ExchangE
BUILDING
CONFIDENCE
Offering courses to
housing trust residents is
proving an effective way of
giving mental health and
wellbeing support
An initiative between a housing provider and
a community social enterprise is offering
mental health support to residents. Knowsley
Housing Trust has teamed up with Wellbeing
Enterprises to offer an innovative approach to
staying well and tackling life’s challenges.
Residents are offered a range of courses
that are designed to help them cope with
stress, build confidence and enhance
motivation.
‘We know over 5,000 of our residents
receive mental health related benefits, so
we’re keen to support customers in dealing
with day-to-day problems, improving
confidence and learning new skills to increase
motivation,’ said Leann Hearne, group chief
executive of Knowsley Housing Trust.
Staff are trained to direct residents
towards practical help where needed – to
deal with stress around budgeting related to
Universal Credit, for example. Alongside
stress management, other ‘social
prescriptions’ on offer include life skills
courses, interest groups, emotional
awareness, creative crafts, volunteering, sleep
and relaxation, singing and comedy and
mindful movement.
The courses are to enable people ‘to
become strong enough to handle any of life’s
challenges’, says Mark Swift, chief executive
14 | drinkanddrugsnews | April 2019
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Above: Faye McDonnell from Wellbeing
Enterprises (centre) works with Knowsley
Housing Trust’s housing team.
of Wellbeing Enterprises. ‘Our process starts
with a confidential conversation, then a
practical plan is developed, and we connect
our clients to professionals offering practical
and professional support.’
‘Staff put
a lot of
emphasis
into
building
relation-
ships and
engaging
with
young
people.’
Dame GlenyS
Stacey
THE RIGHT
DIRECTION
Working closely with
young people is deterring
them from future crime
Oldham Youth Justice Service, the only youth
offending service in England and Wales to be
contracted out to a charitable trust, is
achieving impressive results in moving young
people away from further offending.
Inspectors found that staff were
‘respected, skilled and highly motivated’, with
a deep understanding of the children and
young people that they worked with and
involving them at every stage of the process.
Special mention was given to positive
initiatives in relation to BME communities,
with work now taking place to find out why a
disproportionately high number of children
from BME backgrounds are given custodial
sentences. Projects for restorative justice were
also credited for their impact, with young
people and their parents shocked at the
impact on victims of their criminal behaviour.
‘Their work to support young people to
move away from further offending was very
strong,’ said chief inspector of probation,
Below: Forward
Enterprise Network
launch.
Dame Glenys Stacey. ‘Staff put a lot of
emphasis into building relationships and
engaging with young people, for example in
developing Oldham’s violent youth crime
strategy… there is a recognition that long-
term desistance from offending is more likely
to be achieved if children and young people’s
wider needs are met.’
MAKING AN
IMPACT
A new business network
is giving a valuable boost
to entrepreneurs
A social investment fund has been set up to
help enterprises that employ ex-offenders
and people in recovery from addiction.
The Forward Trust launched its Forward
Enterprise Network in February to show
mainstream businesses and the general
public the value of people from both of these
groups. The social entrepreneurs who make
up the network have benefited from a share
of the £2m Forward Enterprise Fund and are
now able to share knowledge and funding
tips with other members, as well as forming
new business relationships.
‘Young entrepreneurs often feel alone, but
they now have a network of peers to share
successes and challenges,’ said Mathilde
Duteil, enterprise manager for The Forward
Trust. Among the confidence-boosting advice
was the shared experience of loan applicants
of going through the investment process and
presenting to the Investment Committee.
‘Today’s launch showcased the ups and
downs of starting a social enterprise by the
people who have worked on their ideas from
behind the door,’ said LJ Flanders of Cell
Workout CIC, one of the businesses supported
by the fund. ‘The social impact everyone is
making is invaluable.’
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