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The Second Chances Charter is intended to be a journey that an organisation goes on. That is why there is a tiered process to sign up to the Charter. You will register your interest and then have a negotiable period to achieve one of three signatory statuses. To be a bronze signatory, you must commit to 1 of the below. To be a silver signatory, you must commit to 3 of the below. To be a gold signatory, you must commit to 4+ of the below.

We will reach out to you six months after your have registered your interest and ask for proof that you have started your journey. You can reach out to us at any time to let us know that you have reached the threshold to achieve any of the three signatory stages.

You must also place reference to the Second Chances Charter on Job vacancies, for example, “We are a Second Chance Charter employer, committed to ensuring that people with offending histories can access employment”.

By signing up to the second chances charter we, as an organisation, agree to:

  • Provide equal opportunities for people with convictions. We will do this by:
    • Guaranteeing interviews for applicants who meet the essential criteria (see advice for disability confident guaranteed interviews scheme here)
    • Ensuring our organisation has entry-level jobs for those with skills gaps
  • Help people with convictions to gain experience. We will do this by:
    • Guaranteeing work experience so that those with convictions can be given a chance to try out work and see what they can expect from a working environment.
  • Gaining experience should be encouraged when those with convictions are employed and begin their role, for example, organisations should do this by:
  • Provide practical support to employees e.g. give them a bus pass or flexible working hours
  • Give fair consideration to banning the box on application forms – those with convictions should not disclose any record until after the initial application stage in a conversation with the hiring manager.
  • Placing reference to the Second Chances Charter on Job vacancies, e.g. “we are a Second Chance employer who is committed to ensuring that those with offending histories can access employment”.

Download the Second Chances Charter

Download the Second Chances Charter in easy read

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