Dominic Williamson

100 days - a letter to the PM

20 August 2010

The Rt Hon David Cameron

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London

SW1A 2AA

Dear Prime Minister,

Your first 100 days in government

Many have been surprised by the radicalism of your government in your first 100 days as Prime Minister.

From welfare reform and the ‘rehabilitation revolution’ to GP commissioning, localism and the Big Society, you and your colleagues have set out your clear intention to transform our country. I very much welcome your insistence that these reforms and the deficit-reduction programme should be progressive and protect the most vulnerable.

The goal of my charity, Revolving Doors Agency, is to transform systems and services for a very vulnerable and excluded (and unpopular) group in our society: people with multiple problems or needs who are in repeat contact with the criminal justice system. The problems they face include poverty, family breakdown, poor mental health, substance misuse and homelessness. These exacerbate each other resulting in chaos, crisis and crime. The roots of their problems are usually found in disrupted childhoods or in later trauma. Our public services, which were designed to focus on singular problems, are often unable to offer effective help.

The crime that this group goes on to commit impacts us all. Our police, courts and prisons are picking up the pieces of the failure of our public services to work together. The cost to the public purse runs into billions.

For this ‘revolving doors group’ every one of your policy reforms that I have mentioned is relevant.

In fact, and this is the point of me writing, real progress requires that all of these policies really join up. Changes in the benefits system, health commissioning and public service reform all offer potential solutions to crime and reoffending. For our group they are not separate issues. This is why the Cabinet Committee on Social Justice is such an important and welcome innovation.

This autumn is a critical time for the Government, with the Comprehensive Spending Review and the publication of a swathe of policies from different departments. This means it is also a critical time for the revolving doors group. Like you, we are keen that public services meet individuals’ needs, are joined up and offer better value for money.

I would like to meet with you, perhaps with a few members of our service user forum, to discuss our common goals and explore how some of this joining up might be achieved.

Revolving Doors has drawn together a strong evidence-based understanding of the downward spiral that can happen to people when they face multiple problems, and of what works in getting them back on track. Our evidence comes from our practical local partnership work with the police, prisons, health, local government and voluntary organisations across the country.

Even more it comes from involving people with direct experience of the problem through our national service user forum.

In addition, the economic cost benefit model we are currently developing with officials in the Department of Health can now show the considerable savings that could be generated by the changes we want to see. This demonstrates that with the right policy framework, we can reduce the deficit, transform people’s lives and make our communities safer.

Most of all, we can bring people in from the margins of our society to enjoy lives that fulfil their potential and contribute to renewing their communities.

We are keen to share our learning and the direct experience of our service user forum members with you, to contribute to making your next 100 days as ground-breaking as your first!

Yours sincerely,  

Dominic Williamson

Chief Executive

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