Lauren’s story: A path to a brighter future

When Lauren came to Working Chance, she felt overwhelmed. She’d been out of work for some months and now saddled with a conviction, she was unsure of how to approach looking for employment again.

With over a decade of work experience in the mental health sector and a degree in the field, Lauren had dedicated much of her career to supporting others, but now she found herself needing to focus on herself.

Mental health and women’s offending

Lots of women in prison have significant mental health needs, with 62% reporting mental health problems in prison, compared to 54% reported of men Prison Reform Trust Factfile (Winter 2025).

Lauren had a history of mental health issues and her conviction came when she was in crisis. When she was younger she had struggled with drug addiction, but had worked hard to get herself clean. And then when her dad passed away, she relapsed, stopped taking her prescribed medication, and slipped into unhealthy habits to cope.

“I stopped taking my medication and that caused me to relapse on my use of drugs, and very quickly, I became unwell.”

At the time of her arrest, Lauren was in crisis and as a result, she lashed out at a police officer who’d been called to help her. Lauren was convicted for assaulting an emergency worker.

Lauren regrets what happened and accepts she could have sought support for her mental health and remembers the day it happened as nothing but “a blur”. Following her arrest, Lauren was held in prison for three months on remand, while she waited to be sentenced. She was eventually given a community sentence and connected with services to support her recovery.

A conviction is a barrier to employment

Since the time of her conviction, Lauren has worked hard to get clean again, and just wanted an employer to see all the positive work she’s done since. But with her confidence shattered and the fear of facing stigma from employers, she was nervous.

“Even before my conviction, I found interviews anxiety-provoking.”

When you’ve got a conviction, it’s more than just nerves, it’s the fear of judgement and wondering whether your past will shut the door before you’ve had a chance to open it. For many women, the shame of a conviction runs deep.

Rebuilding with support from Working Chance

Once Lauren started to feel settled on her recovery journey, she was ready to look for work again. That's when she contacted Working Chance for help.

“The support from Working Chance was amazing, one of the best things in my life.”

With support from her Employability Coach, Lauren explored her strengths and what kind of work would reignite her sense of purpose. She was drawn to support work again, not despite her experiences, but because of them.

"I never thought that I could, firstly, get any job, and secondly, definitely not in a field that required a DBS check."

With her Employability Coach, Lauren explored career options that aligned with her values and strengths and worked hard to build her confidence in interviews.

“The preparation with Working Chance was so helpful. Thinking about how to answer the interview questions really helped build my confidence.”

The result? The very first job she applied for, she got.

Lauren landed a job as an outreach worker with a charity supporting people experiencing homelessness to access housing.

A path to a brighter future

For women at the beginning of a similar journey, Lauren has some advice.

“If you want to get into work and you’re not in touch with Working Chance, you need to give your head a wobble, honestly, they’re that good!”

Lauren is now a few months into her role and she’s already seeing the impact she can have. Her story isn’t finished, but the chapter she’s in now is full of hope.