Next Steps

  • self worth
  • Canoe

Key information

Age range: 16+

Location: Across Scotland

Who it's for: Women who've been involved in offending or at high risk of offending.

How to apply

Next Steps is for women whose backgrounds have led to their involvement in offending or to experience homelessness or misuse drugs or alcohol which may impact on their wellbeing, relationships and life circumstances.

After an assessment period we support individuals to identify the changes they want to make in their lives and develop goals to help achieve them. During this period, we offer regular community-based outreach support to identify and mitigate against any barriers prior to offering a 5-day supportive residential based Wilderness Journey usually in the highlands of Scotland.

The Wilderness Journey focuses on supporting individuals to develop the skills and coping strategies to maintain their motivation to implement the changes on their return. Further outreach support back in their local community encourages progression and embedding positive changes.

Our programmes provide support for up to 9 months helping individuals to make and sustain connections to services and employment, education, training or volunteering opportunities within their communities.

** Venture Trust does not currently work with registered sex offenders or those subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA

The programme is proven to enable participants to reduce their risks of re-offending, and make positive changes in their lives and behaviour.

A three-year external evaluation of the Next Steps programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, has just been published in March 2018. A summary of the findings can be found here:

Next Steps Executive Summary 2018

Monitoring data from the last five years for Next Steps shows that:

  • 89% of participants showed increased self-confidence
  • 84% improved their employability skill
  • 66% showed behaviours and circumstances likely to reduce risks of reconviction
  • 60% improved their relationships with those around them, and were making increased use of services and opportunities in their community (such as libraries, gyms or doctors' surgeries)
  • More than half of those who completed a wilderness journey progressed into employment, education, training or volunteering.

The full report can be found here.

In 2012 the programme was externally evaluated by the University of Edinburgh, who found that:

“The ‘Next Steps’ programme had a positive effect on participants’ personal and social development. The type of positive life changes the women have made include; abstaining from alcohol; desisting crime and taking up (or trying to find) volunteer or paid work”.

University of Edinburgh evaluation, 2012.

You can download the full report here.

Funding partners

  • The Scottish Government

    The Scottish Government continues to support our Living Wild, Next Steps and Inspiring Young Futures programmes.

    Visit website »

  • European Social Fund

    Funding from the European Social Fund is supporting our four core programmes.

    Visit website »

  • Comic Relief

    Comic Relief is funding our programmes for 16-24 year olds through its "Make Yourself at Home" grant. The funding will be for three years and will help support young people who have previously, or are currently at risk of, experiencing homelessness across Scotland.

    Visit website »

  • City of Edinburgh Council

    The City of Edinburgh Council supports three of our programmes - Inspiring Young Futures, Living Wild and Next Steps.

    Visit website »

  • The Wise Group

    Venture Trust is working in partnership with The Wise Group to deliver Fair Start Scotland - the Scottish Government's new employability service helping people get into work. It is a collaboration with partners across the West region to deliver tailored one-to-one support for up to 18 months, then further support when a person gets into employment. Visit Website

  • Fair Start Scotland

    Fair Start Scotland is a new service helping people get into work. Working in collaboration with partners across the region to deliver the service, Fair Start offers tailored one-to-one support for up to 18 months, then further support when you get into employment. Visit website

Delivery partners

  • Move On

    We are delighted to be working with Move On in delivering peer mentoring training for our Next Steps and Positive Futures participants. We also work in partnership with Move On to deliver the Reaching Higher programme. Move On’s focus is on supporting people to make positive change in their lives.

    Visit website »

  • Shine Women's Mentoring Service

    We're delighted to be a partner in the Shine Women's Mentoring Service - a Public Social Partnership led by Sacro. The service is delivered by SACRO (lead partner), Apex Scotland, Barnardo’s, Circle, The Wise Group, Turning Point Scotland, Access to Industry, Venture Trust. Other partners are Scottish Prison Service, Association of Directors of Social Work and Scotland’s eight Criminal Justice Authorities.

    Visit website »

  • Wise Group

    Venture Trust is working in partnership with The Wise Group to deliver Fair Start Scotland - the Scottish Government's new employability service helping people get into work. It is a collaboration with partners across the West region to deliver tailored one-to-one support for up to 18 months, then further support when a person gets into employment. Visit Website

  • FairStart Scotland

    Fair Start Scotland is a new service helping people get into work. Working in collaboration with partners across the region to deliver the service, Fair Start offers tailored one-to-one support for up to 18 months, then further support when you get into employment. Visit website

If you have a question about Next Steps or want to find out more about being referred to the programme please contact us at hello@venturetrust.org.uk or 0131 228 7700.

To make a referral, please download and complete the Venture Trust Referral Form.

Venture Trust Referral Form

Venture Trust Referral Form (Compatible with Word97-2003)

Completed forms should be sent securely. If you are the owner of a CJSM or GCSX account, please use the relevant email addresses below to transfer sensitive documents.

If you do not have access to an encrypted system, consider the use of another method to safely transfer sensitive information. This can be encrypted attachments to the regular email addresses below, by post using double envelopes or hand delivered.

For any queries or additional information, please contact the relevant hub co-ordinator using the details below.

Venture Trust Hub

Area

Hub Co-ordinator

East

Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian, Midlothian, Borders, Fife, Stirling, Falkirk, Clacks.

Dundee, Perth, Angus, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire

 easthub@venturetrust.cjsm.net (secure email)

referralseasthub@venturetrust.org.uk

West

Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Ayrshire(East, North & South), Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East/West Dunbartonshire, Argyle & Bute

Fair Start Scotland

East or West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire or Inverclyde

Venture Trust is working in partnership with The Wise Group to deliver Fair Start Scotland - the Scottish Government's new employability service helping people get into work. It is a collaboration with partners across the West region to deliver tailored one-to-one support for up to 18 months, then further support when a person gets into employment

westhub@venturetrust.cjsm.net (secure email)

referralswesthub@venturetrust.org.uk


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