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Shannon Trust runs the Toe by Toe Reading Plan, an award-winning peer mentoring programme which encourages and supports prisoners who can read to give one-to-one tuition to prisoners who struggle to read. In 2007, we provided resources to teach over five thousand new learners in prison.

 

Shannon Trust Operational Review & Findings

The review of Shannon Trust’s business model was successfully completed last month. The review findings were presented by BearingPoint Management Consultants to the Board of Trustees last month. The Trustees were impressed by the insight of the report and accepted, in principle, the recommendations.

A copy of the findings and recommendations, including responses received from volunteers and facilitators to the questionnaire, can be found in the Volunteer & Facilitator sections of this site (under Documents & Downloads). BearingPoint commented that the response to the questionnaires exceeded all expectations. The shear number of responses reflect the tremendous commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers and facilitators. Your passion and support for the work we do, was commented upon throughout the review process. Your responses added a richness and validity to the findings of the review. I would also like to thank all of you who gave time to take part in the focus groups. You will see in the report the range and number of people involved in these group meetings.

There is a considerable amount of information to digest but will hopefully make interesting reading and give you a feel for the overall direction the trust will be moving in the coming years. The consolidated information received from the questionnaires also provides interesting insights from volunteers and facilitators about how we currently deliver the reading plan.

Over the coming months we will be working with trustees, volunteers and staff to review the detailed recommendations of the review and decide what is to be implemented and when. During this process we also will validate the findings of the questionnaire. We are aware that some information in the review might be misleading in its current form. For example the review identified forty one per cent of volunteers waiting over six months to receive induction training. It subsequently transpired that many volunteers in the forty one per cent category joined the trust well before induction training was introduced. It is important we address today’s issues rather than historical ones and hence the significance of the validation process. Notwithstanding this we are aware that a tremendous amount of work needs to be done to improve delivery of the reading plan. This is a time of great opportunity and one that we need to capitalise upon to help many more prisoners with poor reading skills.

Thank you for your time and support. If you are unable to access your area of the site, please contact Sue Kent.

David Ahern
CEO, Shannon Trust

2nd Floor
Royal London House
22-25 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1DX

T: 020 7374 8855
E: communications@shannontrust.org.uk