Finding employment after contact with the justice system can be about much more than earning an income.
A stable job can provide routine, purpose, connection and an opportunity to build a different future. However, people returning to the community may also face barriers involving confidence, mental health, relationships, housing, transport and access to support.
These barriers matter because successful rehabilitation and reintegration can help reduce reoffending and contribute to safer communities.
In Queensland, 44 per cent of sentenced prisoners released from correctional centres in 2022–23 returned to custody with a new sentence within two years, according to the Queensland Audit Office.
The same report identifies employment, education, wellbeing programs, meaningful activities, structured routines and access to appropriate support as important parts of rehabilitation and reintegration.
This is where Fruit2Work is making a difference.
Fruit2Work is a social enterprise and registered charity that creates employment opportunities for people affected by the justice system. Through workplace experience and ongoing support, Fruit2Work helps people move forward and make lasting changes in their lives.
Fruit2Work’s approach recognises that employment can create an opportunity, while personal development and wraparound support can help someone build the stability needed to make the most of it.
Every fruit, milk or pantry delivery completed by Fruit2Work helps create employment for people who have experienced barriers after contact with the justice system.
Fruit2Work provides meaningful work and on-the-job experience through its delivery operations. Its broader support model also includes coaching, mental health support and personal development.
A key part of that support is the Build a Better You program.
Build a Better You provides a supportive environment where Fruit2Work employees can strengthen their confidence, wellbeing, communication and relationships.
The program complements meaningful employment by helping participants develop personal skills that support positive routines, workplace participation and successful reintegration into the community.
The ETC Community Support Fund provided $35,000 to support the delivery of Build a Better You for Fruit2Work’s Brisbane team.
During the project, Fruit2Work extended group sessions from one hour to one and a half hours. This gave participants more time for discussions, reflective activities and group exercises.
The program also became more responsive to participants’ immediate concerns and lived experiences. Individual support sessions were made available when participants needed more confidential and tailored assistance.
This flexibility helped distinguish Build a Better You from mandatory programs some participants had previously experienced. Fruit2Work communicated that participation was voluntary, non-judgemental and focused on genuine personal growth rather than compliance.
Successful reintegration is supported by more than access to a job.
Maintaining employment can also require confidence, communication skills, emotional awareness, healthy relationships, positive routines and the ability to respond to challenges.
Build a Better You provides a safe, supportive and structured environment focused on personal growth, emotional wellbeing, accountability and successful community reintegration.
An average of eight to 11 people took part in weekly sessions during the 12-month program. Participants included people with lived experience of incarceration or other justice-system involvement, as well as people facing barriers to employment.
According to the completion report, participants reported improved workplace confidence, stronger communication with colleagues and family members, greater emotional awareness and increased motivation to maintain positive routines. Fruit2Work also recorded increased use of individual counselling and continued participation in the 24-week program. These are recipient-reported outcomes and observations rather than an independent evaluation of reduced reoffending.
The program also supported a workplace culture built around belonging, accountability and positive change. Participants described feeling accepted, supported and valued within the Fruit2Work environment.
Fruit2Work’s model connects meaningful employment with personal development and relationship-based support.
These different elements can help participants strengthen their prospects of maintaining employment and reintegrating successfully into the community.
Reducing reoffending cannot be attributed to one session, one job or one funding contribution. It requires sustained opportunities, personal responsibility, practical support and a community willing to give people a genuine chance to move forward.
Fruit2Work publicly identifies reducing reoffending as part of its purpose and says its employment and wraparound-support model is designed to help people rebuild their lives.
The ETC-funded project contributes to that broader purpose by helping employees build personal, social and emotional capabilities alongside their workplace experience.
The impact of successful reintegration extends beyond an individual employee.
Stable employment, stronger relationships, positive routines and community participation can also benefit families, workplaces and the wider community.
Fruit2Work combines meaningful employment with ongoing support to help people rebuild stability, participate positively in the community and reduce the risk of reoffending.
This approach recognises that successful reintegration can benefit individuals, families, workplaces and the wider community.
The completed project does not provide a measured recidivism rate for the funded Brisbane cohort. However, Participants described improvements in confidence, communication and emotional awareness, along with greater engagement with support and positive routines, all of which the organisation considers important to employment and successful reintegration.
The project also reinforced the value of combining employment with flexible and responsive personal support.
Fruit2Work plans to continue Build a Better You as a core internal wellbeing and personal development program. The organisation is also developing a further holistic wellbeing program focused on resilience, life skills, relationships and positive engagement with employment and community life.
Since its inception in 2012, the ETC Community Support Fund has provided over $3.4 million to community organisations, including $2.4 million in the last five years alone.
The $35,000 contribution to Fruit2Work supported a practical program designed to sit alongside meaningful employment.
By helping participants develop confidence, communication, self-awareness and positive relationships, Build a Better You supports Fruit2Work’s wider work to create second-chance employment opportunities and reduce the risk of reoffending.
A job can open a door. Consistent support, personal development and an opportunity to belong can help someone keep moving forward.
Call our team on 1800 007 400 or fill out the Enquire Now form on this page.
Fill out this form and one of our team members will contact you.
When you’re looking for support, Ask Izzy can help you to find the services you need, now and nearby. It is free and anonymous, and you can search over 360,000 services to find housing, meals, money help, healthcare, counselling, legal advice, addiction treatment and a whole lot more.
Visit Ask Izzy - https://askizzy.org.au/
If you’re on the Telstra mobile network, you can access Ask Izzy even if you don’t have credit.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about the latest tips, trends and business insights from ETC.
