By Donna Ward, Development Worker

What is Change Together?

Change Together is a project that Changemakers is running in partnership with BVSC to support offenders and ex offenders into volunteering placements.

And what’s your involvement?

I am the Development Worker on this project and my aims are to sign up 20 organisations willing to host volunteers from an offending background and to support 25 volunteers to complete 12 week/50 hour placements. The project also has some aims around training volunteer managers and generating five case studies from successful placements.

How’s it going so far?

15 organisations have already signed up to the project. The focus here has been around consulting with organisations about the types of placements they have available for people from an offending background and securing their sign up to consider volunteers on a case by case basis. So far, I have signed up several agencies and organisations to provide referrals to the project including the Probation Service, Anawim, Archway Academy, DRR and SOVA. I am also meeting with some of Birmingham’s Youth Offending Teams later this month to encourage their involvement.

In terms of young people involved so far, I have met with 16 candidates through referrals and we have 2 volunteers awaiting start dates for their first placement.

What’s in it for the organisations?

Although the project has no financial incentive attached for organisations, with support from the sector development team at BVSC, I am able to offer the organisations support in volunteer management and developing their volunteer policies and procedures to ensure that placements are fully supported and in line with a minimum standard framework that BVSC is looking to develop. Currently it looks like there may be opportunities for the voluntary sector to participate in community payback and other offender rehabilitation schemes. Involvement in this project, would place organisations in a stronger position further down to the line, to realise these opportunities.

What’s in it for the volunteers?

In terms of volunteers, I am able to offer full support so that the placements we secure support them to meet their goals; be that around securing future employment, meeting new people , developing new and existing skills or simply building confidence. Another key aspect of the project is to support volunteers in accessing accredited training courses and I have met with representatives from Learn Direct, Train to Gain and People Serve to access skills for life and NVQ training courses in areas such as business admin, customer services and team leading. This is another aspect which has really inspired organisations to participate also.

For more details on Change Together, please email Donna, or contact her on 0121 236 1313.