Blog – What will be the impact of today’s charity rule changes?
Wednesday, 01 August 2018
There are over 11 million people in this country with a criminal record. Many of them play a vital role in contributing to the work of charities. There are many charities, including those working with people in the criminal justice system, that are ‘user led’ or actively involve their beneficiaries at a senior level in
- Published in Employment discrimination, Latest, News @ Unlock, Trustee, Unlock's blog
Blog – Standing up to the government in the Supreme Court – Some reflections on last month’s landmark criminal record disclosure hearing
Wednesday, 04 July 2018
The latest blog by Christopher Stacey reflects on last month’s landmark criminal record disclosure hearing. For people with criminal records, last month was pretty significant. The Supreme Court heard the appeal of the Government, which is arguing that their current approach to disclosing old and minor cautions and convictions on standard and enhanced criminal
- Published in News @ Unlock, Unlock's blog, What DBS disclose
Blog – The answer to Oxfam’s safeguarding problems is not enhanced DBS checks
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
The latest blog by Christopher Stacey (published on the Huffington Post) questions the use of enhanced DBS checks as the answer to Oxfam’s safeguarding problems. Read it here.
- Published in Employment discrimination, Esmee, Ineligible checks, Latest, News & Media, Unlock's blog, Way DBS work, Way ROA works
Blog – Is ‘sealing’ criminal records the best way to help people turn their lives around?
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
The latest blog by Christopher Stacey looks at David Lammy’s recommendation to ‘seal’ criminal records and explains why it’s a good idea and how it could work. Read it here.
Blog – ‘Through the gate’ services are failing to support people leaving prison into employment
Thursday, 29 June 2017
‘Through the gate’ services are failing to support people into employment. That’s one of the conclusions in a report published last week by HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons into the ‘through the gate resettlement services’ that were introduced in 2015 and run by newly formed ‘Community Rehabilitation Companies’ (CRCs). Right from
- Published in Employment support, News @ Unlock, News & Media, Unlock's blog
Looking back at some key moments in 2016
Tuesday, 20 December 2016
With the Christmas break almost here and 2016 coming to an end, I wanted to write a short blog to reflect month-by-month on our work over the last 12 months. Overall, it’s yet again been an incredibly busy year for Unlock with lots of positive news and progress to report. We’ve had an addition to
- Published in News @ Unlock, News & Media, Unlock's blog
Blog – Why we’ve launched a website for employers
Thursday, 15 September 2016
There’s a talent pool of over 10.5 million people that many companies are overlooking. People with criminal records make good employees. This new website that we’re launching today helps employers to make sure they’re not missing out on the diverse skills and experience of people with criminal records. With over 750,000 unfilled job vacancies in
- Published in News & Media, Unlock's blog
Insurers are not following good practice when dealing with criminal records
Monday, 13 June 2016
Last month, the Financial Conduct Authority published an occasional paper on access to financial services. I fed into this work, particularly focusing on the issues people with convictions face in accessing insurance. So it was good to see the authors include an especially challenging section of the report focused at a lack of buy-in to
- Published in Insurance questions, Insurers, Insurers response, Insurers spent, Latest, Misleading questions, Unlock's blog
We must encourage and support employers to recruit people from prison
Friday, 03 June 2016
Whilst government announcements last month to reform prisons and improve prisoner education are welcomed, much more needs to be done to encourage and support employers to recruit people with a criminal record. Employers like Timpsons and Greggs have shown that people with convictions can make fantastic employees and that there is actually a business as
- Published in Employment discrimination, News & Media, Unlock's blog
The way insurers lock out people with court convictions is bizarre
Friday, 26 February 2016
Mainstream home and car insurers have a blanket ban on people with unspent convictions – these kinds of policies are unfair and sometimes illegal To many of the 1.2 million people convicted in court each year, it comes as a surprise to find that if they try to
- Published in Insurance questions, Insurers response, Insurers spent, Latest, Unlock in the media, Unlock's blog
Breakthrough or cosmetic? Prime Minister supports ‘banning the box’
Friday, 12 February 2016
Quite understandably, David Cameron’s speech on Monday was applauded for being the first one dedicated to prison reform by a Prime Minister in over 20 years. Interestingly though, as he set out his ‘agenda for a revolution in the prison system’, one of the things that caught Unlock’s attention appeared towards the end of his
- Published in Employment discrimination, Latest, Unlock in the media, Unlock's blog