AdJust: Building our workforce from custody to care.
When a person leaves prison, there are many things they need to rebuild, and more often than not, a career is one of them. The data shows that reoffending is significantly reduced for those gaining employment shortly after release and across the UK, there are lots of examples of custody and community-based employability programmes. However, the vast majority of these focus on fields such as construction, cleaning and hospitality.
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Seems odd, doesn’t it? When we’ve got a workforce crisis in care.
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Here at Yonder, we believe that offenders offer untapped potential. We're working to design a model that places safeguarding at the centre, offering people who have been through the criminal justice system a route into social care employment, while ensuring that offence-based risk is carefully considered.
We've been busy building partnerships across the system - with prisons, community organisations (including PossAbilities and Recoop) and The Probation Service. Now, with funding from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we'll be piloting a community-based Social Care Academy - a 6-day course that equips participants with the technical knowledge and interpersonal skills needed to gain social care employment.​
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The pilot delivers structured training, including the Care Certificate, alongside employability support, values-based learning, first-aid and careful risk assessment. Safeguarding sits at the heart of the model, with participation limited to people who are employment-ready, assessed as low or medium-risk, and suitable for DBS clearance.
What is the research telling us?
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According to Gov.uk research, offenders unemployed six weeks after leaving prison had a reoffending rate more than double of those in work.
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Over 90 percent of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed they are motivated, reliable, good at their job and trustworthy.
Now, we're looking for like-minded organisations who believe in second chances - who want to create opportunities to support people to turn their lives around.
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Who are we looking for?
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We want to build a network of social care employers across Greater Manchester who want to create opportunities for people who have offended, while unlocking their untapped potential to strengthen their own workforce. We’ll support you throughout the journey, from onboarding and planning adjustments to working closely with Probation or support organisations, so there are no surprises, and each person is supported as an individual.
We’ll also be hosting a series of events to give you practical advice, clear toolkits and space for honest discussion - tackling risk, safeguarding and common concerns, sharing good practice around safer recruitment, and helping you feel confident in offering opportunities that work for your organisation and the people you support.
We can't transform the social care workforce alone. So, we're also looking for others who want to be a part of this journey. We're keen to build partnerships with more community-based organisations that support offenders who'd like to be a part of our pilot, as well as other areas that'd like to pilot social care academies.​
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Want to get involved or learn more?
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