About TIM

We go inside.
Because that's where the work is.

The Invested Man (TIM) is a programme provider working at both ends of the school-to-prison pipeline - preventing young people from entering the justice system and supporting those who have been in it to find their way back.

Our Conviction

Every programme that fails a young person fails at the same point: it tries to change what they do before it changes who they believe they are.

TIM goes deeper. Identity is not the background to the work - it is the work.

Our Story

Built on an uncomfortable observation.

TIM was built on a simple but uncomfortable observation: the young people most at risk of entering the justice system are not short of advice, warnings, or intervention schemes. They are short of a clear sense of who they are.

We developed a model that goes further than most are willing to go. Our Identity Pathway is delivered in schools, pupil referral units, alternative provisions, youth institutions, and secure units - co-facilitated by young adults with lived experience of the criminal justice system, because their credibility cannot be manufactured. An initial pilot of this programme was delivered inside HMP & YOI Brinsford, bringing young men directly into the prison environment.

We have delivered the Resettlement & Rehabilitation Programme inside HMP & YOI Brinsford and HMP ISIS. We have been funded by the Violence Reduction Partnership and the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner. We have engaged 64 young men and boys across seven schools. And every piece of evidence points in the same direction: when identity changes, everything changes.

Who's Behind TIM

Nathan Shillingford, Founder & CEO of The Invested Man

Nathan Shillingford - Founder & CEO, The Invested Man

25 years inside the systems most people only talk about.

Nathan Shillingford founded The Invested Man after more than two decades working across the third and public sectors - as a support worker, educator, and programme lead in schools, pupil referral units, alternative provisions, youth offending institutions, secure units, and prisons. He has stood at every point of the school-to-prison pipeline, and watched intervention after intervention fail at the same place: behaviour was managed, but identity was never touched.

TIM is his answer. Nathan designed the I.N.V.E.S.T. framework from that frontline experience, and has spent the last six years delivering identity-based rehabilitation inside prisons alongside EY Outreach - work that produced the outcomes on this site. He leads every programme TIM delivers, alongside co-facilitators with lived experience of the justice system.

The TIM team is enhanced DBS-checked. Safeguarding policy, risk assessments, and insurance documentation are available to schools and commissioners on request.

The Methodology

The I.N.V.E.S.T. Framework

Every TIM programme is underpinned by the I.N.V.E.S.T. framework - a six-stage identity restoration model that operates across both prevention and rehabilitation. The same methodology connects a young person at risk of exclusion at 14 with a man leaving prison at 22.

StageFocusWhat HappensOutcome
I - IdentifyAwarenessRecognise who you are and where identity has been distorted by trauma, culture, or circumstance.Self-awareness and readiness for change
N - NavigateReorientationReframe your story - turning from false identities and re-aligning with truth and purpose.Renewed mindset and direction
V - ValidateBelongingAccept the reality of your potential and community belonging - rooted in who you are, not what you've done.Emotional security and belonging
E - EmbodyPracticeApply disciplines and accountability to build visible, lasting character change.Visible behaviour and lifestyle change
S - StrengthenResilienceReinforce identity through mentorship, reflection, and contribution.Consistent leadership and stability
T - TransformLegacyLive as an Invested Man - leading others, building futures, contributing to generational change.Sustained transformation and impact

Our Partners

TIM does not operate in isolation.

Every programme is delivered through an ecosystem of statutory, education, and community partners.

Want to know more about TIM's approach or explore a partnership?

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