Reducing reoffending for care experienced young people

To support young adults with care and custody experience resettle in the community

The aim of the project is to reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for young people with experience of the care system who are serving prison sentences by piloting a ‘solution’ co-designed by statutory stakeholders and young people from the West Midlands.

This is the third phase of IU’s programme to support care and custody experienced people. The first part ‘Falling through the gaps’, supported by the Oak Foundation, made the case for targeted support for young care leavers in the justice system. In the second phase, IU worked with service users and practitioners from the West Midlands based prisons, probation and from local authorities to co-design a process for extending support.

This phase of the programme will (1) develop sustainable and coordinated support networks for young people while in prison and on release (2) integrate the planning and assessment process for the young adult between prisons, probation and local authorities. (3) Train all organisations and people involved to raise awareness of care experienced young people’s aspirations. And (4) IU will pilot these new ways of working in four prisons in the West Midlands with 50 young people over a three year period.