News, blogs & podcasts

On the occasion of World Book Night, I have been thinking of those writers whose work has illuminated for me the various lived experiences of mental health problems, substance misuse, homelessness and imprisonment. Here are some personal favourites.

Today we submitted our response to the Government’s Breaking the Cycle green paper. This sets out how we believe that it is possible to achieve a “rehabilitation revolution” in this country. But only if the Government ensures that every community can offer services that work holistically with people with multiple needs outside the criminal justice system with effective routes to this support from every police station, court, probation service and prison.

Friends often enquire about my work. They find it hard to relate to the concepts of partnerships and development. They want to hear about people. A person with multiple problems is helpful shorthand for those of us who work in the field but spoken out loud to a friend or relative, it sounds like jargon and it is. So I tell them about Jacky.

The following blogs are from Service User Forum members who have this week taken part in film training.

Danny reflects on making photo-films and speaking before the Justice Committee.

Having spent 20 years talking to people with multiple needs, who are homeless or in the criminal justice system, it seems to me that there are two main pathways through life that might lead to someone ending up in that situation.

One of my favourite moments since I joined Revolving Doors was the day when I was invited into our meeting room to join a group of our service user forum members who had just completed a training course in photo films…