Case Study Hard Work Pays Off
“All the hard work paid off and Jordan was taken on by an agency doing
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general labouring.
Jordan has had a long history of drug abuse and offending which has resulted in him spending much of his adult life going in and out of prison. As a prolific offender, Jordan has come in to contact with new futures on several occasions. He has always been keen and enthusiastic about gaining qualifications and his new futures case manager has looked at a number of courses with him over the years, but Jordan always relapsed or re-offended so in the end no courses were ever taken. In 2013, after being released, Jordan was in supported housing specifically for prolific offenders. To stay there whilst working would mean that he would need to pay £170 a week in rent, which made it hard for him to feel motivated to seek employment rather than stay on benefits where his costs were met. Jordan came into contact with new futures again when he participated in a new futures Job Club. His new futures case manager helped him to look at what type of work was available for him and also referred him to a work skills course to help to increase his confidence and motivation. He found this very helpful and managed to attend on time every day, which was a significant improvement from previous attempts by his probation officer to get him to attend courses. After several discussions with his new futures case manager, Jordan also came to realise the importance of being self-sufficient through being in employment and how this would also help him to achieve his other goals of keeping away from drugs and out of prison. Jordan kept proactive and positive, ensuring that he didn’t mix with the other residents in his shared house who were struggling to keep away from crime. He also kept himself occupied and improved his fitness with cycling, while maintaining regular attendance at Job Club and chasing up all job opportunities. Jordan was successful in obtaining his forklift licence and CSCS card and new futures provided him with some personal protective equipment and continued to give him job search support after he had gained his qualifications. All the hard work paid off and Jordan was taken on by an agency doing general labouring. While working on site, he was approached by a ground works company who have now employed him full time. He has moved on from his supported housing premises, and while he still has support given from the housing organisation, he is much more independent. Jordan now reports to probation weekly instead of almost daily and is establishing a stable and fulfilling lifestyle.