Volunteer Mentors Needed To Support Merseyside Ex-Offenders
An award-winning Merseyside project that works with prisoners to reduce the risk of them re-offending is looking for volunteer mentors.
Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project – which is managed by Sefton CVS – is seeking people who can provide mentoring and befriending support to ex-offenders in the community.
The project has been successfully supporting offenders for seven years, and was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2015 for its outstanding results.
According to recent figures, just 15 per cent of prisoners involved with the project return to prison, compared with a national average of 44 per cent for all offenders.
New volunteers will be provided with appropriate training, and will have access to ongoing advice and support from members of the Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project team.
Once they are matched with a mentee, their role is to offer advice on a range of key issues including employment, housing, finance, education, training, health and wellbeing.
The aim is to help offenders overcome any barriers they face, and to resettle back in the community in a positive way, developing new skills and moving on with their lives.
One of the project’s newly recruited volunteers commented: “Becoming a volunteer with Merseyside Offender Mentor Project makes you realise an ex-offender is just a normal person who needs a bit of extra support.”
The project works in close partnership with HMP Liverpool and HMP Risley, and recently extended its services to HMP Kirkham.
Andy Laidlaw, Head of Reducing Reoffending at HMP Liverpool, said: “The Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project is considered to be an integral part of the prison and our Reducing Reoffending Strategy.
“The positive effect their team of volunteer mentors has had on making Merseyside safer has been nothing short of outstanding, and this can be supported by statistics. They are reducing reoffending, reducing victims of crime and making the community safer.”
For information about becoming a volunteer mentor contact Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project on 0151 920 0726 or email merseyside.mentoring@seftoncvs.org.uk
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