At Achieve together, we passionately believe that everyone — regardless of their diagnosis, background, or forensic history — deserves the opportunity to live a good life, filled with hope, respect, and real choice. For working-age autistic adults and those with a learning disability who also experience mental health challenges, this vision demands skilled, compassionate, and specialised support — especially when people have been in contact with the criminal justice system.
In this blog, we would like to share how Achieve together supports people to rebuild their lives in the community, how we achieve outstanding outcomes, and how our expertise continues to shape the future of forensic mental health support across the UK.
A life worth living: Our vision for forensic support
At Achieve together, we provide specialist community-based support to autistic people and those with a learning disability who have an offending history or are assessed to be at significant risk of offending. Many of the people we support have come from secure settings, hospital environments, or unstable placements, often under Ministry of Justice restrictions or Mental Health Act conditions.
Our forensic model is rooted in the internationally recognised Good Lives Model, which focuses on building on each person’s strengths, aspirations, and potential — not simply on managing risk. It is about enabling, not restricting; about building a positive future, not endlessly revisiting past mistakes.
Key elements of our approach include:
- Person-centred planning that prioritises wellbeing, strengths and dreams.
- Robust forensic risk assessment and management plans, crafted through multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Skilled Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), trauma-informed care, and mental health expertise.
- Support that promotes relationships, meaningful activity, independence and inclusion.
Every individual we support is seen first and foremost as a person — not an offender, not a diagnosis — and this respectful, empowering approach underpins every aspect of our work.
Specialist expertise that makes the difference
Our success is built on our team’s unparalleled expertise.
Kevin Taylor, our Head of Forensic Mental Health, brings a wealth of experience in forensic risk management, mental health crisis support, and enabling individuals to transition safely and successfully from secure settings into community life. Kevin ensures that all services supporting people with forensic needs at Achieve together are underpinned by evidence-based practice, strong clinical governance, and best-in-class training.
Michael Fullerton, as Director of Wellbeing, Strategy & Communications, ensures that every element of our wellbeing strategy — from specialist mental health support to proactive health promotion — delivers genuine quality of life outcomes. Michael’s leadership in initiatives like STOMP and trauma-informed care ensures that people are supported holistically, not simply managed.
Our teams undertake comprehensive, bespoke training, covering areas including:
- Good Lives Model and desistance-based support.
- Supporting people with autism and complex mental health needs.
- Self-harm and suicide prevention and robust risk management.
- Understanding and managing forensic needs, including fire-setting behaviours.
Each member of our team is carefully recruited for their values, compassion, resilience, and ability to build safe, trusting relationships. Regular supervision, reflective practice, and dynamic risk monitoring ensure consistent, safe, and person-centred delivery.
Real lives transformed: Evidence of our impact
Across Achieve together, we are proud to witness extraordinary journeys of change:
- People once living in secure hospital wards now living independently in supported living, engaged in work or volunteering.
- Risks dramatically reduced through empowerment, meaningful occupation, and rebuilding of positive peer networks.
- People who once felt invisible now leading advocacy groups like Campaign 4 Change, sharing their voices to influence national policy and practice.
- Holistic plans tailored to each person, addressing both dynamic risks and broader wellbeing, including mental health resilience, community inclusion, and building self-advocacy skills.
Our outcomes include improved mental health, reduced incidents, increased independence, and above all, enhanced self-worth and happiness.
Shaping a better future: Our call to action
There is a powerful shift happening across health and social care: moving away from punitive, restrictive models towards human rights-based, person-centred support. Achieve together is proud to be at the forefront of this change.
We invite commissioners, health and social care professionals, advocates, and families to partner with us in building futures full of hope. With our specialist forensic pathways, we are ideally placed to support people transitioning from secure settings, court-mandated placements, or hospital discharge — enabling true community integration.
By working together, we can transform lives, strengthen communities, and ensure that no person is defined by their past.
If you would like to find out more about our forensic mental health pathways, specialist autism support, or community living services, please get in touch today.
Contact us at:
referrals@achievetogether.co.uk
