Whilst we are focusing on these areas at present, our services span a range of other areas. Visit our news page to find out what else we have been working on.
Having access to a device and being connected to the internet are essentials that our society cannot live without. Together with more than 35 charities and youth organisations, we have written an open letter to MPs, calling for extended provision of digital devices and internet access for care leavers.
On Wednesday 3rd February, we were joined by a wide range of panellists including MPs, tech companies and care leavers, to discuss the impact of digital exclusion on young people and practical solutions to lessen the digital divide. We followed the event live on Twitter for those who were unable to make it.
This Summer, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced that, in response to the pandemic, they would be distributing free Raspberry Pi computers to students who are unable to complete their school work at home because they do not have the right technology. Catch22 received 250 devices from Raspberry Pi through this scheme.
The Catch22 Online Harms Consultation was launched in June 2020, acknowledging the increasing amount of time young people were spending online as a result of the lockdown. We received responses from young people, frontline professionals, from tech platforms and from commissioners on the challenges of online harms.
All our services must address the complex interactions of the online and offline world. Catch22 is focused on building a safer online world through prevention and intervention, and by creating safe ways for young people to communicate, express themselves, and positively connect with their communities, online and offline.
The Social Switch Project received £200,000 in funding from London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), set up by the Mayor of London, to deliver the next phase of its mission to divert young people at risk of exposure to violence towards sustainable digital careers. The Social Switch Project also trains frontline professionals in the challenges young people face online
Incubated by charity and social business Catch22, we are bringing together purposeful employers and young people for Kickstart placements with a difference. We bring deep knowledge and networks in social innovation, building at scale, and policy.
Incorporating a volunteering element into our partnerships work is something we strive for with our employability programmes. In this blog, Development Coordinator, Milly Harrison, looks at the impact this has for both participant and volunteer, and explores how we have adapted to provide remote opportunities over the last year.
Step22 is a recruitment and training solution that gets great people into great jobs in the hospitality sector, funded by the apprenticeship levy. Step22 helps businesses source and train great staff to significantly improve retention and staffing costs.
Catch22 has been awarded over £330,000 from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, to expand its work across the country to help vulnerable young people and families get back on their feet following the unprecedented pressures of the pandemic.
We worked with the NLCBF and YPBMF to collect the views of frontline local authority leaving care teams as well as young care leavers to inform our response to the Department for Education's consultation on unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers.
In a recent blog, Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, founder of Lighthouse Children's Homes (incubated by Catch22) wrote about how it is time for change for children's homes, explaining their vision for children's residential care in the future.
Despite the challenges of 2020, over the last year the Catch22 Justice teams have engaged with 44,981 individuals across its services, reflecting the dedication of staff to support those we engage with. The 2019/20 Justice Annual Review looks in more detail at the difference this has made across services including offender management, resettlement, victims services, violence reduction and gangs.
In the first of a new blog series, which looks at topics impacting frontline staff in our Justice services as well as our partners in the Justice sector, we outline our recommendations for a reform of the prison education system, and the impact this would have on a prisoner's ability to find long-term employment post-release.
From August, HMP Wandsworth’s Through the Gate Resettlement service will now be delivered by Catch22. This new service will provide tailored support to address criminogenic and resettlement needs to both new entry prisoners and those being released into the community – with the aim of helping them to settle back into community life and reduce reoffending.
In 2021, Catch22 and Hatch Enterprise are coming together to launch the CatchXHatch Procurement Accelerator. Our goal is to support social ventures to win public sector contracts. Selected ventures will participate in an intensive year-long programme, followed by six months of post-programme support.
We want to be in the best shape to support those most vulnerable as the country rebuilds. Catch22 has become the newest addition to the Social Business Trust's portfolio. SBT will support us to achieve our ambition of becoming the engine room of public service innovation in the UK.
The stories outlined in our Annual Review capture much about our work: the resilience of those we work with, the commitment of our staff, the complexity of people’s lives and the importance of relationships. But it also shows how the work we deliver has a positive impact on those we support, and how we are striving to do things differently.