At Launchpad we work with a number of partners and agencies to prevent first-time entrance into the criminal justice system and support young people who are working with the Youth Offending Team. This takes place in PSHE lessons, through group work with outside speakers and crime prevention days. These talks are hard hitting involving personal accounts of life in prison and the effect it has had on themselves, their families, and society as a whole.

M.A.L.S Merseyside
The team have worked with our students for a number of years delivering a crime and consequences workshop. The workshops usually run over a number of weeks and include crime & consequences, gun & knife crime, antisocial behaviour, gangs, drugs and alcohol, dangerous dogs, bullying and impact on victims. These workshops are well received by our student helping them to reflect on their own lives and think about the consequences of crime. M.A.L.S also offer a 1:1 or small group work mentoring programme for our students if required.

Website: https://malsmerseyside.co.uk/

CELLS Project
Shaun and his team come in and work with Launchpad for a full day every year. They deliver an outstanding programme for our young people, which gives them an understanding of the consequences of anti-social behaviour and crime, so that they can make an informed choice about their own life path. The work they do is not exclusively for those who could be seen as criminally active, but for those who need a reminder that inappropriate actions could lead to unpleasant consequences.

CELLS provide our young people with knowledge of the pitfalls of crime from people who have suffered first-hand the effect of crime and its related topics including: anti-social behaviour, bullying and peer pressure, controlling relationships, domestic violence, drugs, alcohol and substance misuse, family perspectives of crime, gun, gang and knife crime, joint enterprise, low level gateway activities, prison and prison life, racism and hate crime, the crime cycle, the criminal justice system, victim impact.

Website: https://www.cells-itsup2u.org/

Darryl Laycock
Darryl Laycock, is a fully rehabilitated ex-offender that has spent over 12 years in prison for gang related offences. He has spoken to our students about gang culture and youth offending. In a very personal and honest talk he describes the wrong choices he had made in his life and how he has turned his life around and now helps others. His message is about making positive choices and that prevention is always better than cure.

Darryl Laycock belonged to a gang in Moss Side in Manchester, was shot more than 20 times and stabbed, and spent 12 years in prison for serious offences. He was released in 2011 and vowed to turn his life around for his family and now he speaks to pupils about his life and uses his experiences to help others make the right decisions.

Daryll appeared in the Batfa award-winning Gun No 6 and has also been an adviser to HRH Prince Charles on knife crime prevention and reduction. He also works for a host of agencies and has had his work highlighted by the Home Office.

Website: http://www.darryllaycock.co.uk/about/