Evaluation of Working Wales in prisons: summary
Research exploring the delivery of careers and employability support in prisons through the Working Wales service.
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Background
As detailed in the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Wales Reducing Reoffending Plan 2022-2025, securing employment after leaving prison reduces the likelihood of reoffending; investing in education and training in prisons can increase an individual’s opportunities of securing sustainable employment on release.
The Welsh Government’s Plan for Employability and Skills sets out a vision for employment and commits to supporting prisoner learning and making the Young Persons Guarantee accessible to those in custody.
Although justice policy is not devolved, the Welsh Government funds the prison learning and skills provision in prisons through a Memorandum of Understanding with HMPPS. The Welsh Government worked in partnership with HMPPS Wales, prisoners and prison leavers, education providers and third sector organisations to co-design 'Better Learning, Better Chances: prison learning and skills provision in Wales’ aiding job readiness.
Since 2019, Working Wales (WW), the national careers and employability service in Wales have operated in prisons. WW advisors engage with prisoners 12 weeks before release, operating from Employability Hubs which operate as a “one stop shop” for prisoners, where different agencies are co-located and allows employment partners (e.g. DWP) to collaborate when supporting prisoners on their employment journey. WW works in partnership with probation services and aligns with the Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015), particularly the goals of ‘A More Equal Wales’ and ‘A Prosperous Wales’.
In 2023, there were 5,034 Welsh domiciled prisoners, an 8% increase from 2022. Most Welsh people in Welsh prisons were held at HMP Parc (38%). There are no women’s prisons in Wales, therefore Welsh female prisoners are imprisoned in England mainly at HMP Eastwood Park and HMP Styal.
WW provides services in all Welsh prisons and in English prisons housing Welsh women. Resource allocation is demand responsive and varies by prison. The key performance indicators include the number of customers in prisons offered a one-to-one service (achieved:1,363; target: 1,000) and satisfaction rates (achieved: 368 satisfaction surveys with 100% satisfaction, target: 300) [footnote 1].
This research
This research aimed to better understand how effective the WW service is in prisons, via five main research questions:
- To what extent is the service delivered as outlined in the WW objectives?
- What, if any, challenges are faced by the service?
- Do these challenges differ by prison?
- How do referrals and outcomes differ between prisons? What are the trends?
- What, if any, contact does the service have with third party organisations?
Methodology
Chapter 2 of the report describes the mixed-methods approach, which included:
- a rapid evidence review to understand the impact of employability support in prisons. 20 publications were reviewed based on relevance and robustness
- quantitative analysis of Careers Wales monitoring information. Episode of support were defined as periods of engagement, in prison or in the community, between April 2021 and March 2024; interactions refer to individual contact within an episode, between April 2022 and March 2024
- five qualitative semi-structured interviews with Working Wales advisors (out of a total of seven advisors working in prisons) in early 2024. Interviews were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis.
The report highlights several limitations associated with this study, notably:
- the small interview sample size, meaning that findings are not generalisable
- no primary research was conducted with prisoners, resulting in a potential evidence gap
- limitations in the analysis of monitoring data due to data retention policies and missing data
Summary of the literature review
The literature review is found in chapter 3 of the report. The review focused on England and Wales with some international insights. The review highlights the importance of employability support to aid reintegration and reduce reoffending, and notes significant challenges post-release, particularly due to employer reluctance.
In England and Wales, reoffending costs £18 billion annually. Only 17% of ex-prisoners are employed a year after release [footnote 2]. Research by the Ministry of Justice found that those who had engaged in prison education were 7.5 percentage points less likely to reoffend within a year of release compared to those who did not. Despite this, the quality and reach of prison education in the UK has declined; only 9 out of 32 institutions were rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted in 2020 [footnote 3]. In Wales, recent Estyn inspections indicated inconsistent teaching quality [footnote 4].
Overall, evidence to support the value of education and employability guidance in prisons in the UK was found to be limited. Most UK studies were based on male prisoners with limited evidence on employability support for women in prison. International evidence offers useful insights, particularly in reducing reoffending and improving employment outcomes, but systemic barriers, especially employer attitudes, continue to limit the effectiveness of these interventions.
Summary of findings
Service delivery
Between April 2021 and March 2024, there were 2,747 episodes of support, with a significant year-on-year increase [footnote 5].
There were 4,500 one-to-one interactions for episodes of support between April 2022 and March 2024, [footnote 6] with a 76% increase in interactions from 2022 to 23 to 2023 to 24. In-person interactions were the most popular channel, making up 88% of interactions in 2022 to 23 and 86% in 2023 to 24.
