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AB2014
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Group: Forum Members
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+xI thought I'd ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one. A new report from Prison Reform Trust has some very interesting potential positives around employment. There's a lot to get your teeth into but I did a little song and dance** when I got to the recommendations. Government should:
2. Review the punitive effect of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) and SexualOffences Prevention Orders (SOPOs) in preventing convictions from becoming spent.
Hurrah! Get it reviewed and get it scrapped!
Interesting that the orders are being referred to as punitive too. If they are meant as punishment rather than 'safeguarding' then surely much more specific legislation/guidelines are needed, especially when it comes to challenging them. (This is kind of mentioned in point 18 below).
A couple of others which stood out:
The New Futures Network (NFN) should:
8. Create a workstream for employment opportunities for people convicted of sexual offences, recognising the challenges the group and employers face
I love a good workstream. I'd assume many of us here would start on a path which meant we didn't have to live in fear and get back to meaningful employment. Crack on NFN.
Others:
18. The National Probation Service and the College of Policing should develop guidance for probation and police to increase their awareness of the impact of disclosure of a sexual conviction on employment prospects. This would help practitioners make proportionate decisions about disclosing information to employers, balancing the risk of harm with the rehabilitation needs of those they are supervising. .
The fact this, or lack of this, is affecting our lives and thousands of others is probably why have so many gripes with the systems which drive us insane, especially with such an imbalance of power.
If you spot anything else, do share!
** - I did not sing nor dance, more of a slight widening of the eyes and an 'ooh, finally...' One possible side-effect of the plans for taking SOPOs/SHPOs out of the equation is that it would help many other people as well. It seems that many people end up with an indefinite restraining order, and going back to court to get in ended at any stage means the judge has to decide whether to carry on with the order (public protection, victim protection) or improving the prospects of the convicted. An easy choice for many judges, I suspect. Given that I can't really see the need for basic DBS checks anyway, this would be one way to continue protection while still allowing rehabilitation. Of course, I'm one of the people the Daily Mail warned you about, so my opinion doesn't count much in the overall scheme of things. 
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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)
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punter99
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 718,
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+xI thought I'd ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one. A new report from Prison Reform Trust - and the lovely people at Unlock - has some very interesting potential positives around employment. There's a lot to get your teeth into but I did a little song and dance** when I got to the recommendations. Government should:
2. Review the punitive effect of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) and SexualOffences Prevention Orders (SOPOs) in preventing convictions from becoming spent.
Hurrah! Get it reviewed and get it scrapped!
Interesting that the orders are being referred to as punitive too. If they are meant as punishment rather than 'safeguarding' then surely much more specific legislation/guidelines are needed, especially when it comes to challenging them. (This is kind of mentioned in point 18 below).
A couple of others which stood out:
The New Futures Network (NFN) should:
8. Create a workstream for employment opportunities for people convicted of sexual offences, recognising the challenges the group and employers face
I love a good workstream. I'd assume many of us here would start on a path which meant we didn't have to live in fear and get back to meaningful employment. Crack on NFN.
Others:
18. The National Probation Service and the College of Policing should develop guidance for probation and police to increase their awareness of the impact of disclosure of a sexual conviction on employment prospects. This would help practitioners make proportionate decisions about disclosing information to employers, balancing the risk of harm with the rehabilitation needs of those they are supervising. .
The fact this, or lack of this, is affecting our lives and thousands of others is probably why have so many gripes with the systems which drive us insane, especially with such an imbalance of power.
If you spot anything else, do share!
** - I did not sing nor dance, more of a slight widening of the eyes and an 'ooh, finally...' Looks like a really good report. I'll be interested to see what reaction it gets in the media. Also curious to see that employers are not concerned about bad publicity for their organisation, but about what their employees might think. There is no reason for other employees to know. If the company is doing it's job in protecting the privacy of all it's employees, then convictions should not be disclosed to anybody, outside of the HR dept.
