European Social Fund in England

National Offender Management Service NOMS

PS Plus 2

Funding: European Social Fund National Measure 2.2 and 5.1

Good Practice theme demonstrated: Equal Opportunities

Long-term unemployment among ex-offenders is high, with 50% of the people who are being supported by the probation service out of work.

PS Plus 2 addresses the specific barriers to employment faced by ex-offenders, including poor basic skills and work history, as well as drug and mental health problems. One in three men in the UK and one in 10 women have a criminal conviction and many have to deal with the reluctance of employers to recruit those with a criminal record

The project, which is the largest ESF-funded project in the UK, addresses the training and employability of offenders while they are in prison and for 90 days post-release, for the first time giving the Prison and Probation Services a consistent, high-quality model for providing tailored support across the service.

According to Tony Challinor, executive director of the Warrington-based national project in the UK, personalisation has been central to the success of PS Plus 2. He said: "the project approach is to look at everyone as an individual action plan which caters for all their needs."

In some cases this may mean referring people to other services, such as drug rehabilitation, but it is vital that all these needs are addressed if training or work experience is going to be effective.

This continues to be important for ex-offenders, as Tony explains 'with female ex-offenders for example, their first priority is often accommodation and getting their children out of social service care, not finding a job."

For projects working with ex-offenders a good working relationship with other service providers like housing and health is critical to get these issues resolved first.

Consistent support is also important; the project has developed a computer system that tracks offenders' progress, allowing them to continue their action plan even if they are moved to another prison. At the crucial point of release, ex-offenders are given support from PS Plus 2's link workers, who act as advocate by liaising with colleges, employers and other services for up to 90 days post release.

The link to employers is also central to the project's success, as many offenders have a poor work history. The project can help an offender gain day release from prison allowing them to get valuable work experience with employers. This helps offenders become more employable not least because, when it is successful, it increases employers' confidence in employing ex-offenders. PS Plus 2 also targets vocational training to sectors where there are labour shortages, for example nationally there is a shortage of fork lift truck operators, so the project provides training in this area.

Resistance from employers, and in some case, training providers is something that needs to be addressed by projects working with ex-offenders. Tony explains, "I think typically people are quite resistant to employing offenders and a lot of this has to do with lack of knowledge and also a feeling of vulnerability". The experience of PS Plus 2 is that it is best to be as open as possible about conviction history and share any issue that may be relevant to the position on offer.

Tony also explains that risks in terms of possible risk-of-harm and risk-of-reoffending needs to be carefully managed by projects that work with ex-offenders. Data protection law means that projects cannot disclose information about offences without the permission of the individual involved, however Tony adds, "before referring ex-offenders to employers or colleges it is Prison Service policy that a risk assessment is completed to ensure public safety at all times."

The project works with local Criminal Justice Partnerships that have experience and expertise in managing this kind of risk. For PS Plus 2, risk management is a high priority and is deliberately built into their systems and contracting arrangements. Not all offenders present a risk, but this is something that needs to be considered.

In its work with offenders, PS Plus 2 also addresses the important issue of their motivation for offending. The project runs offending behaviour courses that allow offenders to explore this and it can be key for some offenders in moving forward. Tony says that it is also important to raise the expectations of offenders, "we try to motivate people, to say to them we think you can do something more challenging and rewarding ".

Further information:

Please contact Stuart Dunn, Communications Officer, PS Plus 2

Email : stuart.dunn01@hmps.gsi.gov.uk

Tel : 01952 423 407

Web : www.psplus2.org