User Voice Blog

NEW VACANCY: Programme Manager (South West)

2013-05-17T12:45:00.000+01:00

Programme Manager – Full-Time (South West)
1 Year Fixed Term Post (Continuation subject to funding)
Up to £25K depending on experience

User Voice seek to appoint a Full-Time Programme Manager based in the South West.

The Programme Manager will be responsible for delivering a range of User Voice programmes across youth and adult projects and developing the User Voice presence in the South West.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an innovative and growing charity. User Voice are looking for a dynamic, authentic and inspiring individual to join the delivery team.

Experience of the criminal justice system and/or other associated agencies as a service user is desirable, with the ability and motivation to harness this experience positively, and a strong commitment to the values of User Voice.

A background in working with excluded young people and vulnerable adults is advantageous (although not essential), as is an ability to demonstrate how the post holder's own life experience can support engagement work.

The post will require some desk-based administrative work supporting the co-ordination, pre-planning and evaluation of programmes and leading the facilitation and support work with young people and adult service users directly.

User Voice welcome applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability.

User Voice are committed to Safe Working Practices across the organisation that promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Applicants for the post should send a CV and a statement of their suitability for the role to Anne-Marie Douglas, 20 Newburn Street, London SE11 5PJ or amdouglas@uservoice.org.

The statement should set out the applicant’s experience and suitability in relation to each point of the Person Specification, available here.

Deadline for applications: Friday 31st May 2013.

Interviews will take place in London on 14th June 2013.

NEW VACANCY: Programme Manager (Kent)

2013-05-16T11:25:00.002+01:00

Programme Manager - 4 days per week (Kent)

Annual salary: £18,000 - £20,000 depending on experience (pro rata basis)
1 Year Fixed Term Contract (Continuation subject to funding)

User Voice exists to reduce re-offending by presenting the voice of offenders and ex-offenders to decision makers in the criminal justice system. We establish and support Prison, Probation, Youth and Community Councils; undertake projects which enable agencies to access and act upon the insights of offenders; and present the case for service user engagement to a wide range of key audiences.

We are seeking to appoint a Programme Manager to be based and work in Kent, with the view to cover other areas on an ad hoc basis. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an innovative and growing charity.

The primary role of the Programme Manager is to manage the development and delivery of Service User Councils within Probation & the Prison Services. The successful candidate will have responsibility for engaging staff and service users, delivering training, supporting Service Users and overseeing the project.

User Voice particularly welcomes applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for the advertised role.

Applicants should send a CV and a statement of their suitability for the role to Rebecca Page, User Voice, 20 Newburn Street, London, SE11 5PJ or rpage@uservoice.org.

The statement should set out the applicant’s experience and suitability in relation to each point of the Person Specification.

Deadline for applications: 5pm, 31st May 2013.

Interview date: 14th June 2013.

NEW VACANCY: Assistant Programme Manager (Cumbria)

2013-05-08T12:37:00.000+01:00

Assistant Programme Manager – 3 days per week (Cumbria)

1 Year Fixed Term Post (Continuation subject to funding)

Up to £18K pro rata depending on experience

User Voice exists to reduce reoffending by presenting the voice of offenders and ex-offenders to decision makers in the criminal justice system. We establish and support Prison, Probation, Youth and Community Councils; undertake projects which enable agencies to access and act upon the insights of offenders; and present the case for service user engagement to a wide range of key audiences.

User Voice seeks to appoint a Part-Time Assistant Programme Manager based in Cumbria. The Assistant Programme Manager will be responsible for delivering a range of User Voice programmes across youth and adult projects and developing the User Voice presence in Cumbria. Experience of the criminal justice system and/or other associated agencies as a service user is desirable with the ability and motivation to harness this experience positively, and a strong commitment to the values of User Voice.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an innovative and growing charity. User Voice are looking for a dynamic, authentic and inspiring individual to join the delivery team. A background in working with excluded young people and those involved in the criminal justice system is advantageous as is an ability to demonstrate how the post holders’ own life experience can support engagement work. The post will require some desk based administrative work supporting the co-ordination, pre-planning and evaluation of programmes and leading the facilitation and support work with young people and adult service users directly.

User Voice welcome applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability. User Voice is committed to Safe Working Practices across the organisation that promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Please download the attached job description and person specification.

Applicants for the above post should send a CV and a statement of their suitability for the role to Gail Bland: gbland@uservoice.org or by post to User Voice, 20 Newburn Street, London SE11 5PJ.

The statement should set out the applicant’s experience and suitability in relation to each point of the Person Specification.

Deadline for applications: 5pm, Friday 24 May 2013

Telephone interviews: w/c Monday 3 June 2013
Interviews w/c: Monday 10 June 2013

NEW RESPONSE: Transforming Youth Custody

2013-04-26T12:26:00.001+01:00

In order to gain a service user response to the proposed changes to custodial youth education, User Voice held a series of focus group sessions with young individuals who have experience of youth custody.

The young people were drawn from several of User Voice’s current youth projects.

The focus group questions were designed to engage the service users and encourage them to analyse what impact the proposals would have and the pros/cons of this.

Several themes were identified which are presented here in the form of a series of recommendations.

Click here to read the response: 'Hidden Voices: What Young People Think About Transforming Youth Custody'.

NEW VACANCY: Internship (London Office)

2013-04-22T12:43:00.000+01:00

Job title: Intern
Location: London
Salary: Voluntary, although reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed
Hours: 4-5 days a week for 8-12 weeks (flexible)

Context
Our Mission: User Voice exists to reduce offending by presenting the voice of the most marginalised people in and around the criminal justice system to decision makers.

Why we’re effective: User Voice is an organisation led and delivered by ex-offenders, founded by Mark Johnson, award-winning social entrepreneur and author of his best selling memoir, Wasted. This gives us the unique ability to gain the trust of, access to, and insight from offenders within the criminal justice system.

Our impact: User Voice delivers a powerful rehabilitation experience for offenders, better criminal justice services and institutions, and policy change that will mainstream the inclusion of the user voice.

Person Specification
We require a forward thinking intern with strong research skills, a flair for writing and the ability to be proactive and work largely unsupervised. We are looking for a high calibre graduate, ideally in Politics or Criminology, with excellent IT skills and a genuine interest in criminal justice and social policy to help with the growth of this exciting and innovative organisation.

Key Responsibilities
• Communications, including PR, website maintenance and social media
• Research background material for projects
• Assist with funding applications
• Keep User Voice updated on relevant activity in Government, Whitehall, Think Tanks and the Third Sector in the media
• Assist in creating, updating and maintaining office systems
• Administrative duties, including some diary management and travel booking

What this role can offer
• Invaluable experience working within a criminal justice system based charity
• A chance to develop existing skills and gain new ones
• Work experience to add to your CV
• Support from a motivated and enthusiastic team

Interview & Start dates
Interviews will be on a rolling basis from 29 April 2013.
Closing date for applications is 17 May 2013, but note that we may appoint before the closing date.
Start date will be mid to late May 2013.

To apply
Please send a CV and covering letter to Jeff Ogden at jeff@uservoice.org.

NEW NOMINATIONS for National Diversity Awards

2013-04-15T15:03:00.000+01:00

User Voice has been nominated for a Multi- Strand Community Organisation Award at the 2013 National Diversity Awards.

Paula Harriott of User Voice has been nominated for the Lifetime Achiever Award.

The Diversity Awards celebrates the achievements of individuals and groups devoted to enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion in today’s society.

You can nominate both User Voice and Paula Harriott on the Diversity Awards website:

If you would like to NOMINATE USER VOICE please do so here.

If you would like to NOMINATE PAULA HARRIOTT please do so here.

Each nomination counts as a vote; reasons given for choosing an organisation will also be considered by the judges.

Nominations close July 19th 2013.

"Diversity is the one true thing we have in common; Let’s celebrate it together"

NEW RECOGNITION from Open College Network London

2013-04-10T11:09:00.000+01:00

User Voice is now an Open College Network (OCN) London recognised centre.

This means that User Voice will be delivering OCN London qualifications, initially in relation to peer mentoring and peer training.

Service users will train other service users and professionals for OCN qualifications.

