Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in March 2024 show that nearly seven in ten people leaving prison remain out of work six months post release. This underlines a clear system challenge – and a significant opportunity – to design more integrated, collaborative support for individuals leaving prison who are seeking to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into their communities.
Understanding the interconnected barriers
For people leaving prison, the journey into employment is rarely linear. Individuals often require multi-faceted, coordinated support to address complex and interdependent barriers.
Secure and sustainable housing is one of the most critical foundations. A stable place to live provides the security needed to engage with employment support, attend interviews, and sustain work. Conversely, without employment, maintaining stable housing becomes increasingly difficult.
When housing and employment challenges are addressed in isolation, progress can be slow and fragile. However, when organisations work together collaboratively – sharing insight, accountability, and responsibility – individuals are better supported to move forward. Adopting this integrated approach creates stronger pathways to long-term stability, which in turn often significantly reduces the risk of reoffending.
An innovative pilot programme
Since joining our Community Partnership Network in 2021, Offploy has worked alongside our teams to strengthen the support we offer to people with criminal convictions. Together, we’ve developed high‑impact tools and training opportunities for frontline advisors, including Offploy’s training platform, part‑funded by Maximus through the Early Adopter scheme.
Offploy has also trained more than 70 Restart Scheme advisors and provided practical tools such as their disclosure calculator, helping our teams guide participants through the criminal justice and disclosure process. Building on this foundation, our collaboration continued to evolve.
In January 2025, Offploy approached Maximus to collaborate on a pilot programme in Leeds, funded by the Leeds Building Society Foundation. With Offploy addressing the housing needs of participants, alongside the specialist employability support which Maximus provided, the pilot enabled a collaborative approach for individuals needing to access support.
Offploy mentors and Maximus Employment Advisors worked close together, aligning interventions and sharing accountability. Support was often delivered face-to-face from Maximus premises, with both organisations present, enabling timely decision-making and more responsive support.
Adapting to complexity and learning from experience
Originally planned as a 12-month initiative, the pilot was adapted early in response to insights gathered during the initial stages. Feedback from the initial phase highlighted the intensity and urgency of need among participants, leading to the introduction of a six-month delivery model that enabled more focused, hands-on support.
Feedback showed that many individuals required urgent support and were facing complex, overlapping challenges, such as eviction alongside probation requirements. To respond effectively, teams needed to take rapid and coordinated action. The ability to flex delivery in response to real-time learning was critical to the success of the pilot.
In total, the programme delivered early housing support interventions for 36 individuals, typically requiring between one and six hours of specialist support. This work enabled people to better understand their housing options, access appropriate services, and receive advocacy support where necessary. As a result, seven individuals successfully secured housing, and several others were placed on the council housing list, improving their prospects for longer term stability.
By addressing urgent housing needs quickly, individuals were in a much stronger position to focus on their employability journey. Many required significant, hands-on support, and teams worked closely with them to navigate complex circumstances. It was pleasing to see that, despite the significance of the challenges presented, six individuals were able to secure and start work during the pilot.
The importance of holistic case management
Jason was one of the individuals who received support during the pilot. He joined the Restart Scheme, delivered by Maximus, in June 2024. At the time, he was struggling to secure and sustain employment and by January 2025 was facing the reality of homelessness.
Through the pilot, he received immediate, coordinated support from his Employment Advisor at Maximus and a dedicated Offploy mentor. He was supported to build financial management skills, regain confidence and secure employment as a Warehouse Operative. Within two months, he had saved enough for a housing deposit, enabling him to secure stable accommodation. The coordinated, holistic support he received was instrumental in helping him sustain both employment and housing.
Embedding collaborative solutions for lasting change
The pilot reinforces a core principle: systemic barriers need systemic solutions. Housing and employment are deeply connected and addressing them together can act as a powerful catalyst for sustainable change.
Partnership working delivers targeted support quickly and efficiently, cuts duplication, and drives better outcomes for individuals and communities. Most importantly, it supports people at critical transition points, when timely intervention can prevent crisis and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Integration must be intentional, not optional. This pilot demonstrated that bringing together specialist housing and employment provision, underpinned by shared accountability and holistic case management, delivers measurable benefits and lasting impact – resulting in better outcomes for both individuals and communities.