One-to-one in-person interactions in prisons increased from 1,437 in 2022 to 23 to 2,456 in 2023 to 24. The median time spent per interaction was 45 minutes in both years. HMP Cardiff and HMP and YOI Parc had employability coaches delivering support in addition to careers advisors.
Profile of prisoners
Around three-quarters of episodes of support were with prisoners aged between 25 to 34 (41%) and 35 to 49 (35%), mirroring the cohorts accessing the wider WW service [footnote 7].
96% of episodes of support were with men. Episodes of support with females (3%) was slightly under-represented compared to the prison population (5%) [footnote 8].
89% of episodes of support were with White prisoners, 4% with Black/British prisoners, 3% with Asian/British prisoners, 3% with prisoners with a mixed ethnic background and 1% recorded as ‘other ethnic group’. This profile broadly mirroring the wider WW service [footnote 9]. English was the preferred verbal and written language for 96% of episodes of support, and Welsh for 1% of episodes of support.
12% of episodes of support were with prisoners who reported that they had a disability. This is a higher proportion compared to access to the wider WW service (8%) [footnote 10]. Episodes of support involving a prisoner with a disability steadily increased year-on-year between 2021 to 22 and 2023 to 24. This could be due to changes in the prisoner population and/or improvements in reporting.
More than half of episodes of support were with a prisoner with a highest qualification of Level 1 or below [footnote 11], compared to 28% reported for the wider WW service [footnote 12]. This figure is increasing year-on-year (45% in 2021 to 22, 57% in 2022 to 23, 59% in 2023 to 24).
There has been an increase in missing data related to highest qualification level which is a concern as this information is vital to understanding how to tailor support.
Referrals
The main source of referrals to WW for episodes of support was prisons (98%). The proportion of episodes of support referred by HMP Eastwood Park decreased year-on-year. Conversely, the proportion of episodes of support referred by HMP Styal increased year-on-year, with an advisor allocated to HMP Styal in March 2023.
The WW service in prisons made a total of 3,581 referrals to a pathway between April 2021 and March 2024. The number of referrals increased year-on-year (394 in 2021 to 22; 1,102 in 2022 to 23; 2,085 in 2023 to 24). Nearly three-quarters of episodes of support (72%) involved a referral being made to a prison project.
There were year-on-year increases for referrals made during episodes of support to ReAct [footnote 13], a support agency and employment. The addition of an offender cohort to the ReAct programme in 2022, when it became ReAct+, is likely to be a key factor for the yearly increases [footnote 14]. As of April 2024, ReAct+ had awarded 120 vocational training grants to offenders/ex-offenders totalling over £110k.
There were differences in referral rates and referral pathway between prisons.
Outcomes
Careers Wales advised that they do not carry out follow-ups for WW customers [footnote 15]. The research was only able to analyse outcome data for prisoners who have re-engaged with the WW service or where information is received from a partner organisation (581 of 1,940 (30%) of episodes of support). Accordingly, it is recognized that this sub-sample is limited to individuals who have reengaged with the service or partner organizations, and as such, may represent a biased sample.
Two-fifths (40%) of episodes of support had a status of unemployed six months after leaving. 14% reported to be employed or self-employed six months after leaving an episode of support.
Given the concerns around a potentially biased sample, we sought to compare outcome data with MoJ data for the Wales probation region. The proportion of individuals in the MoJ data that accessed the Working Wales service in prison is not known, although this research suggests Working Wales advisors seek to make contact with all prisoners within 12 weeks of their release. Offender employment
outcomes data, published by the MoJ, shows that between April 2021 and March 2024, 28% of offenders in the Wales probation region were employed or self-employed at six months after leaving prison. However, this calculation excludes those unavailable for work and those with an unknown status. After removing those unavailable for work from the data, WW outcomes data shows 25% were employed or self-employed six months after an episode of support. This must be caveated with the acknowledgement that ‘six months after an episode of support’ is not directly comparable with the MoJ measures ‘six months post release’.
During the reporting period 2021 to 2024, the proportion of episodes of support with a status of employed six months after leaving decreased year-on-year. This is the reverse trend to that found in MoJ employment outcomes data for the same reference period in the Wales probation region, however the two datasets are not directly comparable as discussed in the full report.
Given the limited availability of outcomes data, it is not possible to make meaningful comparisons across prisons or look at breakdowns by characteristics.
Subsequent service support
Episodes of subsequent WW support with former prison service users in the community increased from 106 episodes in 2021 to 22 to 245 episodes in 2023 to 24.
Self-referrals (47%) were the most common source of referrals for subsequent episodes of WW support.