READ NEW Service User response to Probation Review

2013-03-13T17:28:00.001Z

Click here to read the User Voice response INVISIBLE INPUT: What Service Users think about 'Transforming Rehabilitation'.

The response uses feedback from focus groups held with 41 service users to draft recommendations for the Government to consider when finalising changes to community based rehabilitation services.

The proposed changes are outlined in the Ministry of Justice consultation paper, which you can read more about here.

NEW FILM: Interview with Paula Harriott of User Voice on Channel 4 News

2013-03-13T13:52:00.000Z

Click below to watch User Voice's Head of Programmes Paula Harriott talk to Jon Snow on Channel 4 News on Monday 11th March.

Paula gives insightful reflections on her personal experience of first entering prison and on what Vicky Pryce may be going through whilst beginning her own eight month sentence.

WATCH User Voice founder Mark Johnson give evidence to Irish Justice Committee

2013-03-07T15:29:00.000Z

Click below to watch User Voice founder Mark Johnson give evidence to the Irish Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality at the Houses of the Oireachtas on 27 February.

Mark outlined his vision for penal reform and presented the successful work of User Voice to date, discussing possibilities of User Voice expanding its work within the Criminal Justice System to Ireland.

Committee Chairman David Stanton, TD, said: “Today we had a very positive and enlightening meeting with Mark Johnson, founder of User Voice...

“...he provided us with a comprehensive and in-depth presentation on his experiences of crime and the penal system and outlined his vision for penal reform and a criminal justice system that would see offenders as key to their own rehabilitation, key to improving the system and instrumental in reducing offending."

You can now view the report of the sub-committee on penal reform in Ireland, released in April 2013 following public hearings, invited submissions and fact-finding trips to Irish prisons as well as abroad to observe the penal estate in Finland.

The report proposes a comprehensive 'decarceration' strategy, to be implemented and to effect a real improvement within a time-frame of 10 years. User Voice are mentioned on page 18.

NEW VOLUNTEER ROLES: Peer Mentoring Programme (Essex) and Community Council Volunteer (Cumbria)

2013-03-04T15:43:00.000Z

Volunteer Roles

Role Title
Peer Mentoring Programme Volunteer (Essex)

Purpose of the role
To support User Voice staff in the completion of service user questionnaires, the recruitment of Mentors and Mentees for the programme and to assist the Programme Manager with administrative tasks during training sessions. The work is in various locations in Essex.

Time Commitment
2 - 3 days per week (not exceeding 16 hours)

Duration
4 weeks in addition to a period of training

Responsibilities & Duties
Assist the Programme Manager to:
- Raise awareness of the Peer Mentoring Programme with service users
- Facilitate the completion of service user questionnaires
- Administrative duties during training sessions

Skills & Experience
- Excellent communication skills.
- Some knowledge of the Criminal Justice System, particularly Probation. First-hand experience is desirable.
- Experience of supporting trainers in teaching environments is desirable.

Personal Qualities
- A non-judgemental attitude.
- Good time keeping and punctuality.
- Ability to keep information confidential.
- Enthusiasm for User Voice’s mission and aims.
- Ability to work well with others, as well as individually.

Benefits
- An invaluable experience working on a high profile project.
- An opportunity to contribute to an innovative programme.
- A chance to develop existing skills and gain new ones.
- Work experience to add to your CV.
- Support from User Voice staff including a personal development plan.
- Reimbursement of travel and lunch costs.

Training
You will be provided with full training necessary for you to perform the role.

CRB Check
Yes, CRB checks are done at the earliest possible stage. However your CRB is not a barrier to this work and each case will be reviewed on its merits.

Reference/Interview
Yes, this is a standard requirement for all volunteers.

How to Apply
If you are interested please complete the volunteer registration form indicating the role you are interested in or email volunteer@uservoice.org or call 020 3137 7471.

Volunteer Role

Role Title
Community Council Volunteer (Cumbria)

Purpose of the role
To support User Voice staff in the completion of service user questionnaires and the recruitment of service users for the Community Council project.

Time Commitment
1-2 days per week

Duration
4 weeks in addition to a period of training.

