About LAT : Community Focused Programmes

1. CSAS
2. FOTE

FOTE

Overview

From Offending to Employment programme has been designed to provide a wide range of education, training and employment opportunities for (ex)offenders and young people 'at risk' of offending. All agencies involved in the programme have a track record in working with these specific target groups.

Client Group

The programme provides a wide range of Education, Training and Employment (ETE) opportunities for (ex)offenders and young people at risk of offending. This is a particularly hard to reach group which often finds it difficult to access mainstream education or to reach their potential.

Delivery Area

All North East London Probation Service (NELPS) and London Probation Area (LPA) (North East) boroughs are covered by the programme - Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

Partners

From Offending to Employment is a partnerhip project made up of London Action Trust, London Probation Area, West Ham United Football Project, Leyton Orient Community Sports Project, Mba, Dyspel and Birmingham University.

Provision

The initiatives aim to build on existing services in the area, by providing additional specialist support packages that are innovative and cater for the needs of the client group(s). The main projects are:

• Dyslexia support project (run by Dyspel) offering dyslexia screening assessments, individual tutoring, advice and support (contact - Vanessa Stableford at vanessa@dyspel.org.uk).
• Football Coaching Project - linked to Leyton Orient Community Sports programme and West Ham FC, offering football taster training including coaching schemes, other sports related training, other recreational activities and links with educational opportunities (contact Vicky Torrance at vicky.torrance@lat.org.uk)

Achievements

The programme has exceeded its targets for work with young people at risk of offending and for the number of youth crime prevention initiatives. In the Community Service Accreditation Project attendance has increased from 55% to 70% and there is clear evidence that those undertaking accredited training are less likely to breach the terms of their Community Service Order.

As of July 2001 the programme has:

Delivered training to enable 738 people to achieve accreditation

• • Supported 515 into further training
  • Supported 158 in finding employment or self employment
  • Worked with 1,814 young people who are either (ex)offenders or at risk of offending
  • Developed 33 new crime prevention initiatives

  Future

  FOTE continues to grow. We have received funding from the Association of London Govenment to develop our services in the boroughs of Dagenham and Barking, are piloting a programme that works with people that have English as an additional language and have secured funding from the London East Learning and Skills Council to expand our services, including drama therapy workshops

  FOTE's strength is down to the commitment and hard work of the people who work on it.

  Contact Details

  For further information contact Vicky Torrance at vicky.torrance@lat.org.uk