Hi, following Lorna's reply below, I was HR Manager for The Clink Charity, I would highly recommend you getting in touch with them (and have lunch at the prisons!)

In reply to Sarah Kate:

That's great, Sarah... and welcome to our Community :)

Hi Ryan, I work with a recruitment company so I can come from a different angle. When we ask candidates about their history, we always leave it up to the client to decide whether they wish to employ them or not,some have no issue with it and some are just a complete no, they don't take ex offenders and it's normally crime dependant so there's a clear stigma attached to certain types of crime. I do find this thread really interesting because I often wonder about the difficulties people face finding employment, when they leave prison, and it's something that comes up time and time again.

In reply to Sarah Kate:

I will definitely drop them an email. I've just been reading about the restaurant at Brixton, it looks like amazing work. I'm also going to book a table and have a meal :)

In reply to Ryan:

Hi Ryan,
Best of luck with this project. I work for a Cathedral and am considering different outreach opportunities linked to our volunteering opportunities so would be really interested to hear any project updates.

In reply to David Perry:

Thanks David for sharing your experience. This is the message I'm trying to get across to our hiring managers as there's been a bit if initial skeptisism on the topic. I find that people who are given a chance after being knocked back a few times turn out to be the most hardworking and loyal employees.

Hi, would also be worth contacting - newfuturesnetwork.gov.uk/

In reply to Steve Bridger:

This has turned into a really useful thread.

Hi everyone,
Thought I'd pop back with a quick update as it's been a month. We've not recruited anyone yet, but I have found a couple great groups that have offered some brilliant advice and support. I will caveat and say, I'm focused on the Hospitality Industry.

Only a Pavement Away:
onlyapavementaway.co.uk/
I've litterally just signed up to be on their job boards so very early days, but I'm excited by the work they do and have volunteered time to their skills workshops and taster days.

The Clink (someone reccomended them already)
theclinkcharity.org/.../hiring-people-with-convictions
theclinkcharity.org/.../Guidance-for-Employers-2020.pdf
I'm waiting on a reply from them as I'm interesting their work and how i can partner or support with them.

My biggest challange has been hiring manager buy in and trying to dispel the stigma and stereotype of homelessness and prison leavers. Only a pavement away have offered to come in and meeting the managers to help them understand the background of the people they work with, which in itself is invaluable.

I hope to share a bit more success as this project progresses.

In reply to Ryan:

That would be brilliant, Ryan. Thank you.

In reply to Ryan:

Hi Ryan, many thanks for the update and please do come back to the forum with any additional information, as and when appropriate. Picking up on your point about manager buy in - yes, I'm not surprised to hear that. This has been a really helpful thread and I've been giving it lots of thought. Regarding the buy in element - a couple of things crossed my mind which I would like to share in case it is helpful.
Firstly, I think one of the main reasons why people recoil in horror at the thought of hiring someone with a criminal record is that perhaps there is a preconceived idea that criminals do really bad things. Such as attack people in the street for their Rolex watch or mobile. Don't disagree with that. Others can be prosecuted for relatively minor offences such as using the train without paying for a ticket. Even though the ticket machines weren't working. Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was prosecuted for a speeding fine even though he attempted more than once to resolve the issue. So without appearing to suggest there are 'good' crimes and 'bad' crimes the context is all important.
Secondly, the issue of homelessness - it might be worth a quick reminder about the work done by the HSBC's 'No Fixed Address' service to break the cycle which inevitably occurs when someone without a fixed address cannot secure a bank account, and therefore cannot get money paid in, and therefore have difficulties with securing a job, and so on. Link for more info is: www.hsbc.co.uk/.../
Thirdly, there was a lot of work done some years ago to reinforce the fact some individuals fall into bad crowds or habits as a youngster, and consequently their criminal record status is affected by having a warning (or worse) against their name. Quite often the 'shock' of having a warning got that individual back on the straight and narrow, and employers were being reminded that falling off the wagon at a young age didn't necessarily mean there would be further problems ahead and to be more open to employing someone with a warning (or similar).
Fourthly, I know an individual who was in prison for 4 years on drug offences. His spell in prison got him clean (although an extremely unpleasant experience) which is what the punishment is meant to do. He now runs his own building services business, has a wife, and is hoping to start a family. From the time I have spent with him I don't get the impression he will offend again, he has well and truly learnt his lesson plus having his own income and somewhere to live has brought all the stability he needs. He has even done some work for me and I was very pleased. Also, at long last, it is being recognised that having an income brings the much needed stability to prevent offences being committed once again. While organisations are not charities they can play a really important part with the ongoing rehabilitation.
Finally, this may have already been mentioned (apologies if so), the charity Unlock have lots of information and do great work for anyone with a criminal record and trying to rebuild their lives, Hope something here has helped.

In reply to Clare Marie:

Thanks for this, Clare. Agree, this has been a great discussion.

In reply to Clare Marie:

Hi Claire,

I've never heard of Unlock; I will check them out. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve had a look into the HSBC “no fixed address” initiative, I think this is great work by the bank.

I raised the concern about preconceptions with Only a pavement away and they were good at explaining who they do and do not work with. They explained that they support people at risk of homelessness or homeless, e.g people facing financial issues that could result in accommodation being taken away, sofa surfing, prison leavers, miliary leavers/veterans etc. They have a list of offences they don’t/can’t support with. Which as you say helps ease a bit of initial “recoil in horror” and provides context.

They clarified “Rough Sleepers” e.g on the streets, require a lot more robust support network than they can offer so also don’t work in that area.

My goal is to help our hiring managers gain an understanding that these issues are a lot closer than they think and it doesn’t take much for people to find themselves in difficult situations.

Hello Ryan,

Bit late to this party and I can see you have some fantastic advice from the community. I work in a different industry but with challenges around skills shortages and we had some excellent advice and sessions with this gentleman. Recommend from me.

Nikki

www.dominicheadleyassociates.co.uk/

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for your update on all of this work. Coincidentally, I happened to be in Central London at the weekend and visited this cafe:

nealstreetespresso.com/.../

They are part of The Message Enterprise - a social organisation that supports ex-offenders. It may be worth connecting with them?

All the best,

Gemma