Social Justice
Report
The Social Justice programme was established in 2006 to provide opportunities for marginalised young people to reach their potential. The programme has funded organisations that support young people facing challenges at key transition points in their lives, such as leaving care or prison, becoming homeless, seeking employment or asylum.
Over the last seven years more than 200 awards worth over £20m have been made through Open Grants to organisations engaged in sectors as diverse as housing, health, refugees, migration, arts, education, youth work, disability, domestic violence and criminal justice. This breadth was a deliberate strategy, recognising that the challenges young people face rarely fit neatly into one policy frame or administrative structure.
Our grants have allowed organisations to test new approaches and garner evidence of effectiveness as the basis for improvement. They have supported bold leadership, creativity in services, and work on unpopular and contentious issues. Enabling young people’s voices to be heard and improving understanding between communities have been underlying principles across our grant funding.
Independence
There has rarely been a more critical time for a funder committed to social justice to maintain its independence of thought and action.
Austerity and the withdrawal of state support for many of society’s most vulnerable people, mean that trusts and foundations need to be clear about how they prioritise and target their resources, which, although considerable, are limited. This programme has sought to maintain a focus on those who are most disadvantaged and least able to access support.
At times, the true picture of emerging social issues is obscured by political controversy and inaccurate media depictions. In this climate we have sought ways to ensure that debates are balanced and based on accurate information. This year we made a grant to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford to enable it to continue to undertake impartial, independent, authoritative and evidence-based analysis of data on migration and migrants in the UK. The Observatory will inform media, public and policy debates, and generate high-quality research on international migration and public policy issues.
Immigration is the obvious example, though there are others, of where controversy risks clouding an issue. Foundations have a critical task in working out how best they can respond to it. Through our Supported Options Initiative, we have maintained a focus on supporting work that empowers young people who migrate and who are vulnerable – whether to help them avoid destitution, or to enable them to have a better understanding of their status and the options available to them.
Encouraging practical new approaches, grants were also made to Detention Action to test community-based alternatives to immigration detention, and to Music in Detention, a long- standing PHF grantee that brings professional musicians and local communities together with immigration detainees, to make music and enable often-ignored voices to be heard in new ways.
Convening and commissioning
Alongside grant funding – through Open Grants and Special Initiatives alike – we have also sought to share knowledge in the areas in which we fund. This year, we brought together groups of grantees in two sessions.
The first centred on youth leadership, an emerging interest of the programme. We brought together youth organisations and their young leaders at our offices. With young people driving discussion, PHF staff and trustees improved their understanding of the support young people identified that they needed to progress to leadership positions in civil society. This discussion, and the film generated as a result, was considered by trustees as part of the Foundation’s strategy review.
The second event brought together grantees with an interest in increasing their impact through spreading the new, proven services they have developed. External experts led an interactive session, which aimed to promote sharing and mutual support amongst leaders seeking to achieve this type of growth. The need for fundersto provide more effective support for organisations at such transition points has become increasingly apparent to us and is something we hope to address more fully in future.
This year we also commissioned scoping research on youth transitions – specifically, to assess the extent to which young people’s lives had been affected by the economic crisis and subsequent austerity. Led by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), the research is also considering whether and to what extent recent research on neuroscience offered new possibilities in re- thinking and re-designing the way we support young people to reach adult independence.
Relationship funding
Funders often work closely with grantees, but over the course of the last seven years, staff in the Social Justice programme have developed particularly strong relationships with many organisations – in particular those in the early phase of development, and those making the transition to sustainability and growth. This has been rewarding, though demanding. We have had to understand in depth a wide range of fields in which youth support is offered, and improve our knowledge of organisational development. The provision of support from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, via the Foundation’s Fitter for Purpose pilot, which ended in 2013, built on strong relationships with grantees by bringing in independent experts to offer bespoke help – around growth, fundraising, governance and other strategic issues. In future, we may look to take forward aspects of this approach.
