Employing Ex-offenders: “What works”

9th December 2013

Andrea McCubbinChief Operating Officer

“I never saw a man who looked with such a wistful eye

upon that little tent of bluewhich prisoners call the sky”

The Ballad of Reading Gaol Oscar Wilde

What is Blue Sky? Think of us as the only company in the country where you can only get a job if you have a criminal record

• “A proper job with a proper company”• Commercial contracts from public and

private sector concerns• Contracts fulfilled by our own teams• Employees on 6-month employment

contracts• All teams led by permanent supervisor

(also an ex-offender)• A highly valued social benefit at no

extra cost

Blue Sky model

Blue Sky employs, mentors and trains 100’s of ex-offenders pa supporting c50% into onward jobs

Ex offenders

Blue Sky sub contracts with facilities management companies to provide ground maintenance and waste recycling services to local authorities

Local Authorities

Private Sector Clients

Blue Sky contracts with private sector clients to provide labour to their supply chains

CommissioningEntities

Blue Sky receives payments in respect of employment and training outcomes

Our role as employer (as opposed to agent) allows us to:

provide 35 hours per week of support to employees leading to high rates of onward employment and low rates of reoffending

unlock housing support through rental deposit schemes take the employer/HR risk away from clients enabling us to

work with companies who would hesitate to engage with ex-offenders

deliver commercially competitive services and products generating contractual revenues > £1m per annum

Key elements of Blue Sky modelBlue Sky – the Employee Progression

1 2 3 4 5 6

MONTHS

Employee Start Tailored &

accredited training e.g. NVQs, driving

Permanent Job

Mentoring from ex-offender role models

Transitional Employment

Career planning and jobs brokering service

Access to Housing Loan Scheme and

Matched Grant Scheme

Our social impact• A job has the highest impact on re-offending, reducing the

probability by up to 50%• Over the past 8 years we have employed 759 people making

us one of the largest employers of ex-offenders nationally• 48% of our employees move into onward employment• Around half get an accredited training qualification

• Recent MoJ Data Laboratory report highlighted that even for the most challenging offenders we work with we reduce re-offending by half

What we offer our commercial clients Robust Risk management Cost neutrality Turning an employment and HR risk

into a commercial one Mentoring on tap and for free Engagement with one of the hardest-

to-reach groups within society – supporting their CSR aspirations

Accessing a supply of motivated employees

An keen eye on quality Flexibility and experience

Blue Sky & Intelligent Procurement - 1

Contract to provide a team throughout the year on a bulky waste collection contract

Blue Sky & Intelligent Procurement - 2

An additional social benefit at no extra cost!

Long-term Grounds Maintenance Contract

Service delivered under sub-contract

The sub-contractor model

Example: Our work in Slough

Catering contract

Catering sub contract

Blue Sky team integrated into RA team and managed by it

Blue Sky & Intelligent Procurement – 3

Private Sector Supply chains

Blue Sky Inside – working “through the gate”

Established Production in HMP Bronzefield and High Down• 3 clients in the high-end fashion industry with strong interest from a number

of other small/medium-sized brands• Contract to produce wooden games

Consistent manufacture of quality products• 10,000 cotton dust and jewellery bags made with repeat orders secured• 1,500 wooden games made for Christmas period

Significant numbers employed and supported• 40 women and 16 men employed with qualifications starting to be delivered

Through the gate model starting to function c. 30% of women released from Bronzefield have moved into employment

What works…… “A proper job with a proper company” with a focus on taking

personal responsibility Flexible package of additional support for our employees 100% focused on quality of delivery challenges perceptions and

wins more business Diversifying income streams to generate more impact Building a solid evidence base for commissioners A scale-able model that can be mobilised quickly in other areas Robust attitude towards risk Flexibility in responding to changing market conditions – whilst

avoiding mission drift Building a diverse range of partnerships

And crucially… Put people at the heart of what we do

11

Our PeopleSharon’s StorySharon was young when domestic violence tore her family apart. She began drinking and fighting when her parents split up. At 27, Sharon was convicted of Actual Bodily Harm.

After a long spell of unemployment, she was referred to Blue Sky via the Work Programme. Sharon has proved herself to be hard working and trustworthy and has recently passed her driving test, funded by Blue Sky.

“Blue Sky is a bit like a family. When you’re doing agency work, you’ve got no support – you just go, do your work and that’s it. But here, if you’ve got problems, they’ll listen to you and if they can help, they will. I’m so happy - I wouldn’t want to be unemployed again now. I want to prove that I can do this, I’m just so grateful that they gave me the chance”