CFO3 SouthEast
Project 507 has been subcontracted by Ixion Holdings (part of Shaw Trust) as a specialist provider for the HMPPS CFO3 Southeast contract, which is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
The contract originally ran from July 2015 to December 2020; Project 507 then received an extension to run the programme until August 2022 and a second extension from September 2022 to October 2023.
We deliver an intensive specialist casework intervention within the prison estate, for young men deemed high risk, gang members or gang associates, who have been convicted for violent offences.
We decided to use our Young Kings Programme for this contract and take away unhelpful language around the ‘gangs’ narrative. Rather than the more traditional method of services targeting and labelling young men who they wish to work with, we chose to put more power in their hands and enabled the young men, in partnership with their offender manager, to apply to be on the programme. Involvement in the “Young Kings Programme” is recognised on participants sentence plan but is still a voluntary process, we will only work with those young men who have expressed a want to change and have agreed to work with the team to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.
We use feedback from the participants to continually develop and grow the programme, as we believe that all our work should be participant led.
The Young Kings Programme
Is a specialist one-to-one programme for young men aged 18 – 25 years old affected by violence. It works in two ways, firstly to provide the young men with intensive support from a specialist case manager and secondly, to provide access to life skills and opportunities to learn.
Objectives
To build on young men’s strengths and identify and promote confidence, attitudes and behaviour which reduce risk
To utilise creativity to enable young men at risk of or involved in gang activity and/or affected by violence to develop their self- esteem, confidence and life skills
To meet the unique needs of high risk and gang associated young offenders
To empower young men to reach their full potential; provide participants with choices; decision making opportunities, and ownership of their work, within a series of structured sessions
Criteria
Aged 18 – 25 years old
Within the last 3 years of their sentence
Able to live and work in the UK