Novus Transforming Lives to support prison leavers into work in Barnsley

New employment support programme will help prison leavers overcome barriers to work, build sustainable careers and reduce reoffending in Barnsley.

Prison leavers returning to Barnsley will receive specialist employment support through a major new programme designed to help people move into work, remain in employment and build more positive futures.

Novus Transforming Lives has been awarded a contract to deliver employment support for offenders and ex-offenders in Barnsley through the Government's Connect to Work programme, part of the wider Pathways to Work initiative.

The programme will support people facing complex barriers to employment, helping them overcome practical challenges, connect with local employers and develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed at work.

Supporting prison leavers into sustainable employment

Finding and keeping a job can play an important role in helping people build a stable life after prison. Employment can provide financial security, a sense of purpose and opportunities to develop new skills and relationships, while helping to address one of the factors associated with reoffending.

Reoffending rates in Barnsley are currently six percentage points higher than the average for England and Wales, with the annual cost of reoffending to taxpayers in Barnsley estimated to be between £83 million and £103 million.

The new Novus Transforming Lives programme aims to help address this challenge by reducing the period people spend unemployed following release from prison.

Evidence shows that prison leavers who move into employment are up to nine percentage points less likely to reoffend than those who do not find work.

By providing employment support before and after release, Novus Transforming Lives will help prison leavers take steps towards sustainable employment from the earliest possible opportunity.

Connecting prison education with employment

Novus has supported offender resettlement in Barnsley for more than 30 years and currently delivers prison education across the North of England, including in 12 prisons across Yorkshire.

Each year, around 1,700 people return to Barnsley from prisons where Novus operates, with around 80% being workless when they are released.

This gives Novus Transforming Lives an important opportunity to connect education, skills development and employment support, helping people make the transition from prison into the community.

The programme will work closely with Novus prison education teams in the run-up to release. Individual circumstances, potential barriers to employment and career ambitions can be identified before someone leaves prison, allowing employment specialists to begin planning support at an early stage.

This approach will help create greater continuity between prison and the community, with support available from day one following release.

Overcoming the barriers to employment

For many people leaving prison, finding a job is just one of several challenges they need to overcome.

Novus Transforming Lives will provide personalised support to help individuals navigate practical barriers, which may include finding accommodation, arranging transport, accessing a mobile phone or opening a bank account.

Employment specialists will also support people to manage challenges linked to probation and licence conditions, including curfews, while developing the confidence, communication and other workplace skills needed to sustain employment.

Support will be available in prisons, workplaces and community outreach facilities, as well as by phone and online.

Alongside supporting individuals, Novus Transforming Lives will work with local employers to identify suitable employment opportunities and help businesses understand the benefits of recruiting people with convictions.

Meeting South Yorkshire's skills needs

The programme comes at a time when employers across South Yorkshire are facing skills shortages in sectors including logistics, construction, manufacturing and hospitality.

These sectors offer opportunities that align well with the skills and ambitions of many prison leavers, while providing employers with access to an often under-utilised talent pool.

Novus Transforming Lives already has more than 150 established relationships with offender-friendly employers across the region through its work supporting people into employment.

The Barnsley programme will be delivered in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, prisons across Yorkshire and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, with support from prison governors across the region.

It is the second Connect to Work contract awarded to Novus Transforming Lives, following the launch of a programme supporting ex-offenders in Sheffield.

Building on the Yorkshire Model

The new programme builds on Novus' experience of connecting prison education and training with employment opportunities in the community.

Novus has pioneered the Yorkshire Model, which brings together education, skills and employment support to help people make a successful transition from prison into work or further training.

The approach was recognised in a report by the Centre for Social Justice, which highlighted a 65% increase in the number of prisoners moving into work or training after completing their sentence across Yorkshire and Humber over a three-year period.

Novus Transforming Lives will build on this experience in Barnsley, working with individuals, employers, prisons and community partners to create better pathways from prison to sustainable employment.

Individual Placement and Support

The Barnsley programme will use the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment.

Originally developed and tested within mental health services, IPS has since been expanded to support other groups who face significant barriers to entering and remaining in work.

The approach focuses on helping people into real employment, based on their individual circumstances, ambitions and strengths, alongside providing ongoing support to help them sustain their employment.

For prison leavers, this means employment support can be tailored around their circumstances rather than treating employment as a standalone issue.

Creating better futures and stronger communities

Peter Cox, Director of Novus Transforming Lives, said:

Finding and keeping a job after leaving prison is a game changer. It gives people a second chance, reduces reoffending, builds stronger communities and delivers a significant saving to taxpayers.

"Having worked in resettling prison leavers in Barnsley for more than three decades, we believe this programme offers an exciting opportunity to positively impact the life chances of a group of people who face some of the most difficult barriers to employment.

"Former offenders have a huge amount to offer in the workplace, and we will be collaborating with employers across South Yorkshire who can tap into this under-utilised group of people to address their own skills gaps.

"Following the start of our recent contract to deliver Connect to Work in Sheffield, we are looking forward to working with colleagues at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, prisons and the probation service to allow this pioneering project to achieve its potential in Barnsley."

Councillor Andy Cudworth, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities at Barnsley Council, said:

"Connect to Work is about breaking down barriers, creating opportunities and helping people move into sustainable employment, which we know can be life-changing for individuals and families.

Helping people move into good, sustained employment improves life chances, supports economic growth and creates stronger communities.

"By supporting prison leavers to overcome barriers to work, we're helping people to fulfil their potential while reducing the risk of reoffending. This reflects our ambition to make Barnsley a place where everyone can thrive."

Mick Mills OBE, Governor at HMP Hatfield in South Yorkshire, said:

"I am really pleased to see the launch of the Novus Transforming Lives contract in Barnsley, a town that is close to both our location and our hearts.

"At HMP Hatfield we have successfully partnered with Novus to deliver the best employment outcomes across the whole of the prison estate, with an unprecedented eight out of 10 of our prison leavers securing employment six months after release.

Novus have been an outstanding partner, helping us to secure employment for so many prison leavers in South Yorkshire, so to see their service grow can only add more value to Barnsley and the South Yorkshire region as a whole.

Lynne Kennedy, Social Mobility Manager at Greene King, said:

As an employer working in partnership with Novus, we have seen first-hand their ability to prepare prison leavers for work and to engage employers in a way that is practical, supportive, and responsive to business needs.

"Their approach helps individuals overcome barriers to employment while providing employers with confident, work-ready candidates and ongoing, tailored in-work support that supports retention.

"We believe Novus Transforming Lives has the experience, partnerships, and employer-focused approach required to deliver positive outcomes through Connect to Work."

Employment support for prison leavers in Barnsley

Through Connect to Work, Novus Transforming Lives will help prison leavers and people with convictions overcome barriers to employment, connect with local employers and build sustainable careers.

By bringing together prison education, skills development, employment support and employer partnerships, the programme aims to help more people move successfully from prison into work and reduce the risk of reoffending.

For people in Barnsley who would like to access employment support, they can visit the Pathways to Work service through Barnsley Council.