Venture Trust – Living Wild Personal Development Programme
Support Type:
Need supported:
- Health / Wellbeing
- Life Skills
- Mental Health
- Personal Development
- Other
Aim/Purpose:
Our Living Wild programme supports individuals (16+) currently involved in the Scottish justice system who want to make positive and sustained changes that can lead to a move away from offending. After an assessment period we offer regular community-based outreach support (one-to-one and groupwork) wrapped around a Wilderness Journey which takes participants into the wild and remote parts of Scotland for 5+ days. Through intensive learning and personal development, individuals will consolidate their new skills, boost confidence, motivation and aspirations. This will allow individuals to tackle complex circumstances and patterns of behaviour and tackle re-offending and help with rehabilitation. Nature offers inherent challenges for people to reflect on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. Adapting to this new environment, resilience is increased, participants develop understanding of how to interact others, and improve impulse control in challenging situations. Activities in nature provide opportunities to practice this learning. Support is continued once participants return from their wilderness journey, with the level of this support dependent on the needs of the individual. We will continue to meet them on a one-to-one and group bases to help them to make and sustain connections to services and employment, education, training or volunteering opportunities within their communities.
Suitability criteria:
- All genders
- Middle-aged adult (36-55), Older adult (56 and older), Young adult (18-35)
Exclusions:
Venture Trust does not currently work with registered sex offenders, those on pending sexual offence charges, or those subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).
Assessment/referral process:
- Any agency
Eligibility: Anyone aged 16+ and currently involved in the justice system as a result of offending or alleged offending behaviour. They must also be one of the following: -subject to a community order (e.g. CPO) -subject to another intervention delivered or directed by justice social work services (e.g. diversion from prosecution, a structured deferred sentence*) -currently have a Justice Social Worker *These include Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO), Restriction of Liberty Orders, Home Detention Curfews, Structured Deferred Sentences (SDS) and those engaging with voluntary throughcare after release. You can make a referral through our website. We also have an option to refer for a court assessment, if you are a Court Social Worker or Clerk of Court requesting an Assessment to help decide whether someone is suitable for Venture Trust’s Living Wild programme as part of an order.