Switchback’s partnership with the fantastic, upmarket restaurant, Dehesa, has been recognised with a prize at the Westminster City Council Civic Community Awards!Dehesa have been an incredible source of support for Switchback in a whole range of ways, including raising over £20,000 for Switchback and providing direct support to Trainees through employment opportunities and work placements. For more info on the awards, or on the Dehesa restaurant itself, see the links below. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/councilgovernmentanddemocracy/councils/civiccommunity/civiccommunityawards/ http://www.dehesa.co.uk/

  Our Annual Report and Accounts for 2010 (Jan-Dec) have been posted on the Charity Commission website. Here’s a sneak preview... “2010 was our third year and we continue to see the long-term positive impact of our work. Prison staff introduced us to 118 potential Trainees and, after careful consideration on both sides, we made the mutual commitment to work together with 22 of them. 20 had release dates in 2010 and 19 of these continued on the programme on the outside (joining 7 from the previous year). We record a range of achievements, such as opening bank accounts, addressing health issues, trying out new experiences and getting involved with the community. Outcomes specifically relating to employment and education included:- 17 Trainees started at the Crisis Skylight Café- 12 Trainees started in permanent jobs- 5 Trainees entered further education- Trainees went to 25 real or mock job interviews- Trainees attended 3 training courses- Trainees did 14 temporary paid jobs- Trainees did 21 unpaid work placements or job trials”You can see the full text and financial breakdown here... ... http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends00/0001125100_ac_20101231_e_c.pdf

We are well on our way to building a strong team of Switchback Mentors. We have recruited two so far - Henry Fry and Alison Flynn - who started at the beginning of the year and are already working with new Trainees in HMPs Isis and Rochester. Henry has worked with young people in residential and workshop settings and is studying for an MSc in Psychology in the evenings. Alison has a worked in a range of therapeutic settings including Childline, a community training centre and, most recently, an NHS psychiatric ward in Hackney.Our track record since founding Switchback demonstrates our success in supporting Trainees to make lasting changes in their lives. We are now ready to meet the challenge of strengthening the infrastructure of the organisation to ensure we have a sustainable platform from which to grow. Dom Rudd has been appointed as an Interim CEO to drive our scaling up process. Dom was a Royal Marines Officer for 12 years, followed by 10 years in small business. This led him into the charity sector where he was RSPCA Director of Operations then CEO of Samaritans. For the past 3 years Dom has been living his passion leading mountain expeditions overseas.
Alex Cookman continues to manage the office and look after our admin. Slaney is working part-time (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) with a focus on fundraising. Alice is overseeing the development of the team of Switchback Mentors whilst continuing to work with her own caseload of Trainees.