Zeba is passionate about positively influencing the lives of young people and breaking the cycle of reoffending. She has an academic background in BSc…
Zeba is passionate about positively influencing the lives of young people and breaking the cycle of reoffending. She has an academic background in BSc Psychology and Sociology and MSc Leadership in Custodial Environments.
With frontline experience working within the CJS, she has successfully built positive relationships with some of the most challenging and vulnerable young people in custody and helped make a real difference in their rehabilitation journey.
Some of the previous work she has been involved in has promoted Diversity and Inclusion within the Prison service during the pandemic by helping young offenders celebrate events such as Black History Month, Eid Celebrations and Gypsy Roma Traveller Month.
Working with young offenders has inspired Zeba to look at the bigger picture and next steps to consider a more preventative approach to stopping young people from becoming subjects of the CJS.
Zeba wants to be able to prevent young people and adults from becoming victims of violence and exploitation and empower those with lived experience to reach their full potential. This is why Zeba decided to start a new and exciting journey with West Midlands Violence Reduction Unit to be able to bring about a positive change.
In her spare time, Zeba enjoys visiting scenic landscapes and tries to keep on top of her fitness journey although her love for chocolate makes it sometimes a losing battle!
If you would like to contact Zeba, please email [email protected]
OUR MISSION
Criminal Justice is a key theme for the VRP where we are seeking to develop trusted relationships and collaborations across the sector, supporting the development of good practice and appropriate data sharing, and promoting evidence-led approaches to reducing violence, particularly violence involving young people under the age of 25.
We recognise that criminal justice agencies already work tirelessly to protect the public and reduce offending and reoffending. Our mission is to build upon these existing structures by identifying and filling the gaps with a more preventative approach which puts people and diverse life experiences at the heart of the work, whilst aligning with priorities of partners across the West Midlands.
One of the focuses of the VRP in the Criminal Justice workstream has been on diversionary interventions to provide support for those impacted by violence. In particular, we have commissioned resettlement and desistance projects with the aim to prevent and reintegrate individuals impacted by serious violence and crime.
The two strategic objectives of focus for the Criminal Justice thematic area are:
Prevention within the Criminal Justice System
Collaborative work with the prisons and secure estate to improve outcomes for young people affected by serious violence and their families.
In practical terms this means we are:
- Developing trusted relationships and collaborations across the criminal justice sector to ensure that there is a robust and joined-up criminal justice response to youth violence
- Supporting the development of good practice and appropriate data sharing to understand the criminal justice landscape and identify responses to violence and exploitation
- Building on evidence-led approaches to reducing violence involving young people under the age of 25
- Promoting innovative practices that support young people engaged in violence both as they enter and leave custody
- Ensuring there is a trauma informed approach across the Criminal justice service
- Working with the sector to identify and understand how innovative approaches will improve outcomes for young people, families and communities
- Encouraging the use of more restorative and diversionary practices to reduce the likelihood of young people entering the criminal justice system
- Developing support for families affected by violence to reduce the likelihood of intergenerational offending
If you are a professional…
- Our Criminal Justice (CJ) Delivery Manager acts as a congruent link in the Criminal Justice sector to support and strengthen responses to exploitation and vulnerabilities and ensure that there is a robust and joined-up criminal justice response that integrates/complements local authority safeguarding processes.
- You can access and promote VRP Exploitation awareness sessions and trauma-informed practice resources to professionals across the CJS
- The CJ Delivery Manager supports existing working groups in the CJ landscape that are accountable to the Criminal Exploitation and Missing Board and Local Criminal Justice Board
- We lead on a CJ pilot project ‘Op Paramount’ which is aimed at identifying and supporting children and families impacted by parental imprisonment.
- VRP support agencies across CJS (including YOS, police, courts, the prison and probation) to promote violence prevention activity and commission interventions that make it more likely that a person won’t become repeatedly involved in violence.
CJ services commissioned include:
‘Choices’ resettlement service which is a targeted resettlement and support service for young people (aged up to 18) across Birmingham, Sandwell and Walsall. The project engages those young people most at risk, who are already known to criminal justice agencies.
Wayne Henry (Head of Service)
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 07889977265
‘Inside Out’ Resettlement service aims to engage and support young people and their families across Birmingham, who are involved or at risk of involvement in activities, lifestyle choices and behaviours, that causes harm to themselves, others or local communities. This would include young people involved in criminality, serious violence, use of weapons and negative group affiliations. ‘Inside Out’ supports predominately young adults between 18-30 and a cohort of 16-18 year old high-risk young people referred in by Birmingham EmpowerU Hub.
Project lead: Rev. Robin Thompson (Executive Director )
Tel: 0121 454 9764
Wolverhampton Violence Reduction Resettlement service targets both male and females’ offenders aged 18-30 years who are in prison and are gang involved, at risk of gang involvement, have been affected by gangs and/or have been sentenced for violent offences. The service aims to increase self-awareness and self-worth in young adults, allowing them to have confidence to make positive changes to their lives and steer them away from gangs and violent behaviours and into pro-social lifestyles. Caseworkers do this by offering a specialist wraparound holistic service, maximising outcomes for prison leavers being resettled into the Wolverhampton area.
Project lead: Joe Raby
Phone: 01902 275264
Email: [email protected]
Desist and Transform in Coventry delivers a comprehensive intervention offer supporting those young people aged 10-25 known to agencies and involved in violence and criminality. Desist and Transform offers a single community outreach service supporting YPs impacted, at risk or involved in the criminal justice service across Coventry. The service has a twofold approach – early intervention/prevention divisionary mentoring support for CCE & CSE and resettlement support for high risk prisoners being released from custody.
Contact for St Giles Trust Desist and Transform:
Lisa Hunter
M: 07770 013 213
The West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership have collaborated with Children Heard and Seen (CHandS) which is a charity which provides support and interventions for children with a parent in prison and the Birmingham Children’s partnership to systematically identify children impacted by parental imprisonment and improve the support offered to those children and families. The pilot will utilise data from the Prison Service, West Midlands Police and Birmingham Children’s partnership to identify those in need of additional support. The north geography of Birmingham East is the pilot area for this project to go live in September 2022.
If you are a young person…
The VRP commission a targeted resettlement and support service for young people (aged up to 18) and younger adults (18-30) identified as either gang members or who are associated with serious violence and criminality, resettling in the community from custody or recently having been released from the secure estate.
If you are a young person (aged up to 18) in Erdington or Sutton Coldfield with a parent in prison, Children Heard and Seen (CHandS) is a charity which provides support and interventions including 1-2-1 support with trained staff, mentoring, parent support groups, and peer support groups for children, online activities for young people, and activity days for young people.
Website: www.childrenheardandseen.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Call: 07557339258
