Volunteers can make a unique and valuable contribution to our work with people on probation and local communities.

South Central’s Veteran & Volunteer Peer Mentor program led by Manager Ernie Grendall has 21 volunteers, six of those with lived experience.  The program has been recognised by South-Central Probation Service since its transition from the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC).

Volunteers with lived experience of the criminal justice system are well placed to understand the circumstances, challenges and needs of people on probation.  They provide much needed support, and the skills and experience they develop by being part of the program can make a positive difference to both theirs and the lives of those they support.

“I am proud of what has been achieved by Ernie and the Veteran & Volunteer Peer Mentoring team.  We’re making a difference to people…and that is something to shout about.”

Gabriel Amahwe, RPD, South Central

Ernie has some star players in the program.  Trevor Soko joined the team 3 years ago having been under licence for a series of offences.  “I should have known better,” says Trevor, ‘but life and circumstances had gotten the better of me and I found myself in a Thinking Skills facilitation course – everyone was disruptive, it all seemed so pointless, but in that moment, it dawned on me that I had no excuses, that I put myself in this situation and it was up to me to get out – I did the crime, so I needed to do the time.”

This was the beginning of Trevor’s journey.  His Probation Officer, Joanna Jones, introduced Trevor to Ernie – Ernie had completed over 36 years in the army with a Queen’s Commission, retiring from the service as a Major.  He had a background and demeanour that Joanna felt Trevor would respond to and so began a collaboration that would eventually lead to Trevor becoming a mentor himself.

“I was struck by Trevor’s reason for wanting to become a volunteer once he completed his licence”, Ernie explained.  ‘Rather than the often quoted – I want to give back, I wanted to understand the real ‘why’ behind his desire to get involved in this work.”  Trevor’s ‘why’ was wanting his daughters to know that he could do good things as well, that he was more than the sum of his crimes.”

People with lived experience who come into the programme as volunteers have their own prejudices and doubts to deal with, but with learning and mentoring they are uniquely placed to find the ‘why’ in others and continue to make a difference for themselves as well as those they mentor.

More information

To refer a potential volunteer, identify mentor support for a service user or simply find out more about the programme contact Ernie.Grendall@justice.gov.uk.

For information on Lived experience visit our new pages.