Ashfield Community Links and Resettlement
Juvenile offenders leaving custody face a variety of challenges sometimes with their families and/or in the community. At Ashfield the resettlement process begins right at the start of the sentence with a full assessment. This assessment considers all aspects of the young person's life, not just his needs as a result of being away from home but also the issues that brought about him being in custody. It is from this assessment that a sentence/resettlement plan is devised and agreed. We currently have specific resettlement programmes, namely a forklift driver course and community service volunteers.
The forklift driver course is an accredited ten day course which takes place over a two week period. The training takes place off-site and six young people attend under the Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme each month. These young people have to qualify for ROTL by satisfying rigorous eligibility criteria and have to go through a risk assessment process. This course gives the young person a real and specific skill that can turn a formerly unemployable young person into somebody with an employable skill. The journey they take to gain the qualification and skill usually increases their self confidence. They are able to feel real ownership and pride when presented with their licence at a monthly award presentation.
Community service volunteers work with Ashfield to provide volunteering placements for the young people. This scheme develops opportunities for the young people to volunteer and it seeks to demonstrate the value that such a contribution from a young person in custody can make to the community.
We have also built strong links and schemes with organisations in the local community such as Avon Fire and Rescue. With this particular scheme, officers from Avon Fire and Rescue come into Ashfield once a week and run a course which is close in content to a trainee fightfighters course. We also allow three of our young people to be released on temporary licence every day and they either work in the kitchens, vehicle workshops, reception or the joint training centre where they work alongside fire officers. This gives our young people experience of daily work which can help when they are released.
We also have links with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. A number of our young people have achieved certificates which count towards the Bronze Award. Those eligible for temporary release can then go on to complete and gain the full award. Ashfield also participates in the Prince's Trust scheme and many of our young people have achieved their ASDAN bronze award through a six month scheme, ASDAN is the name of an awarding body originally set up by teachers in Bristol for their special needs children and it is one of several bodies that can accredit learning.
We also work with a charity called Signpost and Rite Direkshon Partnership. This organisation, based in St Pauls, Bristol, assists African-Caribbean and dual heritage teenagers to become independent. It engenders independent thought and lifestyle. Members of the charity come in twice a month to run a course with our young people which aims to give them guidance in life when they are eventually released. If the young people involved are from the Bristol area then it is possible for them to maintain contact with the charity following their release.