Suffolk Positive Futures: Annual report 2023-2024

“I am delighted to support Suffolk Positive Futures through my crime and disorder reduction fund. I have seen first-hand the positive impact that Suffolk Positive Futures can have on young people. The project offers young people a positive alternative to crime and violence, giving them positive role models and an opportunity to gain qualifications. It is a chance to set them on the right path to be a good citizen and make a positive contribution to Suffolk.”

– Tim Passmore, Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner

Suffolk Positive Futures attempts to make Suffolk a safer place by engaging with and directly delivering interventions to young people.

These interventions focus on outreach sport sessions that are available on a young person’s doorstep, in the communities most at need. The project also delivers alternative curriculum provision in schools.

Suffolk Positive Futures aims to transform young people’s lives and make a significant impact on reducing crime and youth violence in local communities, while promoting positive emotional wellbeing.

Our staff reach out to young people within their community, at times when they need support the most. Staff are known and trusted within the key areas.

The service is funded by the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner as well as a number of local partners.

Outcomes of service

In doing so, Suffolk Positive Futures aims to support:

young people in local communities making positive decisions,
a reduction in anti-social behaviour levels,
exit routes into other provision, volunteering and/or employment opportunities,
young people integrating with their local community,
social return on investment,
young people improving their levels of health and fitness,
young people improving their confidence, self-esteem, and discipline, and
young people gaining a sense of pride and respect for their local communities, thereby raising aspirations.

“The impact of the Catch22 Suffolk Positive Futures programme is clearly evident, with the project making a real and sustainable difference to the lives of hundreds of the most vulnerable young people in Suffolk.”

– Colin Grogan, Chairman of Suffolk Positive Futures Steering Group

Impact and challenges

Impact

In the past twelve months, Suffolk Positive Futures has impacted upon the lives of many young people. Some of the headline statistics include:

1,536 individual young people worked with through the project.
656 activity sessions delivered.
1,161 hours of sporting activity provided.
10,477 total attendances.
25 young people who were either not in education, employment or training, or at risk of school exclusion, worked towards a recognised qualification with the project.
291 questionnaires were completed, sharing the impact of the project from a young person’s perspective.
20 young people took up volunteering placements, predominantly in an informal role supporting the Suffolk Positive Futures coaches with session deliver and young person engagement.

Challenges

Securing the levels of external funding year-on-year to allow the project to run activities will always remain a key challenge for the project, due to the multiple income streams the project relies on.

This, however, is also one of our strengths, with the project able to contribute to a range of agendas such as health, crime prevention, community cohesion, volunteering, and education.

Working together

Working in partnership

Partnership working is a crucial aspect to the project. Whether this is our referral partners, facility providers, commissioning partners or strategic partners – they all have a massive role to play. Sharing resources and the strengths of individual organisations is a key part of our work.

We have a strong track record of working in partnership with local organisations in Suffolk and pride ourselves on the number repeat funders we have. We received funding from 12 separate organisations this past year, all of which had funded the project previously, demonstrating the confidence felt in the project and what it achieves.

“Suffolk Positive Futures is an invaluable resource for children and young people in their local communities.

“Not only does it provide them with fresh air, exercise, social skills and positive role models it can also help to support children’s pro-social identities.”

– Suffolk Youth Justice Service

Steering group partners

We have a Steering Group that formally meets twice a year at the Suffolk Police Headquarters

This group supports and challenges the project and is on hand to offer advice and guidance throughout the year.

We have representation from Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk Police, Abbeycroft Leisure, Active Suffolk, and the Youth Justice Service.

“It was a pleasure to support Catch22 Suffolk Positive Futures in accessing funding to support their work with young people in communities across Suffolk. Through the application and delivery process it was clear to see that the team have the knowledge, passion and skills to positively impact the young people they are working with and strive to offer safe and accessible opportunities which meet the needs and interests of the communities in which they deliver.”

– Development Officer, Active Suffolk

Voice of the young person

We ask for feedback on the service whenever it is appropriate to do so.

We have an ongoing survey, which is used to obtain service user feedback on the project and the impact it has had.

Below are the results from the last twelve months, based on a sample size of 291 responses:

100% of respondents said that they would recommend Suffolk Positive Futures to others.
93% of those who felt it relevant to them, felt their mental health had improved as a result of their attendance at Suffolk Positive Futures
100% of young people felt that their physical health had improved as a result of regularly attending the project.
98% of young people felt safer in their neighbourhood as a result of Suffolk Positive Futures.
96% of those who felt it relevant to them, felt more able to enjoy life after their attendance to the project.

Future plans

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner

Over the next 12 months, we will have a specific focus on continuing to fulfil the aims and objectives of our contract with the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner.

This includes achieving certain participation targets, having strong police engagement in the project, partnership working, and demonstrating these targets through reports, case studies, face to visits and review meetings.

Funding

We will continue to seek out the right

funding and partnership opportunities over the next 12 months to sustain, and in some areas grow, the service.

For the period April 2023 to March 2024, the project was able to demonstrate that, through partnership working and the submission of successful funding bids, for every £1 invested from the Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner, £1.13p of additional funding has been secured by the project, ensuring the impact of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s investment goes further and is felt wider across the county. This is a statistic we are proud of and one we intend to continue.

Project plans

Within the project itself, over the next 12 months, we hope to:

continue with our large-scale holiday projects in both Ipswich and Lowestoft, targeting young people in need over the summer holidays when the school safety net is removed,
expand our Sports Leadership course delivering to young people, particularly targeting those not in mainstream education,
expand our youth boxing provision in Suffolk, increasing the number of geographic locations from five to six,
continue delivering opportunities for young people in the highest-priority areas of the county, including the Maple Park area of Ipswich, and the Gunton estate in Lowestoft, and
continue to demonstrate the impact of our work to key funders and decision makers, through live session visits, project reports, and appropriate use of social media.

“Suffolk Positive Futures have been incredibly valuable to the young people we work with, within the child exploitation hubs. Young people who would generally miss out on such activities are given the opportunity to be included in something that makes them feel valued and empowered. This in turn has a positive effect on their self-esteem and well-being.”

– Suffolk Youth Justice service