In reply to Gemma:

Thanks for this, I hadn't heard of them. I'm in the area next week, I'll pop in for a coffee and see if I can have a chat.

On the subject of Coffee, I'd like to highlight this business who roast all their beans in HMP The Mount. I'd reccomend anyone pop in, the coffee is really nice and the company mission is excellent. www.redemptionroasters.com/

In reply to Ryan:

You're very welcome - I stumbled on it completely by chance but it was very impressive and there is lots of information within the cafe about their ethos. Hope you have a productive conversation!

In reply to Ryan:

Hi Ryan, apologies for adding a little more to your thread but thought these may be helpful. Hope so ... Firstly, I came across a key phrase the other day, which is: see the person and not the criminal record. Which you're already doing of course ....
Second, I mentioned the charity Unlock in a previous thread, they're doing fantastic stuff where recruiting individuals with criminal records are concerned and I thought this link might help:
https://recruit.unlock.org.uk/
Finally, there was an interview last night on Sky News with Steve Gallant. This gentleman tackled the terrorist during the 2019 London Bridge attack. This same gentleman was on licence for murder and was participating in a prison education conference. His actions were not for criminal purposes but simply to protect those with him and his bravery was later rewarded with the Queen's Medal for Gallantry. Steve has also released a book entitled "The Road to London Bridge" about those events and his journey along the road to redemption. Could be worth a read .....

In reply to Steve Bridger:

This is an interesting development...

Ex-convicts to be spared from disclosing convictions - GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/barrier-to-employment-lifted-for-thousands-of-ex-offenders

In reply to Sarah Kate:

Hi Sarah,
I spoke to someone from New futures Network yesterday, they were lovely and put me in touch with the local prison employment lead who invited me for a show round and a meet the team.

I mentioned this thread and how much interest it's generated and they said anyone interested should drop an enquiry on the website and they will call them back to discuss. They support with loads of different businesses, not just hospitality and retail.

In reply to David Perry:

Speak to the charity 'Only a Pavement Away' who will be a fantastic starting point, Greg Mangham and his team will be able to introduce you to a lot of people who will assist.

employernews.co.uk/.../

Happy New Year! I know it's a bit late but January has been busy.
Thought I'd pop back and provide a bit of an update on where I am with things.

First off, I've partnered with a charity called Only a Pavement Away, they've been mentioned a few times in this thread. They focus on helping people at risk of homelessness, prison leavers and vetrans into work. onlyapavementaway.co.uk/

I've also spoken with the New Futures Network, a government initative to help people with a conviction into work post release. newfuturesnetwork.gov.uk/

Most importantly, I made contact with the Prisoner Employment Lead at the facility closest to where I work and went down for a meeting. I was given a tour of the employment skills workshop, met a couple of the inmates and discussed potential areas in which we could support and work with the prison to help people gain meaningful employment.

I work for a single site and I'm lucky that my turnover is low, so I haven't got lots of vacancies, but I do have time and skills. We discussed interview skills workshops, CV writing and practical workshops like cooking, maintance and customer service. I've also arranged for my Heads of Department to go down to visit ahead of pulling the trigger on any furture projects.

We were told that accommodation was the biggest challenge for prison leavers and out of the 40 odd leavers a month, only 2/3 would be "employment ready" e.g in a place to actually hold a job.

For me the visit was a real eye opener and if anyone is looking to explore this avenue, my advice to you would be to reach out to the New Futures Network and arrange a visit to meet your closest Prison Employment Lead (PEL). It puts a lot into perspective and puts real faces to this concept of "Ex-Convict".

In reply to Ryan:

Great to have the update Ryan! I'd love to put you in touch with my colleagues in the CIPD Trust they may want to chat to you about this work and your experiences as it ties in very well with their principles and programmes.

In reply to Johanna:

What a great idea, Johanna. Huge kudos to Ryanfor the leadership he has shown with this. 

In reply to Steve Bridger:

Hi Steve, if this has not already been explored - there's tons of great material here for an article in PM, don't you think??!?

In reply to Clare Marie:

Good idea. 

In reply to Clare Marie:

Actually, there have been some articles in PM...
www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/.../employer-concerns-staff-safety-act-barrier-hiring-ex-offenders-study-finds

In reply to Steve Bridger:

Good point, the great thing about Ryan's post is we have some signposting, hopefully that will provide some actual guidance and reliable information to move this important subject forward.

In reply to Clare Marie:

Yes, this is one of my favourite threads of 2023 (and on-going) and now the 'go to' discussion on the topic.