Commissioners & Funders

Reducing reoffending through employment — the full pipeline

Advance 2 Go Group CIC delivers end-to-end rehabilitation and employment support for ex-offenders across West Yorkshire. We identify candidates in custody, prepare them for employment, place them with committed employers and sustain them in work at 13 and 26 weeks. This is the model that commissioners fund and the evidence base that proves it works.

£22.7bn
Annual cost of reoffending
to the UK economy
33%
Reoffending reduction linked
to sustained employment
2,000+
Prison leavers return to
West Yorkshire each year
What We Deliver
Prison outreach and candidate identification
Working with HMP Leeds and West Yorkshire Probation to identify motivated candidates pre-release.
Disclosure and legal coaching
Specialist guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 — delivered by a qualified LLB (Hons).
CV, interview and job readiness support
Practical preparation that takes candidates from custody to employment-ready.
Employer engagement and placement
Direct introductions to committed employers across West Yorkshire.
13 and 26-week post-placement support
The sustained mentoring that turns a first job into a career — and prevents reoffending.
Why Advance 2 Go
What makes us different from any other provider

Most employment support organisations are staffed by well-meaning professionals who have never been through the criminal justice system. Advance 2 Go is different in one fundamental way — our founder has. That difference changes how candidates engage, how employers respond, and how outcomes are achieved.

Lived Experience Leadership
Michael Giles LLB (Hons) served eight years in prison and earned a law degree during his sentence. He founded Advance 2 Go specifically to deliver the support he needed but could not find. Lived experience is not incidental to our model — it is the model. Candidates trust someone who has been where they have been. Commissioners score it. Outcomes prove it.
Legal Expertise Built In
An LLB (Hons) and deep specialist knowledge of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, criminal records disclosure law and DBS framework is embedded in every intervention we deliver. No mainstream employment support provider can offer this alongside frontline delivery. For candidates navigating complex disclosure obligations, this is transformative.
Full Pipeline — Not Just Placement
We deliver from identification to sustained employment at 26 weeks — not just job matching. The pipeline approach addresses every point at which reoffending risk is highest: at the gate, in the first weeks of employment, and at the 13-week mark when initial motivation can fade. Commissioners pay for outcomes. We deliver them at every stage.
West Yorkshire Rootedness
We are a Leeds organisation built for West Yorkshire. We work with HMP Richmond House, Lawnswood Business Park, Redvers Close, Leeds LS16 6QY Probation, Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. We know the local employer market, the local prison estate and the communities to which people return. National prime contractors cannot replicate this. We can sub-contract or partner alongside them to deliver it.
Theory of Change
How we reduce reoffending — the evidence-based logic

Our Theory of Change is built on MoJ evidence that sustained employment at 26 weeks is the single most significant factor in reducing reoffending. Every stage of our pipeline is designed to address the specific barriers that prevent ex-offenders from reaching and sustaining work.

Inputs
What we bring
  • Lived experience leadership
  • Legal and disclosure expertise
  • Prison and probation access
  • Employer network
  • CIC governance
  • Safeguarding framework
Activities
What we do
  • Prison outreach
  • Candidate identification
  • Disclosure coaching
  • CV and interview prep
  • Employer matching
  • Post-placement support
  • 13 and 26-week check-ins
Outputs
What is produced
  • Candidates identified
  • Candidates job-ready
  • Placements made
  • Sustained at 13 weeks
  • Sustained at 26 weeks
  • Employers retained
Outcomes
What changes
  • Sustained employment
  • Financial independence
  • Stable housing
  • Family relationships
  • Community reintegration
  • Reoffending reduced
Impact
The difference made
  • Lower reoffending rates
  • Reduced CJS cost
  • Reduced community cost
  • Reduced public service burden
  • Social value for West Yorkshire

The evidence base: MoJ data shows that prison leavers in sustained employment at 26 weeks reoffend at a rate 33% lower than those not in employment. Each reoffence costs the criminal justice system an average of £15,000–£65,000 depending on severity (MoJ, 2019). Every sustained placement Advance 2 Go achieves generates substantial public value savings for West Yorkshire.

Governance & Credentials
Ready for commissioner due diligence on day one

Advance 2 Go Group CIC is a registered Community Interest Company limited by guarantee. Our governance framework has been built to meet the requirements of statutory commissioners, grant funders and corporate partners. Every document below is available on request.