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JASB
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Group: Awaiting Activation
Posts: 1K,
Visits: 1.6K
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+xI thought I'd ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one. A new report from Prison Reform Trust - and the lovely people at Unlock - has some very interesting potential positives around employment. There's a lot to get your teeth into but I did a little song and dance** when I got to the recommendations. Government should:
2. Review the punitive effect of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) and SexualOffences Prevention Orders (SOPOs) in preventing convictions from becoming spent.
Hurrah! Get it reviewed and get it scrapped!
Interesting that the orders are being referred to as punitive too. If they are meant as punishment rather than 'safeguarding' then surely much more specific legislation/guidelines are needed, especially when it comes to challenging them. (This is kind of mentioned in point 18 below).
A couple of others which stood out:
The New Futures Network (NFN) should:
8. Create a workstream for employment opportunities for people convicted of sexual offences, recognising the challenges the group and employers face
I love a good workstream. I'd assume many of us here would start on a path which meant we didn't have to live in fear and get back to meaningful employment. Crack on NFN.
Others:
18. The National Probation Service and the College of Policing should develop guidance for probation and police to increase their awareness of the impact of disclosure of a sexual conviction on employment prospects. This would help practitioners make proportionate decisions about disclosing information to employers, balancing the risk of harm with the rehabilitation needs of those they are supervising. .
The fact this, or lack of this, is affecting our lives and thousands of others is probably why have so many gripes with the systems which drive us insane, especially with such an imbalance of power.
If you spot anything else, do share!
** - I did not sing nor dance, more of a slight widening of the eyes and an 'ooh, finally...' Hi Again I am indebted to you for providing this. I have had a quick glance but will be "reading in depth later" but I did spot this: What is a “sex offender”? ... The range of offences covered by that term is really diverse. It’s not one size fits all … Yes, some of them are dangerous and risky and have to be managed, but most of them aren’t … It’s such an emotive term, people think of the worst possible behaviour associated with that phrase. (Specialist working with people convicted of sexual offences)
This one question is offered by so many of us and in my opinion, should be one of many focus points in the education of the media and society.
Again thanks
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.
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Mr W
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Group: Forum Members
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Re: AB2014 - You have lived experience, just one of your opinions is worth infinitely more than armchair Daily Mail, Piers Morgan-loving, virtue signallers. Your new "grr" signature says to me you have a lot to say, haha.
Re: Punter99 - I was thinking the same thing but then... as we've seen on this forum... one little Google by anyone sparked by anything so much as a whisper can end new careers/progression/rehabilitation attempts at the push of a button.
Re: JASB - I agree, but "society" as it is right now will not change in our lifetime. I think a growing but unfortunately/understandably silent amount of people will have some sympathy because of all the people connected to those of us going through what we're going through. Not the crime, but what we're going through in trying to restart life after being spit out from shambolic systems which don't really care. Saying that, they're not the ones we're looking to for a job. As for that quote, for me, it strengthens my argument for that label to be ditched. It's like "Drug offender" did they use, did they sell, did they traffick, did they run an online global empire, etc all very different. You don't assume a cannabis user ran a huge global class A drug empire, but say the word sex then no matter the offence you are Epstein/Savile. Or, sometimes, if you get as far as a conversation, you can be -wrongly- thought of as condoning or being part of those groups trying to make out it's fine to marry and 11-year-old girl (re: a story I read). Too many arguments which aren't ours to have. It's hugely problematic when trying to meet new people too. But I've rambled on about that before.
I haven't read the WHOLE thing, so any other thoughts welcome.
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Fighting or Accepting - its difficult to know which is right and when.
