Since 2017, Creating Future Opportunities (CFO) has worked in partnership with The University of Manchester’s Q-Step programme to offer structured internship opportunities to undergraduate students with an interest in data analysis and social policy, specifically those with a criminology and social science background with an interest in offending behaviour.
CFO is pleased to have hosted another pair of interns recently, with 15 interns total joining CFO throughout the process. Interns undertake analytical projects that explore key aspects of CFO’s work with programme participants. You can read about the previous experience of some of the interns here.
This year CFO welcomed Ellie Mae Slack and Grace Leggett, who are both studying criminology at the University of Manchester.
Ellie spoke about her expeience, saying: “My time with CFO gave me the opportunity to apply my criminology degree to a real-world research project, exploring mental health and outcomes for people on the programme. I developed my data analysis, research and presentation skills, and gained valuable practical experience visiting both CFO Prison Wings and CFO Activity hubs.”
Grace added: “My internship with CFO gave me the opportunity to apply my university research and data analysis skills to a real-world project, while gaining valuable experience working with datasets in a professional environment alongside the Statistics team. The experience has greatly developed both my analytical skills and understanding of how research can be used to inform decision-making and improve outcomes within the Criminal Justice System.”
Their research focussed around whether CFO delivery for those who have been convicted of a Sexual Offence (PCoSOs) are associated with improved mental health outcomes for participants in prisons and Activity Hubs. Findings for this research included:
- Mental health improved across both custodial and Activity Hub settings, indicating reduced psychological distress among participants.
- Participants with the highest levels of distress at the start showed the greatest improvements in both prisons and Activity Hubs.
- CFO activity volume and type had little influence on mental health outcomes. In prisons there was no clear relationship between engagement measures and improvement, while in Activity Hubs only a small positive relationship was observed between the number of activities attended and wellbeing improvement.
- The factors linked to improvement differed by setting. In prisons, alcohol-related need was associated with greater improvement, whereas in Activity Hubs, greater social inclusion at baseline was associated with better mental health outcomes.
Thanks to their experience with CFO, the Q-Steps learned key skills including:
- Analytical skills – creating a logistical model and creative data interpretation
- Professional skills – communication, time management and organisational skills
- Creativity and adaptability – working around constraints and overcoming challenges
- Adaptability – showing an openness to change course based on data requirements
This long-standing collaboration reflects CFO’s commitment to supporting future analysts and contributing to the development of research capacity within the public sector. By offering meaningful placements, CFO helps students gain experience in applied research while benefiting from fresh perspectives and analytical insight. We look forward to continuing our partnership with The University of Manchester and welcoming future interns to the team.
Q-Step is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council, in conjunction with HMPPS CFO. You can learn more about the Q-Step programme here: Humanities.Manchester.ac.uk/Q-Step