1. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties 1 Bank accounts, insurance and disclosure Christopher Stacey Director (Services) CESI 9 th December 2013

2. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Independent award-winning charity set up as an organisation in 1999, and registered as a charity in 2000, by people with convictions  Providing trusted information and advice services for people with criminal convictions.  Work with government, employers and others to change policies and practices  Aim – To create a fairer and more inclusive society so that people with convictions can move on in their lives Unlock

3. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Don’t deliver Government-contracts – not competing  Maintain independent provision of services to people with conviction (funded through charitable grants and donations) – Helpline, Information Hub, Online Forum, Disclosure Calculator, Online Magazine, Information Sessions  Share knowledge and expertise to help individuals within the CJS by providing support and training to organisations and front-line practitioners Unlock

4. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties Opening basic bank accounts before release

5. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  “I need a bank account so it will help to get a job and so I can keep money safe.”  “My release money can go into bank account, as well as benefit assistance to stop me losing it or spending it.”  “Because I want to get a job when released so I need it in order to be paid.” 5 Why is it important?

6. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  In 2011, we found that:  Between 30-40% of people in prison do not have a bank account when they enter prison.  Between 26,000 – 38,000 people are released from prison every year without access to even a basic bank account. 6 Need / Demand

7. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Partnerships between high-street banks and prisons  Identity confirmed using PSI template  Accounts opened before release  Different banks have different set-ups 7 Solution

8. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Halifax Pilot: 5% closure rate after 6 months. “Prisoners statistically better customers than average basic account holders.”  Halifax and Barclays: 95% application success rate. Opening accounts at average rate of 7.5 accounts per prison per month  Co-operative Bank have opened thousands of accounts. Evaluation showed re-offending rate dropped 34.8%  Halifax & Co-operative community awards  Barclays and Co-operative have received significant positive press coverage, including The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, London Evening Standard, The Guardian, and featured on BBC Radio 4’s MoneyBox. 8 Results (1)

9. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  122 prisons now have basic bank account opening processes in place  This equals all that want and need one  Unlock have directly assisted in setting up 74 9 Results (2)

10. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Halifax – 33 prisons  Co-op – 29 prisons  HSBC – 19 prisons  Barclays – 16 prisons  RBS – 13 prisons  Santander – 5 prisons 10 Activities of the banks

11. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  April 2014 – post Unlock?  One prison / one bank  Shifting landscape – ‘Resettlement prisons’  Capacity in the prisons  Service-delivery arrangements – soft/hard outcomes? 11 Moving forward

12. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties Insurance for people with convictions (briefly)

13. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Most mainstream companies have blanket policies towards people with unspent convictions  Covers ‘anybody normally residing in the household’, such as partners and children  If in prison for length of policy, not normally an issue 13 Issues

14. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Since April 2013, only have to disclose if asked  If asked, only ‘unspent’ convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974  Convictions that are ‘spent’ never have to be disclosed, even if there is a question 14 What to disclose?

15. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Unlock has a list of specialist brokers  Some well-known insurers may provide some types of insurance with some convictions, e.g. motor insurance for people with non-motoring convictions  Take extra care if an insurer does not ask questions about criminal convictions  Get written proof you have disclosed your conviction or that they do not need to know 15 Where to get insurance

16. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties Support to practitioners on disclosure

17. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Changes to the criminal records regime are constant and confusing  Changes to the ROA – first major change in 40 years  DBS processes – eligibility, filtering, sent to individual  No government plans to provide practical support  Practitioners tend not to receive adequate, accurate and up-to-date training  Result is ineffective/inaccurate advice, poor outcomes, and issues later down the line (e.g. losing a job) 17 The need

18. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Training workshops  Content can include: Current and future ROA; Criminal record checks; Eligibility; Filtering; When and how to disclose; Getting insurance; Getting a bank account; Travelling abroad  Regular future information e-updates for attendees  Half-day training updates to respond to latest developments 18 ‘Working with Convictions’

19. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties 19 ‘Working with Convictions’ “The disclosure training provided by Unlock is engaging and comprehensive. We held a REACH staff event to look specifically at the changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and staff who attended commented how useful the day had been. Whilst the principles around disclosure are a core part of any service that assists people with convictions into employment, some of the legal aspects are quite complex and I would recommend anyone who works in this field to think about completing the Unlock training to ensure they are fully up to date. Carrie Peters, Director of the REACH Project

20. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  disclosurecalculator.org.uk  Find out if convictions are ‘spent’  Will be updated once the law is changes  Organisations can set up accounts to allow them to build it into their service to their clients 20 Disclosure Calculator

21. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties  Cost is based on the number of uses you purchase  Ranges from 100 to 1,000 per years 21 Disclosure Calculator “This is a really excellent tool. Our staff used to have to spend a lot of time understanding the Act and working out spent dates for each client. The Calculator saves us a lot of time and reduces the risk of human error” Resettlement services provider

22. © Unlock – Not to be transferred to third parties 22 Christopher Stacey | Director (Services) Email: christopher.stacey@unlock.org.ukchristopher.stacey@unlock.org.uk Phone: 01634 247350 ext. 202 Mobile: 07557 676433 Office Write: 35a High Street, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5AG Phone: 01634 247350 Email:admin@unlock.org.ukadmin@unlock.org.uk Web:www.unlock.org.ukwww.unlock.org.uk @unlock2000 Contact details – Me / Office