Does your business recruit people with convictions? Or does your business avoid recruiting anyone with a criminal record? Would support from government make you think again? How about financial incentives – would that encourage you to hire people with a criminal record? The Cabinet Office are calling for evidence on employment for people with convictions, […]
Bristol City Council becomes first local authority to Ban the Box
We’re delighted that Bristol City Council has today become the first local authority to sign up to Ban the Box. Ban the Box calls on UK employers to create a fair opportunity for people with convictions to compete for jobs by removing the tick box from application forms and asking about criminal convictions later in the […]
Inclusive recruitment: what to consider for candidates with criminal records
‘Do you have any unspent criminal convictions? If yes please provide further details below.’ Your reaction to this question on a job application or agency registration form will probably depend on whether you are one of the 11 million people in the UK who has a criminal record. If the answer is no, you will […]
Recruitment & Employment Confederation becomes Ban the Box employer
The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has signed up to the Ban the Box campaign, committing to fair recruitment for people with criminal records. As a result, the REC will not ask questions about criminal records at the application stage of the recruitment process, but will ask the questions at a later stage. Later this […]
Charities must act now to prepare for changes to the rules on criminal records
Almost anyone can run a charity, but there are rules that mean some people with a criminal record are prevented from being able to unless they have clearance from the Charity Commission. With the rules changing this year, it’s important to get to grips with what they mean. There are over 11 million people in […]
Basic criminal record checks launched today by the DBS
From today, the 17th January 2018, basic criminal record checks can now be obtained directly from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) This is a significant development for both people with criminal records and employers in England & Wales. Basic checks are a type of criminal record check that can be used by employers and […]
Is a tick box damaging your diversity efforts? – Upcoming webinar 10th May
BAME groups are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice system. According to a recent review led by David Lammy MP, black men are three times more likely to be arrested than white men. The same review found that men from BAME backgrounds are 16% more likely than white men to be remanded in […]
New official guide for employers on open recruitment
Published by the Department for Work and Pensions in partnership with Business in the Community, the guide, Strengthening your workforce with talent from disadvantaged groups, comes after high demand from the business world for more help and support for employers to become inclusive. Part of the See Potential campaign, it’s already been welcomed by the FSB […]
Unlocking the potential of the UK’s ex-offenders
NatWest has published an article about recruiting people with convictions, featuring this site as a source of support for employers. The article is copied below: One remedy to the UK’s skills gap could be to hire more ex-offenders, so what’s the best way of going about this? There are around 1.6 million unemployed people in […]
Tax breaks for employing people with convictions?
Yesterday a report was published by the Work and Pensions Committee calling on government to drastically improve the support provided to people released from prison and to do more to encourage employers to recruit people with convictions. The Committee encouraged employers to change their recruitment process and made a number of recommendations to both government and companies, […]