Found: number of steps have been taken in recent years to achieve this, including:  the work of the New Futures Network

Found: The structure that has been put in place in the MoJ—the New Futures Network—really allows businesses

Found: The New Futures Network published data on the number and value of commercial contracts for prison labour

Found: One of most high- profile is the New Futures Network (NFN) which has successfully partnered with 186

Found: The CJA has been working with the New Futures Network (NFN) 10 which is based in HMPPS and facilitates

Found: in higher education has been estimated to cut reoffending rates by 20–40%.50 Employment The New Futures Network

Found: achieved their target for number of people in employment six weeks after release.30 Through the New Futures Network

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people with a criminal record to find employment.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government understands the challenges a criminal record can bring to finding a job and also recognises that employment significantly reduces the risk of reoffending.

The recently published Get Britain Working White Paper sets out Government’s proposals to reform employment, health and skills support to tackle economic inactivity. This includes support for people with a criminal conviction.

DWP provides a range of support to help ex-offenders find employment. This includes around 200 prison work coaches based in prisons across Great Britain who provide employment, training, and benefit support before release. Upon release, our jobcentre work coaches can offer individually tailored employment and training support, including access to DWP employment programmes such as Restart and Sector-based Work Academies.

DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team works with around 300 national employers and partners, and 80 trade associations across a wide range of labour market sectors to generate employment opportunities for claimants including ex-offenders. The Civil Service wide Social Mobility Recruitment Schemes such as Going Forward into Employment provide fixed-term appointment opportunities within the Civil Service for people who face barriers to work, including ex-offenders.

The National Partnership Agreement between MoJ, DWP and the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) sets out how we are jointly driving rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. This includes DWP working alongside HMPPS’s New Futures Network, which brokers partnerships between prisons and employers in developing local agreements to enhance joined-up working for continuity of support on release. I refer the Hon. Member to the previous parliamentary question response 18064 on 9 December from Sir Nicholas Dakin.

A criminal record should not be a barrier to finding stable employment and having a positive future. Employers are encouraged to delay disclosure of convictions during job applications through the ‘Ban the Box’ scheme to give people with a criminal record a better chance to show their suitability and commitment to a job role. DWP is a proud member of the scheme.

Found: 2025 June 2025 March 2025 The Industries Manager will work with New Futures Network

Found: A prison employment lead (PEL) who was part of the New Futures Network (NFN) (an HMPPS initiative which

Found: Across government, the team have engaged with the Ministry of Justice, in particular the New Futures Network

Found: 2025 June 2025 March 2025 The Industries Manager will work with New Futures Network

Found: A prison employment lead (PEL) who was part of the New Futures Network (NFN) (an HMPPS initiative which

Found: 5.2.8 Build alliances with employers, Regional Skills Partnerships in collaboration with New Futures Network