Responsibilities & Duties
Assist the Programme Manager to:
- Promote User Voice and the Community Council project to service users
- Facilitate the completion of service user questionnaires

Skills & Experience
Excellent communication skills
Some knowledge of the Criminal Justice System, particularly Probation. First-hand experience is desirable.

Personal Qualities
A non-judgemental attitude
Good time keeping and punctuality
Ability to keep information confidential
Enthusiasm for User Voice’s mission and aims
Ability to work well with others as well as individually

Benefits
An invaluable experience working on a high profile project
An opportunity to contribute to real positive change
A chance to develop existing skills and gain new ones
Work experience to add to your CV
Support from User Voice staff including a personal development plan
Reimbursement of travel and lunch costs

Training
You will be provided with full training necessary for you to perform the role.

CRB Check
Yes, CRB checks are done at the earliest possible stage. However your CRB is not a barrier to this work and each case will be reviewed on its merits.

Reference/Interview
Yes, this is a standard requirement for all volunteers.

How to Apply
If you are interested please complete the volunteer registration form indicating which role you are interested in or email volunteer@uservoice.org or call 020 3137 7471.

NEW FILM from London Probation Trust

2013-03-04T14:42:00.000Z

"Why Probation ask personal information about you in our Equalities Questionnaire"

User Voice collaborated with London Probation Trust (LPT) to produce the following short film, in which ex-offenders explain to service users the importance of filling out their equal opportunities forms.

The film will be played across London Probation reception areas in order to raise awareness of the issue and to encourage all users to complete the form.

User Voice organised a workshop for contributors on the day of filming in November 2012, to relax contributors and encourage discussion of issues at hand.

The film was created by London-based freelance filmmaker Julian Langham.
View the video full-size at

Vimeo.

User Voice Youth Reps write latest edition of The Record magazine

2013-02-19T15:38:00.002Z

The Record is the bi-monthly magazine for law-abiding people facing discrimination and inequality as a result of a criminal record, which is published by UNLOCK, the National Association of Reformed Offenders.

The January/ February 2013 edition is special, not just because it focuses on young people, but because it has been written by them.

The thought-provoking stories in the Young Person Special Edition have been written by 14 talented individuals who are either involved in one of our youth projects or are currently working at User Voice.

We would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the young people who contributed by opening up about their lives and the challenges they face, as well as offering suggestions on how to improve services for young people.

To read their stories, CLICK HERE...

For more information about our latest youth projects, CLICK HERE...

NEW FILM: England Your England

2013-01-22T14:28:00.004Z

Mark Nash, full time Programme Manager at User Voice since May 2011, is the protagonist of one of the four films which compose England Your England, a short film documentary series directed by the UK filmmaker Matt Hopkins.

Mark is currently working on council projects with London Probation Trust (LPT), HMP Maidstone, and HMYOI Aylesbury.

Mark from England Your England on Vimeo.

NEW VOLUNTEER ROLE: Community Council Volunteer (Cumbria)

2013-01-15T10:21:00.000Z

NEW OFFICE: User Voice keeps growing...

2013-01-10T11:14:00.000Z

User Voice are pleased to announce our new office base in the North West!

This is in addition to our existing offices in London and the Midlands.

Building upon our growing presence and staff members based in the region, we have teamed up with the charity, Antz Junction based in Swinton, Greater Manchester, to become an integral part of their 'Grow and Give Back' ethos, particularly around supporting ex-offenders and young people coming into the centre to access support.

The full address of our new base is:
User Voice
Antz Junction
Junction Eco Park
Rake Lane
Swinton
Greater Manchester M27 8LR
Tel: 0161 728 6868

Click here for a map.

You can find out more about this exciting new venture and the numerous social enterprises and charities from the North West working together to help others at Antz Junction here.

From Re-offender to Rising Star

2013-01-10T10:52:00.000Z

Cordelle Cabey, National Youth Co-ordinator at User Voice, has given an interview to the fortnightly magazine Children and Young People Now (Dec 2012-Jan 2013).

The interview traces his path from re-offender to being described by the delegates at the 2012 Youth Justice Convention as a "rising star".

