Recruit With Conviction In Partnership: Positive Prison

What is RWC? Recruit With Conviction is the national campaign to promote safe and effective recruitment of people with criminal records. Our purpose Business benefits from access to the untapped potential and talent which exists among people with convictions. Community benefits from reduced crime. Individuals benefit from the hope and opportunities that a job brings.

What RWC offer Not-for-profit company; Started off as a social media campaign; For CSR. Businesses contribute to the safety of communities by engaging with RWC. For HR Specialists – Policy and procedure for recruitment and retention of people with criminal convictions; Provide access to a wider and more diverse pool of talent; Sharing best practice and networking among the HR community. For Recruiters, Managers & Supervisors – Recruitment of people with convictions is daunting for anybody. RWC training supports businesses to overcome some of these fears and to understand obligations For Mainstream Employability Advisors- 1 in 3 benefit claimants have criminal convictions; Employers have so much access to criminal records. However employability services for offenders are increasingly delivered by mainstream providers (Apply with Conviction)

Some Key Information The voluntary sector has twice as much involvement in recruiting ex-offenders than the private sector Only 1 in 7 organisations ask job applicants if they have a criminal record 20% of organisations say that their experience of employing ex- offenders was better than expected Main reasons for positive experiences with ex-offenders – Settle into work well with colleagues – Perform well Retention rate is equal to or better than those with no criminal record

Some Key Information (2) Employers are more worried about offenders having the soft skills of honest, reliability and personal behaviour than technical skills Most organisations with experience of employing ex-offenders consider sexual offences to be the greatest cause for concern Driving offences are of the least concern to employers More than 2/3rds of employers would find guidance on risk assessments and safeguards useful when employing people with criminal records 1 in 3 men and 1 in 10 women have a criminal conviction. Only 2 per cent of these result in a custodial sentence and 0.1 per cent are high risk (like sex offences)

Apply With Conviction Helps employability (plus specialist advisers like drug and alcohol advisers) to give best advice regarding disclosure Specialist area of support Delivering training to advisers across England-shire at the moment Scotland next

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 Stakeholder events for Scottish Government 300 businesses across 6 venues over 6 weeks Informs decision making process Unlikely to result in legislation before Independence referendum! Separate legislative process in Scotland

Ban the Box

AMBASSADORS

Learning in Prisons Grundtvig partnership programme started late 2013 Watch this space……………….