No Going Back - 3 Words That Can Change A Life
The Pitch
Problem statement
Our motivation is problems faced by prison leavers. They face discrimination & lack the relevant skills, qualifications & experience to find employment. Unemployment rates remain high & c67% of employers discriminate against them whilst recruiting. Those who cannot find work are twice as likely to reoffend. There’s a great need for projects which provide effective responses to high re-offending rates. In 2021, 47,014 people were released from prison, but 64% of men & 42% of young people were reconvicted within a year. Whilst 97% desire to stop offending, 90% of people sentenced have offended before. Most will require the kind of additional support provided by NGB to move forward positively.
Solution
The solution is our project supporting prison leavers to find employment, refrain from offending & helping to change public/employer perception of offenders & demonstrate their talents/capabilities. The goal is to provide 4 individuals with the skills/support needed to secure employment in the cleaning industry where there are skill shortages & good career progression. Funding will provide bespoke training by cleaning industry experts coupled with wraparound employability & employment support. Participants will also gain their CSCS cards so they can work on cleaning contracts within the construction industry. Impact will be to reduce unemployment & reoffending rates & changing perception.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Our aim is to support prison leavers into employment & reduce re-offending. Led by Fran Findlater, who has vast experience in 3rd sector development & working with the target group, we have been carrying out our work for 3 years with a strong track record. NGB is now a recognised & respected employment programme within the sector. We are security cleared for 7 prisons & also work in the community. We have helped 1500 people along their rehabilitation journey & supported 243 people into employment. We have achieved a re-offending rate of under 5%. Above all, we have continually evolved to deliver what is most needed by participants, hence we are ideally placed to make this project a success.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Cleaning skills development via a bespoke Level 2 equivalent programme £350 per person x 4 people | £1,400 |
| CSCS tests and cards x 4 | £320 |
| Wraparound case management support and employability £320.00 per person x 4 people | £1,280 |
Beneficiaries
4 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
By supporting prison leavers to be able to become more employable and successfully compete for employment, we know that reoffending will also be reduced. By reducing reoffending, we also help to reduce crime, the number of victims of crime and build safer communities where people feel safer in their houses and on the streets. By reducing reoffending rates, we also help save money since reoffending costs over £18 billion every year. By supporting 243 people into work to date with 42 different employers, we estimate we have saved the Government over £14m already. By working with a large number of employers, many of whom provide jobs and volunteers, we also know that we are helping to change both employer and public perception of those who have served a prison sentence, thereby reducing discrimination and marginalisation.
Track record
Over the last three years, we have fundraised over £1 million in grants from around 40 different funders to support the creation, delivery and development of No Going Back. We have supported over 1500 people to date and boast an enviable reoffending rate of under 5%. In the last 3 years, 42 different employers have given employment to our participants. We have also created a network of over 150 volunteers from corporate supporters who help us deliver our work both inside prison and in the community. We have also created a group of 15 Ambassador peers who help us to co-create our programme and work with us to support prison leavers. Each year, NGB has been externally evaluated and we have demonstrated that for every £1 spent, an impressive £12.64 of social value is generated through economic benefits, avoided public spending, and health and wellbeing gains. “I don’t know what I’d have done without NGB. I feel like now I’ve got a future & a career too”. Kazime, NGB Ambassador, Employed