Monthly summary – January 2021

Welcome to our monthly summary for January 2021.

This provides a summary of:

1. the latest updates to our self-help information site for people with convictions
2. recent posts to our online magazine, theRecord
3. discussions on our online forum
4. other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record.

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Updates to our information site

Here’s a summary of the updates we’ve made to the information hub. There are links within each update to where you can find more information.

Travelling abroad

• Changes to immigration rules and travel to Europe from 1 January 2021 – We’ve published an advice post setting out changes to the immigration rules, travelling to Europe using the ETIAS visa waiver process and the implications of travelling to the EU whilst on the Sex Offenders Register.

theRecord posts

Below are links to recent posts to our online magazine, theRecord. These are often linked to the practical information that we have, to help give some personal experiences

Success – Could 2021 be the year you become your own boss? – “With over 800,000 jobs being lost since the start of the Covid pandemic and UK unemployment likely to reach 2.6 million by the middle of 2021, the outlook for job seekers looks pretty bleak. But, could this be the time to consider starting your own business? …..” 

Struggles and stigma – Employers, if you’ve got a blanket ban on recruiting people with unspent convictions, just tell us – “I met my ex-girlfriend when we were studying for our ‘A’ levels and we were together until the start of my second year at university. By then, I knew that once I’d finished my degree I would be moving to London to pursue a career in management consultancy and I was totally driven in my desire to secure a graduate position with a global management consultancy firm …..” 

Success – A chance at last – changes to filtering rules will give me a clean DBS at last – “I was born into a violent, chaotic, impoverished and broken home and it was probably due to my dysfunctional family life that I was constantly in trouble with the police, mainly for theft or vandalism …..”

Discussions on our online forum

Below are links to recent posts on our online forum. If you’d like to join the discussion but are not currently a forum member, find out how you can join here

Enhanced DBS – EJ has applied for a role which requires an enhanced DBS check. He did not disclose details of his conviction at application stage, preferring to state “will discuss at interview”. He has now been offered the job but his conviction has not been discussed. What should he do? 

Finding work whilst on the SO Register and with a SHPO – The restrictions caused by a SOPO/SHPO can make it difficult to secure paid employment. Can you offer any advice to somebody in this position?  

Other news and developments

Below are links to other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record. For more news, check out the news and media section of our main website.

Unlock Annual Report 2019-20 

We’ve published our 2019-20 Annual Report which sets out details of our work and achievements during the year. 

Could you be our new CEO? 

Following the announcement that Unlock’s co-director, Christopher Stacey would be leaving the charity to take up the role of Director of Support and Development at Clinks, we’ve started looking for our new Chief Executive Officer.