Mental Health and Wellbeing During Lockdown and Working from Home

3SC work with and champion third sector organisations delivering life changing services across the UK on programmes as varied as Access to Work, Neuro-Diverse Strategy Coaching and a wide range of offender facing resettlement and rehabilitation services as well as many local JCP offers helping vulnerable groups back into employment.

The award-winning UK mentoring charity ‘A Band of Brothers’ have launched a mentoring scheme in the cities and surrounding areas of Portsmouth and Manchester. It is targeted specifically at those men either in or in danger of becoming involved with the criminal justice system, as well as those leaving the care system and other young men in difficult circumstances.

The mentoring is with older local men who are fully trained and DBS checked, lasting initially for a period of ten weeks. They will then be invited to take part in a full training programme when these can be resumed, hopefully in the new year.

The invitation to the young men is to meet weekly (within Covid-19 guidelines) with their mentor to discuss a wide range of areas in their lives that they might be having difficulty with. While they do not offer solutions to perceived problems, the young men can get support around any goals they want to achieve as well as being heard as to where they are in their lives and sharing any troubles they may have.

This approach is proven to work. Of those who complete the full training programme, there is a big reduction in re-offending and often a complete cessation of any criminal activity. By finding meaning, connection and purpose the young men’s lives are transformed.

To refer a young man for the scheme, please email Mark at portsmouth@abandofbrothers.org.uk or to find out more go to www.abandofbrothers.org.uk

Gareth Snaith, Contract Performance Manager, 3SC