We offer a range of community-based services working across the region. We train local people at the grassroots who know the communities to become caseworkers supporting others to make positive changes.
Specialist support for women
We help vulnerable women in Norfolk affected by issues such as domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health issues and involvement in the criminal justice system.
WONDER+, commissioned by Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner, helps women who are experiencing issues such as homelessness, abuse, debt, poverty and other issues. It works with women in police custody and in the community to help them address underlying needs and progress their lives.
The Footsteps Project, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, supports women serving community sentences or leaving prison across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Northampton to address the barriers they face. Many of the women are experiencing multiple and complex issues and our work helps stabilise their situations and empowers them to take steps forward.
WREN, The WREN (Women Raising Enabling Neighbourhoods) grant programme offers grassroots organisations providing support to women the opportunity to train them as community champions with free training and qualifications, as well as professional advice on housing, debt, substance misuse and domestic abuse. Funded through the Government’s Tampon Tax Fund, WREN empowers women to create positive change for other women going through similar issues and the local community.
Preventative work with young people
We are working across Norfolk and Central Bedfordshire through the SOS+ Service in schools to raise awareness of issues surrounding crime and serious violence.
This work equips young people with the knowledge and tools to stay safe and make positive choices. Professionally trained staff with lived experience of the criminal justice system expose the realities and de-glamourise some of the myths around getting involved in crime, helping young people stay motivated on a positive path.
It also helps professionals working with young people and parents to raise awareness around signs to look out for amongst young people who could be vulnerable and at risk. We have embedded mentors in schools in Luton and Suffolk who carry out one-to-one support with young people who are at a particularly high level of risk.
This year, we have reached an estimated 10,000 people - children, young people and adults - with our preventative sessions.
Helping people with substance misuse issues
In August 2021 we launched a new Pathways Out project, thanks to funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk through Project ADDER, to support offenders and those at risk of entering the criminal justice system, with a history of substance misuse.
Working in partnership with DWP East Anglia, we are providing positive educational experiences, training and employment opportunities to reduce future substance misuse and help people move towards a positive future.
Launching a new project in lockdown had its challenges but in just the few months it’s been running, Pathways Out is already supporting eight clients (as at January 2022).
Eastern Peer Hub
Funded through The National Lottery Community Fund, the Norwich Peer Hub provides training and support to help people overcome disadvantages, train as Peer Advisors and support others.
By harnessing their lived experience, coupled with professional training, we can offer highly credible services which are able to engage excluded individuals and communities. The Peer Hubs work in close partnership with local partners who offer placements to the Peer advisors.
The aims of the Peer Hubs are:
- To help people who have overcome adversity in their lives to improve their skills and access employment opportunities
- To add value to the work of other local partners through enabling them to benefit from the Peer Advisors we train
- To reach some of the most vulnerable people in local communities, especially those who do not usually respond to offers of help, through credible services from someone to whom they can relate