Details of latest news posts on this site relating to Unlock’s work.
To help improve the reach of our helpline, people with hearing and/or speech difficulties will now be able to contact us using the Relay UK service. Callers can download the Relay UK app to their mobile phone or tablet or use it via their textphone (Minicom or Uniphone) by adding 18001 before our helpline telephone […]
Last year the Department for Work and Pensions created some new guidance to help people leaving prison understand how to claim Universal Credit. To look at how effective the guidance has been and to help the DWP improve future products, they’re looking for feedback. We wanted to share this across our networks, so that people […]
Together with the charity Transform Justice, Unlock has launched the #FairCheck movement to help push for a fresh start for the criminal records system. Our outdated criminal records regime is holding hundreds of thousands of people back from participating fully in society. Even a minor criminal history can produce lifelong barriers to employment, volunteering, housing […]
This month we’ve written a further article for InsideTime ‘Through the Gate’ section which provides information on one of the seven criminal record stages – leaving prison. A copy of the article can be found below. Many people who contact our helpline are looking for answers to specific questions. However, some say “I’ve just been […]
Our helpline will be closed for the Christmas holidays from 4pm on Friday 20th December and will reopen at 10am on Thursday 2nd January 2020. Whilst we’re closed, you can drop us an email, text or WhatsApp message or write to us. Our contact details can be found here. We promise to respond to every […]
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have just launched a satisfaction survey to give their customers the opportunity to provide feedback on their services. Any feedback you give will be anonymised and kept confidential. Our helpline receives contact from many people who have contacted the DBS. Sometimes they’re really pleased with the information they received, […]
Applying to higher education can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time, especially if you’ve been out of education for a while. If you have a criminal record, awaiting the decision after disclosing can create even more anxiety. Unlock would like to hear from you about your experience of applying to higher education. Was it clear […]
Our InformationHub regularly receives over 1.3 million visitors each year and is considered to be the most comprehensive source of self-help information on a range of issues that a criminal record can affect. However, we’re always looking to improve it’s look and content. We’ve put together a survey as we’re keen to get input from […]
This month, we’ve written a further article for InsideTime ‘Through the Gate’ Section which provides information on how court orders can impact on the time it takes for your conviction to become spent. A copy of the article can be found below: In addition to your prison sentence, convictions for certain types of offences could […]
In the year April 2018 to March 2019, our helpline was contacted by 7,776 people, 88% of whom had a criminal record. Our information hub was visited by 1,381,871 and 50,622 people used our disclosure calculator. Have a look at the infographics below to find out more about the support we provided. Helpline Online
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