From the Editor: New guidance encourages providers to hire people with convictions
The Care Home Environment Magazine
The Care Home Environment is the leading business information resource focusing on the build and equipping of care homes
Working Chance and Care England have launched new guidance to encourage adult social care organisations to consider hiring candidates with criminal convictions.
The pioneering effort aims to dismantle barriers and highlight the significant benefits of employing individuals with experience in the criminal justice system. The joint publication provides practical advice on how hiring individuals with convictions can address staff shortages and foster a more inclusive and diverse workforce. According to Working Chance and Care England , ‘by prioritising a candidate's skills and experience over past mistakes, employers can tap into a pool of talented, dedicated individuals eager to make a positive impact in their communities’.
The guidance comes at a critical time for the adult social care sector, which is facing difficulties in finding the right staff for the right roles. The 2024 Hft and Care England Sector Pulse Check report identified recruitment and retention of domestic workers, pay, and high attrition as key challenges facing social care. By joining forces, Working Chance and Care England hope to change the narrative around hiring individuals with convictions and demonstrate the significant benefits of a more inclusive approach to recruitment.
Natasha Finlayson OBE , chief executive of Working Chance , said: “People with convictions are often overlooked when employers think about attracting talent or enhancing their organisation’s diversity. Hiring people with convictions has many benefits for employers and communities, so there’s much to be gained by changing recruiting practices for the better. I hope you’ll come away inspired to open up more opportunities in your organisations to people who need someone to believe in them.”
Prof Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England , said: “Opening our doors to people who have moved beyond a past criminal conviction can make good sense for our organisations and the people we exist to serve. This guidance provides an important first step in understanding the benefits and offers practical, actionable steps to make inclusive hiring a reality.”
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1 个月I’m sorry, and I know I will be unpopular, but I couldn’t possibly agree with this as we have to put the wellbeing and safety of the residents first… why on earth would we want to put them at any possible unnecessary risk. The whole point of due diligence is to protect and care so I would not consider anyone with previous convictions of any type.