Females and those aged 16 to 18 years had the lowest rate of subsequent support following a prison episode of support (9%). Those reporting having a disability were 12 percentage points less likely to access further support by the service after their prison support has ended [footnote 16].
Summary of feedback from Working Wales advisors
This includes feedback from WW advisors working in prisons across Wales and two English female prisons. Participants were asked to describe their role as a WW advisor. Their role includes:
- raising awareness of the service
- information, advice and guidance
- opening up pathways for prisoners for when they are released
- building rapport with the prisoners;
- through the gate support;
- identifying and understanding the needs and barriers of prisoners;
- signposting prisoners to further support in the community.
Various delivery methods were described, including group sessions on topics like CV writing, employment fairs, employer engagement, and individual sessions to provide a safer and tailored environment for some prisoners. An interviewee said they are now creating more tailored sessions, including for people with neurodiverse conditions. Induction sessions were delivered with all those entering prisons, to raise awareness of WW services.
Advisors noted both advantages and challenges to the prison setting for delivery the WW service. Advantages included trust and rapport; however, challenges included the lack of appropriate private spaces, resulting in delivery on the prison wings. However, advisors did note that this promoted visibility of the service.
WW started in prisons in 2019, and advisors spoke only of positive changes since, with improvements to services. Most interviewees noted the utilisation of ReAct. One interviewee reported that access to ReAct funding has expanded the available training opportunities for prisoners, which may contribute to a reduced likelihood of reoffending upon release.
WW advisors felt that their service is valuable in comparison to other employability services in prison because of its flexibility, in-depth guidance and networking.
For Welsh-domiciled women in English prisons, advisors suggested the WW service was extremely valuable, with the option of conversation in their native language.
Barriers
IT services
Advisors identified IT access as a major barrier in prisons, with advisors limited to paper notes on the wings and historical building often having impractical office arrangements.
Prisoner characteristics
The engagement and career opportunities available to prisoners are influenced by individual characteristics and circumstances, such as age and type of conviction.
Advisors identified young prisoners as a difficult group to engage, noting that young prisoners often experience social pressures, which may contribute to lower engagement levels with the WW service. However, advisors felt that younger prisoners should be particularly targeted for WW services because of their labour market engagement potential.
Sex offenders were also reported as particularly difficult to engage with because of a misalignment between employment aspirations and future employment restrictions and opportunities.
WW advisors offer some services to English-domiciled prisoners in Welsh prisons, although advisors felt there were misconceptions of the support offer amongst English domiciled prisoners in Welsh prisons.
Prisoners engaging in ‘anything and everything’
The advisors reported that many prisoners seek to enrol on courses linked to higher earning career options, overlooking options that may be a better fit for them. Prisoners are guided to access learning and courses to suit their requirements and needs, avoiding engagement in as many training programmes as possible to attempt to enhance opportunities.
Staffing
Advisors reported having large caseloads, with one WW advisor per prison. Access to other programmes, such as ReAct and Personal Learning Accounts (PLA), has increased the demand of prisoners wanting to access WW. One advisor discussed wanting to start engagement earlier to improve outcomes.
Prison setting
Tailoring advice around probation restrictions was reported as presenting a challenge, whilst the potential for early release impacts on the approach to providing support. Security restrictions in closed prisons, combined with prison staff resourcing issues means prisoners may not be able to readily attend employment hubs where WW services are delivered. Advisors reported walking around the wings as a practical method to engage with prisoners and provide advice, information and guidance, however, there are often problems in finding a quiet space or laptop access on the wing, along with wing lockdowns.
Referrals
Referrals to WW varied across prisons, ranging from as soon as possible to engagement 12 weeks prior to release. Some advisors discussed the benefits of early engagement, including higher chances of supporting prisoners to achieve the best outcomes. Referrals were also driven by word-of-mouth between prisoners.
The type of service provided was largely found to be dependent on when the prisoner is due to be release.
Within prison setting
Advisors felt it was important that whilst in prison, prisoners have access to opportunities provided by third party organisations. These can help prisoners develop a progressive mindset, improve self-esteem and progress into interviews and employment.
Another service that runs in prisons is PLA [footnote 17]. One advisor felt that WW facilitates PLA operating in prisons and regarded PLA as important both to upskill prisoners and meet the demands of the labour market.
One advisor noted the limited access to a range of services that would be available in the community, such as Business Wales [footnote 18].
ReAct funding was mentioned by most WW advisors. ReAct offers tailored support to those trying to re-enter the labour market by removing barriers and providing grant support for vocational training, travel costs and care related to training.
