Myrtos Consultancy

Myrtos Consultancy’s mission is to give organisations and businesses the understanding and confidence needed to hire people who have a criminal record. We do this through a personalised and tailored approach offering 1-1 advice and support, as well as face to face training to you and your team or managers.  At Myrtos Consultancy we believe that everyone should be given a fair chance to work, grow, and thrive, regardless of their past. So many individuals who leave prison or who have a conviction feel ashamed and without a sense of purpose. Prison, or a life of crime, can often feel like the only place where they are understood. Through education and breaking down misconceptions around hiring someone with a conviction, our goal is to work towards a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to earn a living through sustainable employment.

Founder

Sixty-One

Partnering with local churches to provide a welcoming, safe, and engaging space for people with a conviction to help them feel accepted and loved. Arranging external training for the Sixty-One team, as well as the volunteers who support the individuals who have a conviction.

Hub and External Training Lead

Offering support to individual's through mentoring who have criminal convictions, but who want to make positive changes to their lives. Visiting two prisons to engage with male offenders who are keen for the support to assess their suitability and motivation. Managing a case load of up to 15 individual's, supervising two members of staff, and training and managing our volunteer mentors, offering them support and guidance on a regular basis.

Senior Project Liaison Officer

Project Manager (Maternity cover)

Engaging with offenders on release from custody offering them support through mentoring. Training mentors and matching them with an individual on release from custody who is motivated to make positive changes to their lives. Overseeing the mentoring relationships through supervision and regular contact. Signposting ex- offenders to other organisations who offer provision on a range of factors that help to reduce re-offending.

Project Liaison Officer (MentorMe)

Ebenezer Church

Volunteer Church Leader

The National Probation Service

Working in a hostile environment, supporting recently released offenders make positive changes to their lives. Challenging anti-social behaviour, but praising positive, pro- social behaviour, supporting individuals with tasks to enable them to move forward, and assisting with day to day activities.

Seetec

Employment Consultant

Latin Link Britain & Ireland

Based in Bogota, Colombia, I worked with a Christian Student organisation providing English classes to students and colleagues at pre-intermediate and conversation level. 

I was available to perform office duties, help out with other projects, such as an HIV and Aids project, and involve myself in the weekly Bible studies both at the National University and in our office. 

I implemented a new group for non- Christians to come and ask questions about faith, and encourage my colleagues to share their faith at the University through offering prayer to strangers.

I had the opportunity to work in the coast of Colombia for 3 weeks within a displaced community with a mixed group of English and Colombian volunteers. Whilst there we implemented a church youth group and made ourselves available to support the community with their needs.

Volunteer Work

UK Government

Meeting with newly sentenced prisoners who received a sentence of 12 months or more; identifying any immediate needs of the individual, and making referrals accordingly to address these needs.

Using motivational interviewing techniques and reflective listening to discuss the offence(s) and motivations for committing it.

Writing risk assessment reports (OASys -offender assessment system-, parole reports) making informed decisions to highlight factors that have an impact on risk of re-offending and risk of harm, and working with the individual, devising a sentence plan aimed at reducing that risk. 

Working 1:1 with the individual to address the highlighted factors, such as thinking and behaviour skills, demonstrating pro-social modelling and using effective communication skills.

Liaising with external agencies such as, other probation services, the police, and social services, as well as internal agencies such as, the mental health team, the transfer department and prison staff to promote inter-agency working and ensure that the individual’s needs were addressed correctly.

I completed my Level 3 Diploma in Probation Practice in February 2013 within the allocated year allowance whilst continuing with full time work.
I was the first employee to write a perfect OASys report without the need for modifications.

Probation Service Officer

Based within HMP Bristol and using a risk assessment tool, I assessed the individual's risk and need level to determine whether they met the criteria for the Thinking Skills Programme. This is a program designed to assist the individual to make changes to the way he/she thinks and behaves. 

Involved in sentence planning and writing parole reports, making essential decisions about an individual's future.

Assistant Psychologist

Filton College

Assisting with teaching literacy and numeracy to construction students aged between 14- 18 years. Some literacy and numeracy levels were at Entry level 3, and some had no literacy or numeracy ability.

Teaching assistant

University of the West of England

As a Student Ambassador I worked with children and adolescents from a lot of different backgrounds and cultures. Many children visited the university, but on occasion I would visit their schools, which were situated in and around Bristol. As a result, I worked with children from varied cultures who experienced very different upbringings.

Student Ambassador

Experienced employment trainer Esther Champion brings fifteen years’ criminal justice knowledge to educate and empower businesses and organisations to confidently recruit and retain individuals who have a criminal record. As the founder of Myrtos Consultancy, Esther is purpose-led to see people who have been, or who are, in the criminal justice system receive an equal opportunity to gain, and sustain, meaningful employment. A confident and engaging public speaker who can confidently communicate to a wide range of audiences, Esther helps businesses to become more inclusive.

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