Rehabilitation, employment and community resettlement

Over a quarter (26.5%) of those released from custody in in England and Wales went on to commit a proven reoffence, according to latest data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This data also shows that those who are employed after leaving prison are less likely to reoffend, highlighting the role that employment support plays in rehabilitation.

Last month the government released plans to create New Employment Councils to join up probation services, prisons, DWP and local employers to support offenders into work. These Councils build on Lord Timpson’s work prior to becoming a government minister and offers a great opportunity to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are connected to best support prison leavers.

At Reed in Partnership, we are part of the system that supports offenders to resettle into the community. We deliver CFO Evolution in London together with our delivery partner Shaw Trust. This programme offers positive resettlement support, designed to help offenders prepare to leave custody and successfully reintegrate within the community.

In line with the latest government announcement, it is vital that different parts of the sector work together to ensure prison leavers have access to mainstream outcomes. A key step in the pathway to employment and community integration is access to support and training to develop skills across a variety of areas; from vocational and communication skills needed within the labour market, to social and practical skills needed to support wellbeing and community resettlement.

Our CFO Evolution Support Workers are equipped to work together with prison leavers prior to release and into the community through our Activity Hubs with a broad offer of activities and training. To best meet the needs to support people we work with training providers and employers across a number of sectors, just to name a few:

• Careys Construction Campus, Wembley: deliver fully funded 3-week bootcamps for ex-offenders to develop a range of skills needed to work as a general operative within the construction industry. Successful completion of the course means you gain CSCS card and a guaranteed interview with Careys.
• XO Bikes, Lewisham & Wandsworth: train ex-offenders to be professional bike mechanics through their programme of refurbishing donated bikes. They deliver regular training sessions for prison leavers and support them to find employment where they can’t employ them directly.
• Redemption Roasters, London: deliver roasting and coffee training behind bars, as well as community coffee training at their Kings Cross HQ. Their live impact data shows that 507 people have completed their in-custody programmes, and 87 ex-offenders have been supported into employment in their coffee shops across London.

Through our delivery we know the importance of wide-ranging support to achieve positive and sustainable employment and community resettlement outcomes for prison leavers. We will continue to engage with all parts of the system to reduce reoffending and support our communities across London.