2022 saw some seismic events – both in the UK and globally. The war in Ukraine dominated world news, set against the backdrop of domestic political turmoil, the death of the Queen, public sector strikes and a growing cost of living crisis.
Never has there been a time when the services and programmes Catch22 provides are more needed.
We have seen an increasing demand in young people accessing support for drug and alcohol misuse, mental health services and in those being referred to our child exploitation services. Our employability programmes have helped hundreds of people of all ages secure good, sustainable work – at a time when they’ve needed it most. And we continue to expertly support victims of crime to get their lives back on track, as well as working with people on probation to prevent reoffending.
At Catch22, we strive for a world where everyone has what we call the ‘3Ps’ – good people around them, a safe place to live and a purpose in life. It is our mission to ensure everyone we work with has the opportunity to realise those 3Ps, even when the scale of the problems they face seem insurmountable.
In this Review, you’ll find some fantastic examples of what we’ve done in the last 12 months to progress this vision. You’ll find examples of how we’ve:
- changed individual mindsets: empowering our service users so they can grasp opportunities and fulfil their potential,
- delivered continually improving services: evolving our services and programmes to be the best they can,
- improved how services are commissioned: promoting the idea that public services can be delivered effectively through a combination of the voluntary, public and private sectors,
- driven policy change: taking the learnings from our service delivery and informing the direction of national policy, and
- championed systemic change: being relentless in our pursuit of more effective public service delivery for those who are most marginalised.
It has also been a year where we’ve invested in our staff; because it’s the passion, commitment and expertise of our people that make us who we are.
I want to thank everyone who has worked with us over the last year – our partners, commissioners, coalition colleagues, policy makers – and most importantly our service users. As we embark on our new, ambitious three year Business Strategy, your support and insight will be invaluable in ensuring we’re driving change and creating a world where everyone, no matter what their background, is able to thrive.
– Naomi Hulston, CEO