1. A Bridge Between Prison and Full Time Employment
”Though no-one can go back
and make a brand new start,
anyone can start from now
and make a brand new ending”
Carl Bart

2. Introduction
Our organization was created in 2011 from a simple belief that everyone deserved a 2nd chance and that people should get paid work to keep them out of prison .
Bounce Back evolved through learnings that came from the participants as well as the staff and management and we created training and employment opportunities within a supportive framework
It continues to do this today although now the needs of employers also help shape our vision
Our model became ‘porous’ as we take our participants into houses (and businesses) to do work and take clients into the prison to meet prisoners, perceptions change and boundaries are broken down
We have historically learnt what works and implemented it. Our aim was for our world to be ‘normal’ and for people both in and out of prison to sense this.
Success, however, is measured in our Bounce Back ‘community’ of current and ex-participants who stay in touch, are now friends and help each other to get work and ‘stay out’. Through the things we do and the places we appear, we want people to see people from prison ‘in a different light’.

3. Working Inside and Out - What We Do
Bounce Back charity has 6 training centres. We train in painting and decorating, dry lining and scaffolding in HMP’s Brixton, Wandsworth and in the community as well as in partnership with Crisis in their HQ’s. We also train in employability skills, self-employment and everything needed to get someone able to work on leaving prison
Bounce Back Social Enterprise employs the painters and decorators with up to 30 on site at any one time and is, above all, a professional business preparing people for the ‘world of work’ in a supportive environment
Bounce Back peer workers and Case Worker/Mentors support people from prison, through the gate and into employment, working with them for up to a year and also supporting the employers. We do this with a wide variety of organisations including construction companies, TFL, Interserve, Youngs Breweries, Boots and more
We aim to be an end to end solution for reducing re-offending with a known 12% re-offending rate against 60% government average.

4. Training
Since we started in 2011 we have had just under 1,000 people through all or part of our programme - of these over 70% go into further training, work experience or paid employment
Everything we do is focused on getting people skills and qualifications that respond to the needs of industry and lead to employment. We can also tailor new courses for specific potential roles with large contractors.
We train a total of 60 people a day up to different levels in construction skills as well as training trainers.
We use role models in the training centres and workshop champions who help train the new cohorts. This has proven positive impact. ,
In addition our case managers train in CSCS cards and employability in HMP’s High Down, Isis, Thameside, Pentonville, Feltham, and others.

5. Bounce Back Training – HMP’s Brixton + Wandsworth
Painting and Decorating,
Dry Lining + Scaffolding
(funded by Knauff, Encon, Nevill Long with Alandale and with jobs into Land Securities and Lend Lease amongst others – an ideal model)
Training up to 60 people a day

6. Employment & Self Employment
Our social enterprise is a business working on large & small contracts. It enables us to say to people in prison ‘yes there is a job at the end of this’ because we can take them on release and continue to train them while they work
When they come to us we help individuals set up their own enterprises and provide them with the support to do this
We also place people into employment with a number of other organisations including Keltbray, Land Securities, Wates, Lend Lease and others
We believe in making it as easy as possible to employ someone from prison. From presenting to employers in their workplace or inviting people to meet and engage with potential employees prior to release

7. Bounce Back Social Enterprise

8. Preparing for Work
Tailoring to the individual - finding out what THEY need
Paperwork – photo ID – NI no – bank account – birth certificates - DBS
Qualifications – certificates - CSCS
CV – Disclosure letter
Money – food – fares
Interview practice – employability skills – embedded maths, English,
Peer support
Probation - Recall
Navigating employer requirements and acting as a liaison point for them

9. What Works?
Employer and client partnerships – building relationships with key people who can provide jobs and work
Sector partnerships to manage areas not in our remit e.g. housing, drug recovery etc
Changing perception – Painting Clarence House, Painting Parliament. Until the MOJ ask us to paint their offices we haven’t cracked it
And
Participant involvement throughout the organisation
Ongoing training and upskilling – essential to meet mutual need
Mentoring individuals for growth where needed
Ensuring ‘product’ is delivered to meet the brief – client satisfaction
Managing expectations of workforce and client
Advice and guidance on HMRC obligations for individuals
A ‘safe haven’ for people leaving prison
A desire to move on - we are just the beginning - a bridge to the rest of their lives

10. Measuring Success Regularly updating data
Our own Outcomes Analyst working across the organisation
Talking to the people leaving prison who have trained with us or are working with us – they give us invaluable evidence and case studies
Feedback forms
But the biggest success ….
Attending our Senior Managers wedding. He was our first participant. The wedding guests included several Bounce Back past team members who are friends, with their wives and families. They are now working successfully in different organisations, amongst them is an electrician working on Battersea Power Station, another has his own successful p+d business. They joined our current Site Supervisor, recently out of prison and invited him to lunch the following weekend. Our ‘good gangs’ mean everything.
As do judges suggesting people return to work with us rather than go to prison, when we give evidence for them.

11. Challenges Prison Regimes Prison data collection and sharing
Limited ROTL
Prisoners being far from the communities and jobs that it makes sense to release them into
Government change
The commercial vs the social objective
Long term sustainability

12. Thank You
“Bounce Back is an excellent example of how employers can provide invaluable work opportunities for offenders while in prison to help them turn their lives around.
Schemes like these can help to break the cycle of re-offending, which means fewer victims and saves the taxpayer money.”
Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah