Evaluation of the Time to Work Employment Service (TWES) – Final Report

This evaluation on the Time to Work Employment Service (TWES) examined program effectiveness and identified program improvements to inform current program delivery and future approaches. The scope of the evaluation covered the delivery of TWES in remote and non-remote prisons nationally over three years (2018-2021) since commencement.

TWES is a voluntary in-prison program that seeks to provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to help facilitate their transition from prison to work. TWES is designed to address Finding 5 of the Prison to Work report: “there is a lack of timely, co-ordinated and quality engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners from employment and welfare services.”

NIAA engaged SVA Consulting, in partnership with DESE, to evaluate the TWES on the following objectives:

1. Understand the design and implementation of TWES
2. Understand the impact of TWES (effectiveness).
3. Understand how to improve TWES and the implications for policy and future impact.