Our Hope

bthechange CIC was founded in 2016 after recognising significant and persistent gaps within the criminal justice system that were having long-term negative impacts — particularly for women, first-time entrants, and those who are racially minoritised.

At key points of contact with the system, support was often delayed, fragmented, or entirely absent. Early intervention was limited, community-based provision was undervalued, and responses frequently failed to account for trauma, culture, or lived context.

As a result, many individuals left the system carrying stigma, instability, and unresolved harm, making it far harder to move forward with their lives.

bthechange was established in response to this reality, grounded in the belief that meaningful change requires early, consistent, and community-led support. Without authentic, trauma-informed and culturally informed interventions, the likelihood of long-term exclusion, repeat contact with the system, and entrenched disadvantage remains high.

From the outset, bthechange has taken a different approach.
All services and programmes are designed — and in many cases delivered — by expert leaders whose lived realities directly shape the organisation’s ethos, culture, and values. This ensures that work is rooted in relevance, credibility, and a deep understanding of how systems operate in practice, not just in policy.

bthechange is proud to be a diverse organisation, reflected in a team that brings a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, and sexual orientations. This diversity is not incidental — it is fundamental to how the organisation works. It strengthens challenge, builds trust, and ensures that multiple perspectives inform decision-making, delivery, and leadership.

Together, this has enabled bthechange to build an organisation that genuinely reflects the society it serves — committed to fairness, dignity, and inclusion, and focused on creating conditions that shift systems, not just outcomes.

My Personal Pledge

" I will continue to challenge wherever I see, or experience things that are not in the best interest of the people we work with and those from underrepresented groups. I will always use my platform and networks to elevate the voices and concerns of others and to raise key issues facing the people in the criminal justice system and the wider society.

I am committed to being part of positive change within society and to work with communities to better address the needs of people with multiple and complex needs.

I firmly believe that we as a society need to be judged by the way we treat other people, particularly the most vulnerable in our communities. "

Josh Stunell