Over the last few years we have funded a number of young entrepreneurial activists, often involved in starting up new bodies. This experience led us to commission – with Barrow Cadbury Trust and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – a series of European case studies of where foundations have helped to initiate new organisations. The Inventive Foundation, written by Diana Leat, explores how an entrepreneurial or inventive foundation can be involved in the conception and development of something new which the foundation also backs financially and supports in other ways.
This year again we supported social purpose start ups – both conventional charities and social businesses. Trustees agreed core support for Kinship Care Northern Ireland, which supports family carers, and CanDo Coffee, a social enterprise designed to enable disadvantaged and socially excluded young people to become self-employed, independent street traders.
Breaking down silos
Organisations working with young people increasingly have to do so in a way that involves risk-taking and work across the silos created by policy and by prescriptive funding sources. We have sought to help with these tasks.
Almost all social purpose organisations that work with young people recognise that the most marginalised and vulnerable, if they are to reach their potential, need help to address multiple and linked challenges – such as homelessness, drug use, mental health concerns, unemployment, lack of access to advice and support. However, it is very rare that funding allows the necessary ‘holistic’ work, as formal funding streams tend to be based on discrete issues.
Funding under PHF’s Social Justice programme has enabled innovative and unconventional approaches that cut across traditional ways of operating. This was a bold choice by trustees and has been challenging to deliver, since it inevitably means we receive applications from all sorts of sectors to carry out youth work on a range of themes, but it has uncovered some extraordinary new approaches and leaders.
Rob Bell
Head of Social Justice
Special Initiatives
Right Here
Youth Mental Health Special Initiative in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation
£248,834 in 2013/14
The five-year Right Here initiative aims to support youth and health sector organisations to work together in support of young people’s mental health. It has worked with young people, youth charities and mental health agencies in Brighton and Hove, Fermanagh, Newham and Sheffield in a unique combination of youth participation and co-design, prevention, early intervention, resilience-building and anti- stigma activity, and local influencing.
Highlights
Highlights of the year included the publication of a young person’s guide to self-harm and a guide for parents and carers by Right Here Brighton and Hove, building on the success of its good practice guide for GPs, published last year.
In Fermanagh and Sheffield, the projects continued to advocate for the role of youth work in early intervention, drawing on the views of young people and research evidence, including from the evaluation of their Right Here work by the Institute of Voluntary Action Research (IVAR). YouthAction Northern Ireland, for Right Here Fermanagh, produced a substantial policy briefing, Young People and Mental Health, Policy and Research Review, arguing for a radical shift from crisis interventions towards earlier approaches to build better mental health and wellbeing among young people. Right Here Sheffield’s ‘On the Edge’, Right Here Sheffield 2010–2013, recommends a new approach to mental health service design and delivery for Sheffield’s young people, emphasising emotional wellbeing, mental health prevention and early intervention, and young people’s participation.
Right Here Newham secured funds to participate in a number of new initiatives in the London Borough of Haringey, including Wellbeing Champions Programmes with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and in schools.
Interim results from IVAR’s evaluation of the projects demonstrated that they had benefited local policy and practice, the organisations leading the work, and the young people participating. For instance, the organisations were better equipped to engage with public health, adult and social care commissioning, and to extend the reach of their work to more and different groups of young people. Young people developed confidence, acquired skills for handling changes in their emotions, improved relationships with family members and peers, and felt able to forge relationships with others. Many also came to realise that ‘everyone has mental health’, and that there is less difference between those who are ‘well’ and ‘unwell’ than they first thought.
National impact
At a national level, we focused on distilling the learning from the projects and sharing their most successful approaches. We produced case studies to demonstrate the range of approaches developed and the evidence that underpins them. We participated in a number of high-level conferences and commissions, including the annual International Youth Mental Health Conference and the National Youth Agency Commission on youth work in formal education. A new partnership with the Foyer Federation also enabled us to take the Right Here learning to a wider audience, with young volunteers from Right Here helping other young people to develop health-promoting activities and to influence health services for the young homeless.
In September, docready.org, the first of seven digital products from the Innovation Labs process (jointly managed with Comic Relief and Nominet Trust), was launched. Doc Ready is a website and app that aims to help young people get the most out of their mental health-related GP visits.
As the initiative draws to a close, we will be publishing a series of ‘How to…’ guides, to bring together learning from our work. Each guide will focus on a particular theme arising from the work and will provide practical pointers and suggestions to support the development of innovative and effective responses to the mental wellbeing of young people. The final evaluation of Right Here will be published at the end of 2014.
“The difference between how I was when I started and now – it’s black and white. Before that I never would have thought about doing education again – now I’m doing my A Levels. Before it I wouldn’t have talked to anybody – now I just talk to people when I want. It’s been transformational.”
– Young service user, Right Here Sheffield
Supported Options Initiative
Support for undocumented children and young people, in partnership with Unbound Philanthropy
£98,251 in 2013/14
Supported Options encourages and supports innovation in helping children and young people with irregular immigration status to live full lives. Children and young people in this situation are estimated to number about 120,000 in the UK, including many who were born here. They can be extremely vulnerable and in need of assistance to address their legal status. The initiative also seeks to better understand the experiences of these young people, and share this and practical responses with wider audiences, including those who influence and shape policy.
Through Supported Options, we fund charities and law centres to collaborate with others in designing and operating new approaches. We also seed-fund new ideas and commission research on knowledge gaps. Learning is shared through reports, blogs and web resources, and through a practitioner network.
This year, our seven funded projects, operating in children’s charities, migrant community organisations and law centres, delivered direct support to over 400 young people. Young people were able to secure legal status in the UK, access housing, education and peer support, and get advice on leaving the UK. Grantees increased their reach through training a wide variety of faith, health, welfare and advice organisations.
Projects met regularly to develop ideas and skills, including undergoing training on using the law to defend family rights. In September, we hosted training on registering children as British citizens, attended by charities, housing associations, lawyers and social workers.
In October 2013, grantees, funders, evaluators and commissioned projects joined in a ‘review cafe’ to reflect on the most effective approaches to supporting young people and share ideas for future development. The interim evaluation, by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research, helped to inform these discussions.
Legal aid cuts
April 2013 saw severe cuts to legal aid funding, leaving many young people without access to lawyers to resolve their immigration problems. We supported grantees as they began to adapt their approaches, responding to this difficult environment. Strategies have included improving legal skills among youth workers, using peer-support groups, providing pro bono sessions and mounting a legal challenge to the withdrawal of legal aid.
During the year we commissioned a report that considered whether and how low-cost loans could help young people to safely finance their legal representation. The findings have led to further work to identify how support can be streamlined, working alongside schools. This work will continue next year.
Undocumented people’s voices
As new immigration legislation was considered in 2013, there was public debate about the situation of those without legal status in the UK. Against this backdrop, the initiative has helped bring to life the experiences of young people in a number of ways.
Life without papers, a blog capturing the experiences of young people commissioned by Supported Options, won ‘Best Writing’ in the Blog North Awards and was shortlisted in the prestigious Amnesty International media awards in June. The story of ‘Ruth’, one of the young women in the blog, was featured in the Daily Mirror in January, and images were displayed in a pop-up exhibition outside Manchester Museum in November.
Young people supported by the Right to Dream project at Praxis Community Projects developed their ‘Cost of Waiting’ campaign this year. Highlighting the negative impact on young people of waiting for months or years for government decisions about their cases, they launched a report and two short films in July 2013. Both can be viewed on our website.
Growing up in a hostile environment was published in November 2013 by grantee Coram Children’s Legal Centre. Using evidence from the casework and legal analysis funded by the initiative, the report describes young people’s experiences and sets out how policy could better meet their needs.
Open Grants
Prisoners’ Education Trust
£105,000 over three years, awarded in 2011/12
Having been an offender for most of his life, Frank Harris is now a criminology undergraduate. As a member of Prisoners’ Education Trust’s alumni steering group he spoke at PET’s ‘Smart Rehabilitation’ conference in April 2014. “After 30 years in and out of prison, I chose education as my route out,” he said. “I am grateful to PET for funding my distance learning courses and for giving me a reason to feel worthwhile.”
Stories like Frank’s have become increasingly common. A recent report by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) shows that people supported by PET to study distance learning courses in prison are a quarter less likely to reoffend than a matched sample of ex-prisoners.
