Novus focuses on reoffending in Barnsley by supporting prison leavers into work

Novus Transforming Lives will deliver a major new employment programme in Barnsley, focusing on helping ex-offenders to find work and thrive.

Prison leavers returning to Barnsley after their release are to be offered specialist support to help them find work and remain in employment with the aim of reducing reoffending in the town.

Novus Transforming Lives has won a contract to deliver employment support to offenders and ex-offenders in Barnsley, as part of the Government’s new Connect to Work programme which forms part of the Pathways to Work initiative.

This national scheme, launched under the Government’s Get Britain Working Strategy, is designed to help people with complex barriers to employment get into and remain in work.

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

Public sector provider Novus – of which Novus Transforming Lives is a subsidiary – has supported Barnsley offender resettlement for more than 30 years and currently delivers education in public prisons across the North of England, including 12 prisons in Yorkshire. Each year 1,700 people return to Barnsley from prisons in which Novus operates, 80% of them being workless at the point of release.

Regional skills shortages across the logistics, construction, manufacturing and hospitality sectors align well with skills of the cohort of prison leavers. The Connect to Work programme in Barnsley has the support of the governors of prisons across Yorkshire, and Novus can build on more than 150 established hiring relationships with offender-friendly employers in the region.

The programme will be delivered in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, prisons across Yorkshire, and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. The Barnsley programme is the second Connect to Work contract won by Novus Transforming Lives, following the start of a programme working with ex-offenders in Sheffield.

The Barnsley programme will be delivered according to the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, which was originally tested and proven to be highly effective in a mental health setting and is now being expanded to support wider groups facing significant barriers to work.

Novus Transforming Lives will work with prison leavers facing a range of issues, such as finding accommodation, arranging their own transport and getting a mobile phone and bank account. As well as sourcing work opportunities with local businesses, expert staff will help individuals navigate challenges such as complying with probation and licence requirements such as curfews, and developing the soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Support will be delivered in prisons, workplaces and community outreach facilities, as well as by phone and online.

By working closely with Novus’ prison education teams in the run up to release, the programme will enable prison-to-community continuity, with individuals’ backgrounds, potential barriers to employment and career ambitions identified before they even leave prison. This will allow the Novus Transforming Lives team to have an immediate impact from ‘day one’ in enabling job entry and sustained employment. The reoffending rate among former prisoners who go on to find work within a year of release is as much as 9 percentage points lower than among those who remain unemployed. By shortening post-release worklessness, the Barnsley programme has the potential to reduce a key driver of reoffending.

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 the 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 also achieve its potential in Barnsley.”

Cllr 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 national pub retailer and brewer 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.”

Novus has already pioneered the ‘Yorkshire Model’ of linking education and training behind bars with employment opportunities in the community. As a result of this approach, which was praised in a report by the Centre for Social Justice thinktank, the number of prisoners moving into work or training upon completing their sentence increased by 65 per cent across Yorkshire and Humber over a three-year period.