External to prison
The probation service is the first point of contact for support once released. WW advisors have limited information on the prisoner and where they’ll be released to. One advisor reported working regular with probation to provide advice.
The extent to which WW advisors stayed in contact with the prisoner post-release varied across advisors, influenced by workload and customer turnover. WW advisors encourage prisoners to self-refer to relevant organisations and services post-release.
Conclusions
Since WW began in prisons in 2019, careers and employability advice, guidance and coaching has been delivered within each of the secure prisons in Wales, as well as two English female prisons.
Analysis of monitoring data and interviews suggests that WW provision in prisons increased between April 2021 and March 2024, with half of all episodes of support beginning in 2023 to 2024, suggesting the service met its 2023 to 24 objective of ‘increased resource to prisons’. Interactions with a WW advisor broadly aligned with the allocated resource to the prison. WW provision and engagement is variable across prison estates, with referrals to pathways such as React varying greatly by prisons.
Outcome data is not routinely captured for WW customers in prisons. Only partial outcomes data was available for those who have reengaged with WW or partner organisations. Of these, only 14% reported to be employed or self-employed six months after leaving an episode of support, aligning with the finding from the literature review that prisoners struggle to get employment. However, this sub-sample includes those not available for work and likely presents a biased sample.
This research discovered many positive aspects of the delivery of the WW service in prisons, including flexibility and partnership working. It was found that WW have a strong partnership with other organisations in the prison and with prison staff. Several challenges in the delivery of the WW service in prisons were identified including access to IT services, advisor resource, implications of security restrictions, space and the prisoners’ own motivations. Engagement with specific groups, including young prisoners and prisoners with a sexual conviction was noted to be a challenge. The service in women’s prisons was more limited, primarily due to less regular advisor visits and fewer training options.
Recommendations
As detailed in chapter 7 of the report, the following recommendations are made based upon the findings of the research.
Recommendation 1
To review WW resource across prisons in response to evidence of growing demand and large caseloads.
Recommendation 2
To make sure advisors are able to deliver the service effectively, there is a need to work with the prison estate to address practical limitations.
Recommendation 3
To make further use of networking with other organisations and referrals onto other suitable programmes, such as PLA, ReAct+ and Business Wales, that engage prisoners in employability support and upskill them.
Recommendation 4
To consider best practice on how to support those prisoners identified in this research as most difficult to engage with, which includes young prisoners and prisoners with a sexual conviction.
Recommendation 5
To consider methods to capture outcomes for those who have received support from the WW service in prison.
Footnotes
[1] Source: Careers Wales Grant Award letter & Working Wales KPI report 2023-2024
[2] Ministry of Justice (2018) Education and Employment Strategy
[3] House of Commons (2022) Not just another brick in the wall
[4] Estyn (2024) Learning in the justice sector
[5] Analysis of episodes of support by year is based upon the year that it began.
[6] Includes follow-up interactions which may take place following release from prison.
[7] Evaluation of the Working Wales Service: final report. The analysis excludes categories where demographic data has not been provided, for the reporting period from February 2019 to March 2023.
[8] Jones, R. (2024) 2023 Factfile: Prisons and sentencing in Wales
[9] Jones, R. (2024) 2023 Factfile: Prisons and sentencing in Wales
[10] Jones, R. (2024) 2023 Factfile: Prisons and sentencing in Wales
[11] Includes: No qualifications, Entry Level and Level 1. Level 1 is the equivalent of GCSE grades D to G (Credit and Qualifications Framework (CQFW): fan diagram | GOV.WALES)
[12] Jones, R. (2024) 2023 Factfile: Prisons and sentencing in Wales
[13] This includes ReAct III, Access and ReAct Plus
[14] Source: Careers Wales – Working Wales monitoring information (n=2,747 episodes of support)
[15] Except for systematic follow-ups in the past of YPG, ReAct and Access participants
[16] Where the customer reported having a disability, they were 12 percentage points less likely to have subsequent support than for customers without a disability (19% compared to 7%).
[17] Personal Learning Accounts (Careers Wales) provide flexible and fully funded learning, either online or face to face or a combination of both to support eligible individuals to gain higher level skills.
[18] Business Wales provides free independent advice to people starting, running and growing a business in Wales.
Contact details
Report Authors: Maisie Simmonds, James Lundie, Sean Homer and Jessica Steventon
Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government
For further information please contact:
KAS Employability and Skills Research
Social Research and Information Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: KASEmployabilityandSkillsResearch@gov.wales
Social research number: 95/2025
Digital ISBN: 978-1-80633-487-2
