. More often, mentors contact eligible young men in prison to discuss the programme and whether it might be a good fit for them.

Switchback is keen for the service to feel distinct from probation, so there are no compulsory meetings or conditions.

“The support we offer is really self-motivated. We’d never say, ‘You have to come here.’ We always want to be led by the individual.”

For Abbie, what’s key to the success of Switchback’s approach is its focus on relationships. Many of the young men the charity work with are skeptical of professionals, so it’s vital to take time to build trust.

“I build a relationship pre-release, and I’ll continue to be their mentor through the gate. I think that continuity is important.

“We’re working with guys who have rarely had a constant support system. We allow them the space to build a relationship with us, and we let them know that we’re here solely to support them.”

Small caseloads means that intensive, one-to-one support can be offered. Mentors can take a hands-on approach and really invest in each of their trainees.

“I only support five guys at any one time whereas the probation service might have 40 or 50 people on their caseload.”

“Everything we discuss gets put into action post-release. We support with practical things like getting an ID, getting a bank account sorted, navigating the immense challenges of housing, or managing worries around reoffending.

“Quite intensive support can be made available to them as and when needed. If they need a mental health sick note, I can go to the GP and help them with that. It’s really important that we have the capacity to be there for trainees, especially for urgent issues that arise. It really builds trust because they know I’ll show up when they need me.”

Switchback support trainees for 12 weeks post release, but longer-term support is still available if required. Switchback doesn’t set rigid targets around entering employment or education because the charity believes that success looks different for each trainee. Furthermore, they recognise that every young adult progresses at a different rate.

“Our outcomes aren’t about how many people we can get into jobs. It’s more about the distance they’ve come. Let’s say someone said to me, ‘I want sustainable long-term housing, and I want to see my child once a week.’ If we achieve that by the end of 12 weeks, that’s a success.

“I’m of the opinion that we could get many of our trainees into jobs, but if they’re not in a place to hold it down, that’s not going to work. So, we work with each individual to find out their goals and what they want to achieve.”

Abbie has been working with James* since last summer. On release, he chose to focus on his professional development.

“James has engaged in all the opportunities we could offer him since his release. He did film and tv training, as this was a route he wanted to explore on release. He’s now exploring music and continuing to grow his presence in the Personal Training industry. He also helps out with a running club for Switchback trainees.”

Despite these positive early steps, James’s progress would not have been recognised if the only outcome measurements at the three-month mark were securing employment or accommodation.

“He wasn’t in employment or accommodation three months after his release, so we continued to support him past the 12-week period. James has now got sustainable housing, and he’s going to university to study business.

“Only now can I say that he’s achieved stability in a lot of ways, so that just shows the value of long-term support.

“If you looked at his outcomes on paper after three months, it wouldn’t have added up. If you look at where he is now, you can see he’s achieved so much.”

Abbie believes in working closely with probation to ensure the best outcomes for the trainee.

“In an ideal world, Switchback wouldn’t exist as probation would provide the support we offer. But they don’t always have the capacity, so we ask probation to rely on us to do the work they can’t do.”

“I always try to update probation officers on the progress of different individuals. Rather than telling them when one of the young adults on their caseload has secured a job or a qualification, I share personal milestones.

“For example, I might tell them about how an individual opened up to me about his offence and identified what triggered that behaviour. This would all be done confidentially, of course, just so they can see that the individual is engaging with the process.”

While collaboration is key to helping each trainee successfully resettle in the community, Abbie believes there is immense value in Switchback remaining distinct from statutory services.

“We create a different environment from probation and statutory services, and that’s intentional. We don’t have the power to recall someone, and I think that’s a vital thing for the 1-to-1 support.

“That’s why our work is so important. We can be that support system that’s separate from government.”

*We have used a pseudonym in this interview to protect the young adult’s identity

The Switchback Programme – Young Men Share their Stories of Resettlement

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