1. Crisis Conference 2011 Crisis Conference 2011 Session 1: Opening doors to ex-offenders

2. Crisis Conference 2011 Jill Wallis, Unlock Your Potential (Crisis)

3. Crisis Conference 2011 Prisoners Abroad Case study

4. Crisis Conference 2011 Context On remand and in prison abroad: 1,700 people in any one year and over 1000 at any one time On return to the UK: approx. 200 men and women a year access our resettlement service in London Receive no statutory support Prisoners Abroad Resettlement Workers provide practical assistance and advice

5. Crisis Conference 2011 Need Our service users: –Often not lived in the UK since childhood –Often with no family or friends in the UK –No NI number –Immediate need for food, clothes and accommodation

6. Crisis Conference 2011 History Previous changes in the welfare system and their impact on Prisoners Abroad’s service users –Habitual Residence Test –Benefit claims on the phone –Crisis loan = immediate debt

7. Crisis Conference 2011 The Future Potential changes in the welfare system and their possible impacts on Prisoners Abroad’s service users –Cuts in Housing benefit (under 35) –The Work Programme (number of specialist advisors) –Lots of unknowns –Already vulnerable group likely to fall through the cracks

8. Crisis Conference 2011 www.prisonersabroad.org.uk info@prisonersabroad.org.uk