Document / Credential Status Relevance to commissioners
CIC Registration — Companies House ✓ Registered Asset lock confirmed. Community interest statement on file. Confirms genuine social enterprise status — a requirement for many MoJ and DWP commissioning frameworks.
Safeguarding Policy ✓ In place Required for any work with vulnerable adults. Downloadable from the site footer. Available in full on request.
Data Protection Policy ✓ In place UK GDPR compliant. Governs how we handle candidate and client personal data. Available on request.
Equal Opportunities Policy ✓ In place Covers our approach to fair recruitment and non-discrimination. Available on request and in site footer.
Health & Safety Policy ✓ In place Available on request.
Theory of Change ✓ Documented Full ToC available on request. Summary on this page above.
Risk Register ✓ In place Operational risk register updated quarterly. Available to commissioners and funders on request.
Risk Appetite Statement ✓ In place Sets out our approach to risk management, tolerance levels and escalation. Available on request.
Privacy Policy ✓ In place Available in site footer.
Ban the Box Commitment ✓ Signed We do not require candidates to disclose convictions on initial application. See our Ban the Box page.
Public Liability Insurance In progress Being arranged as part of operational setup. Confirmation available on request before contract commencement.
ICO Registration In progress ICO registration is being completed. Required before processing personal data operationally.
Commissioning Context
Where we fit in the West Yorkshire landscape

Advance 2 Go is actively engaged with the West Yorkshire commissioning landscape. We are seeking sub-contracting opportunities, partnership arrangements and direct commissioning conversations. We are realistic about where we are and clear about what we can deliver.

CFO Evolution — The Growth Company
The Growth Company holds the CFO Evolution contract for Yorkshire and Humber until at least April 2027, delivering at 11 prisons and three Activity Hubs across the region. Advance 2 Go is actively seeking sub-contracting conversations to provide specialist lived-experience-led delivery in West Yorkshire.

Contact: 0114 553 5990
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
WYCA commissions reducing reoffending programmes and is developing an Integrated Work and Health Strategy. Advance 2 Go is engaging with WYCA's policing and crime team regarding the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund and future commissioning rounds.

Contact: 0113 348 1740  ·  policingandcrime@westyorks-ca.gov.uk
Leeds City Council — Get Britain Working
Leeds City Council received Get Britain Working funding with ex-offenders named as a priority group, and is distributing sub-grants of £10,000–£50,000 to VCSE organisations delivering employment support. Advance 2 Go is actively pursuing this opportunity.

Contact: econdevskills@leeds.gov.uk
HMP Leeds & West Yorkshire Probation
We are building direct relationships with HMP Leeds employment leads and West Yorkshire Probation through-the-gate team. These relationships provide the candidate pipeline that makes the four-stage model work. We welcome introductions from commissioners who can facilitate them.

HMP Leeds: 0113 203 2600  ·  Probation: 0113 247 6830
Working With Us
How commissioners and funders can engage

We are in our early stages and are actively seeking commissioning conversations, sub-contracting opportunities and grant funding. We are open about where we are — and clear about what we are building toward.

Sub-contracting
We are well-positioned to sub-contract from prime contractors delivering CFO Evolution, DWP employment support or local authority reducing reoffending programmes. We bring lived experience leadership, local rootedness and a full-pipeline model that complements the capacity of larger prime contractors.
Grant Funding
We are actively pursuing grant funding from UnLtd, the National Lottery Community Fund, the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund and foundation funders. Our CIC structure, governance framework and Theory of Change are designed to meet the requirements of serious grant applications.
Direct Commissioning
As we build our track record, we are developing the capability to bid for direct employment support contracts from statutory commissioners. If you commission reducing reoffending or through-the-gate services in West Yorkshire and want to explore what we can deliver, we welcome a conversation.
Partnership
We are open to partnerships with other VCSE organisations and specialist providers working in the criminal justice and employment space across West Yorkshire. We are collaborative by instinct and understand the value of working alongside rather than competing with similar organisations.
Free Resources
Download our guides

We have produced three free guides — for commissioners, employers and candidates. Each reflects our specialist knowledge of the criminal records disclosure framework and our approach to the full employment pipeline.

Commissioner & Partner Guide
Our approach to rehabilitation and employment support — Theory of Change, governance summary, commissioning information and evidence base. The starting point for any commissioning conversation.
Download Commissioner Guide
Employer Guide
Everything employers need to know about hiring ex-offenders — legal obligations, Ban the Box, disclosure support, the business case and what to expect when working with Advance 2 Go.
Download Employer Guide
Candidate Disclosure Guide
A plain-English guide to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 — when you must disclose, when you do not have to, and how to handle disclosure well. Written by an LLB (Hons).
Download Disclosure Guide
Get In Touch
Ready to have a conversation?

All commissioning and funding enquiries are handled personally by Michael Giles. We respond to every enquiry within one working day. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest conversation about whether there is a fit.

Michael Giles
LLB (Hons)  ·  Founder & Director
michael@advance2go.co.uk
07377 770 133
Richmond House, Lawnswood Business Park, Redvers Close, Leeds LS16 6QY
Send a Message Call Us
What to expect
Response within one working day — always.
A genuine conversation, not a sales pitch.
Honest answers about where we are and what we can deliver.
Full governance pack and evidence base on request.
Flexible format — phone, video or in person across West Yorkshire.