Raising Your Game aims to support those who have offended, or are at risk of offending, to help them turn their lives around. The project was developed in direct response to what young people told Mencap about their dreams and the problems they encounter achieving them.
Based on these findings, the project will:
- develop services for young people with a learning disability who have offended or are at risk of offending
- work with young people with a learning or communication disability to develop participation guides
- pilot the participation guides in selected, existing Mencap services and in new services for young people at risk
- disseminate the guides and the learnings from the project, with the aim of achieving national recognition
The young people involved in the project will also be given the opportunity to grow in confidence and learn new skills. Raising Your Game aims to:
- give them the voice they need to shape their own future
- ask them what support they need to make the primary things in life more accessible
- support them to build on existing skills and develop new ones give them the information, skills and confidence they need to inform the services and decisions that affect them
For the first two years of the project we have established regional groups who will take a lead on informing decision-makers about the services and products young people with a learning disability need, acting as advisory groups to public and private businesses and organisations.