We’re delighted to share our 2024 Annual Report. With thanks to the Comic Relief Storytelling Team and Venetia Menzies for the photography, our Chair, Duncan Shrubsole, and CEO, Sian Williams.
Switchback Annual report 2024
Click here to download the Annual Report 2024
Click here to download the Annual Report & Accounts 2024
In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity
2024 was a year of both crisis and change for the justice system. As prison capacity breached all safety limits, the change in government created space for a more open conversation about the underlying causes of the crisis. Ineffective approaches to sentencing, an overreliance on recall as a risk management tool for stretched probation officers, and the failure of both the prison and probation services to offer meaningful rehabilitation support were all now on the public agenda. For an organisation like Switchback, operating in a complex environment beyond our control where the odds are too often stacked against the men we support, we saw and seized a rare opportunity to advocate for lasting change.
On the positive side, in March 2024 we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of London to meet Switchback Trainees, Trustees and our team to celebrate our participation in the Propel Youth Mentoring programme. And we are cautiously optimistic that Lord Timpson’s practical commercial experience of making resettlement work means we have a Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending with whom we can effectively collaborate. Our hope is that, by the end of this parliament, national policy reflects the real value of investing in rehabilitation and resettlement that truly reduces reoffending and recall through supporting people leaving prison to live life differently.
Homelessness is a key driver of the rising prison population
The worsening prison capacity crisis put further pressure on both statutory and third sector resettlement services throughout 2024. Despite the welcome intention behind the new Standard Determinate Sentence 40 policy to give more predictable release dates than under the previous Early Release Scheme, a lack of capacity in the system meant that people nonetheless continued to be released at short notice and without sufficient support. Half of the men we worked with in 2024 left prison without safe, stable housing (compared to a third in 2023). Having no fixed address makes effective resettlement significantly harder and hugely increases the risk of being recalled. For Londoners leaving prison, accessing housing is made even harder by the severe shortage of affordable housing and the double discrimination from landlords against prison-leavers and benefit claimants. You can read more about our vital work on tackling homelessness in these pages.
Achieving potential through partnership
In 2024, we supported 721 young men across the year. Of those, 67 Londoners committed to Switchback’s intensive Mentoring programme, Real Lasting Change. As part of this journey, each Switchback Trainee identifies their future life goals, including their aims to find work where they can thrive, and their Mentor supports them to put those ideas into action. Being able to offer diverse training and employment opportunities significantly increases the likelihood that someone will want to engage with our programme. We are therefore delighted at our growing collaboration with our incredible Real Work Training partners, the Dusty Knuckle Bakery and XO Bikes, as well as an increasing number of employers and corporate supporters who offer permanent jobs, work experiences, apprenticeships and other CV enhancing opportunities. Our investment in building partnerships in the form of a dedicated Partnerships Manager is delivering more diverse opportunities for Trainees to meet a wider range of needs, and we aim to strengthen our offer even further in 2025. (Further details inside report.)
The shift to a medium-sized charity
With an income over £1.5m and a headcount over 25, Switchback is now officially a medium-sized charity. This growth brings both opportunities and pressures; we are becoming too large for some of our traditional funding routes and yet our larger team needs more resources to support more Trainees. On the plus side, we are still small enough to be agile and react quickly to emerging opportunities. Our challenge now is to capitalise on the opportunity to influence national resettlement policy and practice whilst ensuring that every Londoner who needs our support can access it, all the while maintaining our financial resilience.
Thank you
We are hugely grateful to all of you for each and every gift, letter, social media comment, share or like, and for each time you tell someone about us and encourage them to become a supporter too. We know that the achievements you will read about in these pages are only possible with your generous and constant support, and we look forward to entering our next chapter with you at our side. Thank you from everyone here at Switchback!
Sian Williams, CEO
Duncan Shrubsole, Chair of Trustees
Click here to download the Annual Report 2024
Click here to download the Annual Report & Accounts 2024