Our grant to PET has been used to develop policy and research work. This has included developing alliances with other stakeholders, influencing policy makers and liaising with academics.
One of PET’s main activities with its PHF grant has been to set up the Prisoner Learning Alliance. Its 18 members include the Open University, the Institute of Learning, which includes 1,500 prison teachers, and User Voice, an organisation led by ex-offenders. Head of Policy, Nina Champion, says: “We have quarterly meetings with cross-departmental senior officials. We share best practice, spread our influence and think about strategy.” This work led to the ‘Smart Rehabilitation’ conference cited above, which brought together 200 stakeholders, and the publication of a report that sets out a blueprint for learning in prison.
“We have also used the funding to make sure prisoners have a say in improving education, and developed a toolkit and films to involve and inspire prisoners,” adds Nina. PET was recently selected by the MoJ to work with eight prisons intensively to develop learner voice and a learning culture.
The charity is now working with Pro Bono Economics to assess the economic impact of its work. PET Chief Executive Rod Clark points out: “Courses we fund cost approximately £250, compared with £37,648, the annual cost of a prison place. Giving prisoners opportunities to use their time constructively to develop their thinking and employment skills is vital if we want to stop people falling back into a life of crime.”
PET is also using the PHF grant to focus on learning from ex-prisoners who have been funded by the charity. It has set up a steering group of alumni to help it influence policy and practice. “We learn from them and encourage them to speak at events, to the media and policymakers,” says Nina. The organisation also conducts a biannual survey of prisoners about education in prisons through the newspaper, Inside Time.
Nina says the charity is shaping the policy agenda. “We have been working with the Prison Reform Trust to look at the potential of ICT with regards to education and learning, family ties and resettlement. The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, has been very supportive and has since spoken about this at high-level conferences. For the launch of the report PET brought together two All Party Parliamentary Groups for Penal Affairs and for ICT, to discuss the use of ICT in rehabilitation.”
Canopy Housing
£100,000 over three years, awarded in 2012/13
Nasra was living in a crowded hostel with no privacy. She registered with Canopy Housing Project and soon started helping to renovate a one-bedroom house. She says: “I learned DIY skills, such as decorating, putting together furniture, using a drill and saw – things I had never done before.” Within a month, the house was ready and she was able to move in and call it her home. “It has made a big difference to my life, I’ve learned how to be independent and do things for myself.”
Canopy renovates derelict houses that have been standing empty for years. It transforms them into homes through the hard work and commitment of volunteers and potential tenants.
Our grant has enabled Canopy to develop the volunteering aspect of its work, to spread good practice, to grow as an organisation and to develop partnerships. Its income has doubled in a year. It has housed 100 people and created six new jobs within the organisation.
Sarah was unemployed but wanted to make a difference and do something practical. She volunteered for Canopy for a few months. “This was a real eye-opener and gave me a sense of direction, I thoroughly enjoyed it,” she says. Using the skills she had learned, Sarah secured a job with the DIY company, B&Q, but kept in touch with Canopy and heard about the new role of site worker, created as part of Canopy’s volunteer development plan. Sarah applied and was appointed. “I was absolutely thrilled to get the job,” she says. “Life is good now, I’m a lot happier.”
Apart from her own experience, Sarah can see the benefits for volunteers with Canopy. “It provides a welcoming, community-based environment, where people can make new friends, learn new skills and if they are potential tenants, help to renovate their future homes.” She gives the example of an Eritrean man, who started working for Canopy a year ago. “His English has improved immensely and he has managed to secure a job, working in a bakery. He used to sleep on sofas but now has a place to live.” He still volunteers in the mornings before going to work.
Sarah says the organisation has been able to develop thanks to the funding. The PHF grant has given Canopy the capacity to develop partnerships with local housing providers and the local authority, negotiating lease arrangements, buying ten houses, and working together to overcome the problems caused by empty and derelict housing.
Canopy also shares its experience, successes and failures, with relevant organisations and groups to spread learning. In addition, it has developed its trustee board to ensure a robust organisation with a secure future.