Click here to read the interview.

Mark Johnson speaks at Trinity College Dublin

2013-01-09T11:58:00.000Z

As part of their Social Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, Trinity College Dublin invited Mark Johnson to speak at the Innovation Academy on 23 January 2013.

To read more about the event click here.

NEW VOLUNTEER ROLE: Peer Mentoring Programme (Essex)

2013-01-01T13:33:00.000Z

Volunteer Role

E-Petition: Introduce Cameras with Sound Recordings into all Youth Custodial and Police Settings

2012-12-07T10:30:00.000Z

A group of young people in association with the Children's Rights Alliance for England and User Voice are campaigning to stop violence against children and young people in police and custodial settings.

Further to the recommendations in the recent report, Ending Violence against Children in Custody, a petition has been started which aims to introduce cameras with sound recording into all youth custodial and police settings.

If this petition gets 100,000 signatures then it will have to be considered for debate in the House of Commons.

To read more about the Children's Rights Alliance of England project to end violence against youth in custody across Europe click here.

To sign the petition click here.

Please help to spread the word and get as many signatures as possible!

WipeTheSlateClean

2012-12-05T13:13:00.000Z

Earlier this year, Bob Ashford was barred from running in the election to become a Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC). You can read more about this here.

Since then, Bob has launched WipeTheSlateClean, a non-political campaign.

One of the campaign's aims to reduce the scope of Criminal Records Bureau checks to ensure that a criminal record does not mean a sentence for life.

For further information, visit the WipeTheSlateClean website
and read Bob's interview with The Guardian on 4th December 2012.

Children's Commissioner's Take Over Day

2012-11-28T15:01:00.000Z

On Friday 23rd November 2012 User Voice were asked to take part in this year's Children's Commissioner's Take Over Day.

This is a national event that gives young people the chance to shadow jobs, get involved in decision-making and offer their own opinions on key issues.

User Voice took part by assisting one of our Youth Reps on the day when he met with the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner.

After helping with various tasks and taking part in discussions, the Deputy Children's Commissioner, Sue Berelowitz, has said that she will ensure that her business plan includes looking at the issue of criminal records for young people.

This was a great opportunity to voice my opinion and concerns and issues that affect all young people who are involved in the youth justice system.

User Voice Youth Rep

Youth Charter for Police & Crime Commissioners

2012-11-16T15:08:00.000Z

The Youth Advisory Group are calling on all new Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to sign the Youth Charter.

This Charter requests PCCs to pledge to show a commitment to young people in a number of ways.

It is supported by User Voice and was drafted with the assistance of two User Voice Youth Reps who took part in last year's What's Your Story 2011 project.

Complaints Roundtable

2012-11-15T11:51:00.000Z

In July 2012 we were commissioned by the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) to report on young people's experiences of complaints procedures in the Youth Justice System.

Further information about this project can be found here.

Click here to download the full report: Why are they going to listen to me?

On 7th November 2012 some of the User Voice Reps involved in the initial report attended the OCC offices to take part in a roundtable discussion to explore these issues further.

This was a great opportunity to discuss the barriers that young people face when attempting to submit complaints, and also to attempt to find solutions and recommendations to improve the system for everyone.

Following on from this, User Voice Youth Rep, Candice (age 19) has appeared in the January 2013 edition of Children & Young People Now magazine talking about whether the Children's Commissioner should be given stronger powers.

Click here to see Candice's opinion!

NEW REPORT - Children's Rights Alliance for England

2012-11-14T11:40:00.000Z

A report has been published today about children's experiences of violence in custody. This report was assisted by User Voice.

The summary of the report stated:

The young campaigners taking forward the recommendations are being supported by the organisation User Voice. Mark Johnson, the Founder of User Voice Said:

User Voice support the work of CRAE and in particular the research findings contained within this report. I'm pleased that some of the young people engaged with User Voice projects across the country are working with CRAE taking forward the report recommendations as 'Young Campaigners' in the second phase of the project.

This report showed that young people believe that cameras with sound recording should be installed in youth custody and police stations in order to protect young people from the threat of violence.

You can read more about this report along with User Voice's involvement at: Children's Rights Alliance