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JASB
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Group: Awaiting Activation
Posts: 1K,
Visits: 1.6K
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+xRe: AB2014 - You have lived experience, just one of your opinions is worth infinitely more than armchair Daily Mail, Piers Morgan-loving, virtue signallers. Your new "grr" signature says to me you have a lot to say, haha. Re: Punter99 - I was thinking the same thing but then... as we've seen on this forum... one little Google by anyone sparked by anything so much as a whisper can end new careers/progression/rehabilitation attempts at the push of a button. Re: JASB - I agree, but "society" as it is right now will not change in our lifetime. I think a growing but unfortunately/understandably silent amount of people will have some sympathy because of all the people connected to those of us going through what we're going through. Not the crime, but what we're going through in trying to restart life after being spit out from shambolic systems which don't really care. Saying that, they're not the ones we're looking to for a job. As for that quote, for me, it strengthens my argument for that label to be ditched. It's like "Drug offender" did they use, did they sell, did they traffick, did they run an online global empire, etc all very different. You don't assume a cannabis user ran a huge global class A drug empire, but say the word sex then no matter the offence you are Epstein/Savile. Or, sometimes, if you get as far as a conversation, you can be -wrongly- thought of as condoning or being part of those groups trying to make out it's fine to marry and 11-year-old girl (re: a story I read). Too many arguments which aren't ours to have. It's hugely problematic when trying to meet new people too. But I've rambled on about that before. I haven't read the WHOLE thing, so any other thoughts welcome. Hi Rambling is what I do when going for a walk. Your words are not going in an ad hoc manner, they offer comfort to many not able to see or unsure of any direction forward because of the brambles. My favorite quote at the moment is: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.
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JamesZ
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 69,
Visits: 585
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Hi. I found a post on here a while ago I think about having freelance writing work with a S.O.
Could anyone pass on some tips/advice for this?
Thanks
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JASB
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Group: Awaiting Activation
Posts: 1K,
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+xHi. I found a post on here a while ago I think about having freelance writing work with a S.O. Could anyone pass on some tips/advice for this? Thanks Hi JamesZ, The only credible suggestion I can offer is that do your research first on the business prior to applying for any role/contract. There are ways of asking about their policies without declaring, for instance say you wish to ensure your documentation is in place so is there any security checks required. Generally even though they think you mean SC, you can expand it to unspent. Write a script and maintain notes in case in the future you speak to them again. As an ex-contractor (IT) I have to admit I was never asked about unspent convictions. However once I gained a conviction everyone seems to ask and so no contracts or permie roles come my way. I did attempt to say I do not have t declare because I am employed by my business (Limited company) and the contract is with the agency (mainly) who have a contract with the business seeking a resource. This didn't work as the agency; to protect their image with their client, worked by their client's HR rules. Plus the PO / PPU didn't like that approach. Believe me it is worth the effort to research, write a script and record your applications and results. Good luck and I hope it helps in a small way.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.
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Mr W
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 453,
Visits: 5.5K
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I echo what JASB says. Also check out freelancer websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer etc
Initially, the pay isn't great but there are some gems and look for opportunities for recurring work while, of course, remember at the moment the world is still on a bit of a go slow.
The work from home element which is being adopted by many could work in our favour as none of these sites ask about convictions or anything, you just do the job that's asked.
Good luck.
In other news, I've just been turned away from a company that helps people with convictions into work... why... SHPO which leaves me unspent... They haven't seen my CV, they don't know anything about me, yet I've still been turned away.
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Fighting or Accepting - its difficult to know which is right and when.
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J J
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Group: Forum Members
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+xI agree with Ben. I was sacked by Amazon from a distribution centre when my DBS check came back and the local Tesco warehouse rescinded their job offer when I declared at interview as required. On the plus side, the local Job Centre Plus stopped asking me in for the bi-weekly Universal Credit meetings when I declared it to my interviewer! I've cashed in a private pension (I'm over 55) to take me to the end of the SRO/SHPO notification period at which point a basic check will come back as zero, but that option isn't open to all. So much for ban the box, i've had problems too i've found work with event staffing, be ready to have large gaps of un employment. I'd stick to contracting
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JamesZ
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 69,
Visits: 585
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Thanks folks.
Yeah I know Upwork do a Skype interview.
Not sure about that? Don't know if I'm allowed.
Can check the others.
Online work seems to be the way though.
Thanks.
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