Unlocked ChangeMakers
Why Unlocked
Unlocked Graduates exists to break cycles of reoffending. Currently prison isn’t a place which successfully does this.
Not only does this recidivism make our communities less safe, it represents a huge waste of human potential. And it is expensive, costing the taxpayer over £23 billion every year.
Rather than teaching people to just survive their sentence, prison must focus on giving people the support they need to lead productive and fulfilling lives post-release. At the heart of this are transformative relationships between prison officers and prisoners.
We recruit, train and challenge outstanding individuals to lead prisoner rehabilitation with the aim of creating high-performing leaders who will break the cycles of reoffending in prisons and throughout society.
Since 2017, we have sought to lead this change by recruiting, training and challenging the best and brightest in the country to become prison officers via our award-winning entry level leadership development programme.
The ChangeMakers Programme
But ever since that very first cohort, one thing has been abundantly clear: the impact of any Band 3 officer is largely determined by the quality of their Custodial Manager (CM).
In the same way the best managers in any profession can make a team’s impact greater than the sum of its parts, an excellent CM can radically alter the performance of an entire wing. They are the engine room of prisons, translating the governor’s strategic direction into operational action on the wings, setting the tone for rehabilitative culture, and helping shape the prison service’s future leaders.
Good middle leadership is essential if the aspirations of the governor are to be enacted successfully on the wing.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
Whilst there are currently brilliant CMs spread across the service, they are often brilliant in spite of the training and support they get, not because of it. And there aren’t enough of them. We want to change that.
Programme overview
The Unlocked ChangeMakers programme is a bespoke leadership development scheme for the next generation of outstanding middle leaders to lead rehabilitative culture on the inside. Designed by experts, it has at its core Unlocked’s unique blend of rigorous, evidence-based theory and practical hands-on learning.
This programme will initially run as a 12-month pilot, starting in September 2024, and will consist of four modules:
- Prison culture
- Prisoner engagement
- Prison officer practice
- Improvement plans
Each module kicks off with residential training.
Each component leverages the world-leading expertise we have built delivering leadership development training for prison officers and applies the specific needs of the CM role.
Online onboarding event
To help prepare for the first residential, all participants will attend an online onboarding event filled with key information about the programme.
Residential training
The residentials hold the core training for each module. Participants will engage in 2.5 days of training from experts in the field of leadership development.
These will all be held the Hothorpe Hall in Leicestershire, a beautiful space for reflection and growth.
121 Coaching
Each module provides participants with this additional world-class opportunity to deepen reflective practice by including professional coaching support. Participants will work with an experienced coach to enhance the way they lead.
Online Workshops
Participants will take part in online workshops facilitated by Unlocked Graduates. These will be a chance to delve into module topics collectively through a structured conversation.
Group supervisions
Participants will also engage in a proven model in leadership development of group supervision. This collaborative style supports participants to engage in reflective practice and promotes participant growth through learning from one another.
Challenge goals
Over the course of the programme, participants will complete three change projects of increasing scope. Change projects are not additional ‘add-ons’ to the CM role; instead, they require participants to embed exceptional leadership practice into their day-to-day responsibilities.
Prison leadership engagement
This programme is run in partnership with prison governors. Participants will develop a holistic understanding of the vision for their prison and explore the delivery of the prison’s strategy through meetings with Governing Governors and line managers. This will also be an opportunity for governors to learn more about each participants’ learning on the programme and hear about their change projects.
Graduation
Participants will have the opportunity to come together, with friends and family, as well as colleagues from partner prisons, to celebrate the impact their completion of the programme has had in their prisons.
How to apply
Applications for the ChangeMakers programme are now closed. Please check here for future updates.
