The 36 graduates of the two-year programme joined staff from the prisons in which they have been working at a reception at 10 Downing Street.
Working with experienced prison staff, the Unlocked officers were challenged to identify positive changes they could implement while also integrating as dynamic officers on the wings. Meaningful changes that the graduates have brought about range from revamping the induction process at HMP Brixton to changing how medicines are dispensed at HMP Wandsworth.
The scheme has been so successful that it will now place officers in several prisons around Manchester from September 2019, in addition to prisons in London and the south east.
The graduates are part of a wider recruitment drive across the prison estate, with more than 4,700 additional officers recruited since 2016 and staffing levels at their highest in seven years. This comes alongside an additional £70 million investment in prison safety, security and decency, with £16 million to improve conditions for prisoners and staff and £7 million on new security measures.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said:
I want to congratulate all of the Unlocked Graduates, and the prison officers who have supported them, for their tireless and innovative work. Their desire to make a difference is inspiring.
We want our prison officers to come from the broadest possible range of backgrounds in order to reflect the society they serve, and I am delighted to see that the scheme will soon be expanding to Manchester.
Officer numbers are at their highest level since 2012 which is vital to ensuring our prisons can fulfil their purpose of protecting the public, reducing reoffending and rehabilitating offenders.
Natasha Porter, founder and CEO of Unlocked Graduates said:
Our pioneer officers have achieved amazing things in their two years. They have literally saved lives and made a thousand tiny differences in the prisons where they have worked.
Their achievements have only been possible thanks to the support and experience of the prison officers they have worked alongside and learned from.
Jack, one of the first generation of Unlocked Graduates and currently a prison officer at a central London prison said:
I can’t quite believe this amazing two years are over but I’m so proud of what the first generation of Unlocked Graduates has achieved. Our work would not have been possible without the support of amazing colleagues in the prison service, as well as our brilliant mentors.
I’m looking forward to seeing what my fellow Unlocked officers do next. I know many of us will carry on working as prison officers continuing to play a crucial role on the frontline of the prison service, some will progress even further up the ranks of the prison service and others will go on to give prison officers a voice in government, civil society and charities.
Unlocked is a two-year leadership programme specifically aimed at encouraging the brightest and best graduates and career changers to become prison officers. The programme is aimed at raising the status of the profession by attracting a different kind of leader to work in prisons and help identify ways to reform the prison system, reduce reoffending and improve rehabilitation.
While working as full-time frontline prison officers in HMPs Brixton, Coldingley, Downview, High Down, Isis and Wandsworth, the graduates were also required to undertake a rigorous programme of study to complete a Master’s degree focused on system reform in prisons.
More information about the scheme can be found at https://unlockedgrads.org.uk
Councils across England are set to receive a further £28 million to help ease pressures on local services resulting from recent migration. This brings total funding from the government’s Controlling Migration Fund to over £100 million.
From tackling rogue landlords, helping alleviate rough sleeping or boosting community integration through English language lessons, the fund has helped deliver rapid results for communities.
The latest funding, announced by Communities Minister Lord Bourne, will be allocated to 123 projects across England.
Communities Minister Lord Bourne said:
Whether its tackling rogue landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants, helping new arrivals learn English or supporting care leavers to access education, the Controlling Migration Fund is delivering results across the country and providing services for the benefit of all.
Each community is unique in the challenges it faces, but the projects we’ve funded have shown that positive change is possible when people come together and think innovatively about how to support the whole community.
Stockport council used funding to develop a bilingual teaching assistant programme to support children in early years who start school or nursery with little or no English. These assistants provide these young children with the support they need to have a successful start. The initiative has delivered impressive results; and in 2017/18 after providing bilingual support to 201 children with English as an additional language, only 26 (13%) required support the following year while only three of the 65 nursery children benefiting from the intervention needed ongoing support.
Manchester city council, a recipient of today’s additional funding, has already shown great results from its joint work with other agencies, including immigration enforcement, to disrupt and dismantle counterfeit trade in the Strangeways area. The project has removed over 100 counterfeit traders from the area using the council’s corporate landlord powers as well as achieving significant seizures of counterfeit goods, illicit tobacco and arrests for various offences including immigration offences.
Fenland council is receiving ongoing funding to support the continued operation of Wisbech Emergency Night Shelter which helps people to find more settled housing, employment and training and to access medical services more efficiently. The Fund has already supported an additional four beds at the shelter. This has reduced pressures on local services and community tension in the area with 84% of the clients not returning to the streets in 2016/17, rising to 86.4% in 2017/18.
Enfield has secured funding to extend its ‘Operation Rogue Landlord’ project. The project will focus on targeted inspections and enforcement in areas where more vulnerable residents in the community are most likely to be affected by poor housing conditions, overcrowding and exploitation.
The project’s interventions have yielded positive outcomes so far including 1,950 property inspections and 1,014 enforcement notices.
The Controlling Migration Fund was first announced in November 2016 and is designed to support local areas facing pressures linked to recent immigration.
View a summary of funding for projects announced today, which will run over 2018 to 2020:
The Fund delivers on many of the priorities set out in the Integrated Communities Strategy published on 14 March 2018.