From the justice system to a stake in society
We are a rehabilitation and employability provider for people impacted by the criminal justice system.
The work is supported by people who have made that journey themselves, alongside professional business mentors.
About Us
Our name is the reason we exist.
An anabranch is a channel that leaves the main river, flows its own course and rejoins it further downstream.
That is what contact with the justice system does to a person. It takes them out of the main current and away from work, from opportunity and often away from the people who once held them steady. But leaving the main channel is not leaving the river, as they are still the same water. Our work is to help them find the course that carries them back.
Much of what the world reads as someone's worst decision began in trauma, so we work in a trauma-informed way and we travel alongside people rather than standing over them. Most of our team bring lived experience of the system, which means participants are not being taught about the journey by people who have only read about it.
The impact does not stop with the person in the room. When someone re-enters work after prison, a family gets steadier, a community gets safer and a cycle that costs everyone from reoffending, in public money, in wasted potential, gets interrupted. That is the work and it is measurable.
Our Programmes and Services
Foundations
Empowerment Academy
Empowerment Academy
Not a generic programme, but one built specifically around the reality of men in adult custody. Their experience, their motivations and the specific world they are preparing to re-enter.
Three phases, peer mentor co-facilitation throughout and confirmed referrals for every participant at close.
Empowerment Academy
Empowerment Academy
Empowerment Academy
A short to long duration programme built is for male prisoners and prison leavers. Structured around confidence, professional development, employability and opportunity with a programme length matched to the sentence stage and release timeline.
Empower Her Future
A gender-responsive rehabilitation and employability programme similar to the Empowerment Academy that focuses on confidence, professional development, employability and opportunity.
It also has options to be industry specific; STEAM, digital skills, logistics with employer engagement. Programme length matched to the sentence stage and/or community settings.
Where I Fit - Cultural Capital Programme.
Where I Fit is structured Cultural Capital programme designed for all people who are impacted by the criminal justice system or outside of the mainstream society.
It combines identity-led workshops, preparation sessions and structured visits cultural professional environments that many participants would not normally have access to and it ends with a clear, personalised referrals into employment, education or enterprise.
Social value
For procurement, social value teams and for employers with commitments to meet.
We help write social value commitments you can win, deliver and evidence through our programmes, workshops and mentoring/volunteering opportunities.
Education, SEND and Inclusion support
We can provide specialist support for education providers and academic attainment through Anabranch Education.
To find out more about our education and academic support, please check out our Anabranch Education website by clicking the link below.
Our Clients and Partners
Meet Some of the Team
Head of Rehabilitation Partnership
Head of Rehabilitation Partnership
Anabranch Plus is powered by a diverse team of experienced facilitators, business mentors, peer mentors and sector specialists. Combining lived experience with professional expertise, we deliver credible, compassionate and impactful support across the criminal justice and employment landscape.
Head of Rehabilitation Partnership
Head of Rehabilitation Partnership
Head of Rehabilitation Partnership
Lucy Hubbard is focused on building meaningful partnerships across multiple sectors, with a focus on logistics and haulage
Our Founder and CEO
Omar Mentesh
As the Founder of Anabranch Plus, Omar Mentesh is the driving force behind a transformative approach to rehabilitation, mentoring, and employment support for prison leavers. His lived experience, combined with his academic background in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, has enabled him to build a unique and impactful organisation that bridges the gap between rehabilitation and sustainable employment.
With a deep understanding of the barriers faced by prison leavers, Omar has dedicated his career to breaking cycles of reoffending, providing individuals with the skills, confidence, and networks they need to thrive in society. His expertise extends beyond mentoring, as he has worked across corporate social value, employment training and business consultancy, supporting organisations in their social responsibility commitments.
Co-Founder and COO
Les Gill
We are proud to have Les Gill as our Co Founder and Chief Operations Officer. Les brings a wealth of expertise in mentoring, strategic growth and organisational transformation, making him an invaluable asset in our mission to support prison leavers on their journey towards employment and self-sufficiency.