Working with a justice service to embed a trauma-informed approach to diversity, equity and inclusion in probation and victim support

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business commercialisation project
Diverse Team Hand Stack
Criminologists Dr Katie McBride and Professor Zoë James provide organisational training, management consultancy, expertise, research and support to organisations on delivering inclusive workplaces and community services.
Their research on the inclusion of marginalised communities, with specific expertise working with trans and Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people, led to the launch of their consultancy, Loaftin.
 
diverse team

Katie McBride and Zoë James provide guidance to executives and enhance their workforce skills to address the needs of diverse communities. Their trauma-informed work with national justice sector social enterprises benefits practitioners and service users who assist victims of crime and individuals on probation.
Working in partnership with Catch22, they have created a comprehensive set of training tools and resources that incorporate their expertise and research. These materials can be implemented both in person and online for use by other organisations in the public and third sectors.
Their partnership with Catch22 focuses on providing strategic guidance and awareness training to caseworkers who design and implement various support interventions for individuals on probation.
Catch22 is a social business founded in 1788, now consisting of over 1,500 people supporting over 140,000 service users, across 100 services in England and Wales. Their mission is to help those “furthest from the job market into jobs”: the vulnerable and marginalised, victims of exploitation, young people struggling with substance misuse and with their mental health, or those just out of prison.
social inclusion

It was great to reflect and understand the barriers Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities face in more detail and become more aware of them.

Caseworker, Catch22

It has supported staff to understand the background vulnerabilities and complexities of a diverse range of service users with protected characteristics. It has enabled them to gain specialist knowledge, skills, and confidence to ensure their communications are inclusive, improving their interactions.

Caseworker, Catch22
 
LoafTin logo

Loaftin Research and Consultancy

Katie and Zoë's research on the inclusion of marginalised communities, with specific expertise working with trans and Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people, led to the launch of Loaftin.
The consultancy provides comprehensive support to promote inclusion and equity through customised services. They offer training programmes designed to enhance staff awareness of issues related to prejudice, discrimination, and hate. Additionally, they conduct workshops that focus on specific challenges, such as creating positive disclosure environments for service users. Their strategic guidance assists leadership teams in reviewing and strengthening inclusion policies and practices. Furthermore, their evaluation research services assess the impact of these initiatives and inform future strategies.
 

Meet the researchers

Zoe James
Professor Zoë James has over 25 years of research experience examining the harms of hate directed at Gypsies, Travellers, and Roma communities. Her work was featured as an impact case study in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework within the Law Unit of Assessment.
A specialist in evaluation research, Zoë has been commissioned to assess a range of projects, including a domestic violence perpetrator programme for young people and an independent evaluation of public confidence after the Plymouth mass shooting, both conducted with Dr Katie McBride. She sits on the Advisory Board of the International Network for Hate Studies and has secured funding from diverse bodies, such as local authorities, the Home Office, the ESRC, and the European Commission's NETHATE programme. Most recently, she was commissioned by the European Council to review training resources for European police forces.
Dr Katie McBride is an expert in trans lived experiences of hate, harm, and trauma. Before transitioning to academia, she served as the CEO of Equality South West, a regional equality and human rights body, where she commissioned research on hate crime and developed policies to address it. Her research has directly influenced educational practices in the South West and has been widely published, with contributions to Routledge, Bristol University Press, Policy Press, and the International Review of Victimology.
Katie is also Co-Director of the International Network for Hate Studies, fostering global collaboration among academics, policymakers, and practitioners focused on hate and hate crime. Alongside Professor Zoë James, she recently co-led an independent evaluation of public confidence following the 2021 mass shooting in Plymouth.
Katie McBride
 
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Commercialisation in SHAPE disciplines

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business is at the forefront pioneering the commercialisation approaches within SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) research.
This initiative showcases the innovative ways our academics transform research into sustainable impact, collaborating with partners to address modern world challenges through creative commercial models.
 

SHAPE disciplines address global challenges associated with marine, health and sustainability through the lens of place

Through five place-based research themes, we investigate the intricate relationships between communities, the natural world, and technology.
Locally, we co-create sustainable solutions to complex problems in order to build resilient and thriving neighbourhoods, cities, and regions. This work transcends geographical, social and political boundaries to become applicable on a global level.
place-based research
SHAPE – Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy