Our approach: influencing
and partnerships
Our aim is to bring about positive change by influencing the public, organisations, and policymakers. And we are committed to challenging discrimination and promoting positive perceptions of people facing multiple disadvantage.
We are working at both local and Greater Manchester level to make a positive difference, by:
Influencing people via forums and groups like the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter and local authority strategy groups.
Involving people with lived experience, who speak at events about their experiences and barriers they face
Working with statutory agencies to make recruitment more inclusive, in their own recruitment and in the services they commission.
Running training workshops, which focus on how we can make services and employment more inclusive for people facing multiple disadvantage
Working with organisations in the criminal justice such as Unlock and Clinks, experts in campaigning and challenging discrimination
Collaborating with universities on research projects.
Partnership projects
Collaboration is a key principle at Back on Track, and this comes in many forms! We have run all kinds of short projects with other charities, social enterprises and individual creatives – everything from filmmaking to mindfulness. Our long-running partnership with City of Trees (left) has led to hundreds of people learning and nature and improving their wellbeing (and to hundreds of trees being planted). We have run courses in collaboration with local colleges and with employers like the North West Ambulance Service. And we are partners in large multi-agency projects, working with organisations from the voluntary and public sectors to deliver effective services.
Working with employers
We work with employers to ensure that everybody gets a fair chance, regardless of their past. We recently worked with an agency called Arc Academy, supporting them to design their in-house employability training programme. We were able to highlight the barriers that our members experience when trying to access training opportunities - and as a result of this work several Back on Track members accessed their programme. Many other employers contribute by providing talks and demonstrations to groups of members - like Swan Song coffee (right) who trained our catering group in barista skills.
The Charter is a voluntary membership and assessment scheme which aims to improve employment standards across Greater Manchester. We were part of the group which agreed the Charter criteria with a particular focus on the fair recruitment and Real Living Wage sections - bringing our experience from the Ban the Box movement and our understanding of the barriers people with complex needs face when re-entering employment.
Back on Track training
We have been working with people facing multiple disadvantage for many years and we want to use our expertise to effect wider change. That's why we have created a suite of reflective training workshops for people in the voluntary and public sectors who commission or deliver services. This training can help your organisation understand the issues and make positive changes. Delivered by our expert staff, topics include:
Fair recruitment
Understanding multiple disadvantage
Working with people who have convictions
Becoming trauma responsive
If you’re interested in arranging training for your organisation please contact us at info@backontrackmanchester.org.uk.
Fair recruitment
We believe everybody has the right to make a new start without discrimination and unfair barriers. And as having meaningful work is one of the main ways of reducing the chance of reoffending, everyone benefits. Unfortunately prejudice and unfair recruitment processes are still widespread. That's why we work with employers to develop fairer recruitment practices and pathways to work - and why we support the Ban the Box movement that campaigns to increase opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs.
