The Restore Trust: Helping Bristolians transition after a prison sentence

National World - LocalTV

The Key Café, a ground-breaking charity organisation, is opening on Gloucester Road with the mission of reducing reoffending rates by providing work experience to individuals transitioning from prisons.

Transcript

00:00So, we're going to be opening up the Key Cafe, hopefully in spring 2025.

00:05We've had brilliant support from the local community and also local employers.

00:10And the idea behind it is to create paid transitional employment placements for people leaving prison.

00:16One of the things that we know are the two most significant factors to reduce re-offending

00:21is the provision of stable accommodation and also suitable employment.

00:25And for many people leaving prison, they often feel like they lack self-confidence

00:29and the training and the skills that employers need.

00:32And this idea around transition is what makes this so important,

00:36the idea around transitioning from prison into the community.

00:40The Key Cafe will be a groundbreaking charity organisation

00:44with a mission of reducing re-offending rates by providing work experience to individuals transitioning from prison.

00:52What are the barriers then for people coming out and being rehabilitated and getting jobs?

01:00So, we would hear a couple of reoccurring themes.

01:03And some of those themes were really around the stigma,

01:06around the fear that employers won't want to look at them because of their criminal convictions

01:11and often a real lack of confidence and self-belief.

01:14So, we definitely use what we call a strength-based approach.

01:17We look at what people can do.

01:19We strongly believe in second chances.

01:21It's often by the grace of God, for many of us, that we actually have not ended up in prison.

01:26You know, we often have, you know, these are people that have often had limited, like, life opportunities and life chances,

01:32but they have potential.

01:34And it's about recognising their strengths, recognising their potential

01:37and enabling them to become participating and contributing members of society.

01:42But what does the Restore Trust aim to do for the people on their scheme?

01:47Filling in the gaps in their CV, gaining the skills and the qualifications that employers want,

01:53but also knowing that they can come to my staff at the Restore Trust to have a bit of support if they're having a bad day.

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