MEDIA RELEASE 13 May 2025
Helping prisoners rebuild their lives – new diploma programme supports critical reintegration work
Careerforce, Aotearoa’s leading work-based learning provider for the health and wellbeing sector, has launched a new diploma specialisation designed to equip reintegration professionals with the tools to help prisoners rebuild their lives and reintegrate into their communities.
Each year, around 15,000 people are released from prison in Aotearoa, with thousands more completing community-based sentences. Research consistently shows that with the right support networks in place, individuals are far less likely to reoffend.
To strengthen and recognise this workforce, the new specialisation, ‘Reintegration/Rehabilitation (Prisoner Reintegration Services)’ is now offered as part of Careerforce’s Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Level 5) Applied Practice. It’s tailored for professionals working directly with individuals transitioning from custody back into the community, into stable employment and a life free from reoffending.
Careerforce Team Leader, Fiona Wallace, says, “We’re excited to launch this new specialisation, which was developed following a request from the sector. Learners are supported by one-on-one coaching sessions to guide them through the Diploma.”
Fiona adds, “Learners must hold a relevant Level 4 (or higher) qualification to enrol. As a work-based qualification, it requires learners to complete at least 200 hours of practical work, with assessments based on real-world cases drawn from their day-to-day practice.”
The Diploma focuses on outcomes that support pro-social community connections to reduce reoffending. Key areas include helping individuals set and achieve goals that build their capability and strengthen connections. It also addresses education, employment, accommodation, living skills, health and wellbeing, community links, and other reintegration supports. Additionally, it ensures people engage in rehabilitation programmes to address offending behaviours, such as tikanga Māori programmes, parenting skills development, and specialised psychological treatments (e.g., for family violence and sexual violence).
The programme also encourages a strong cultural lens, integrating kaupapa Māori and Pacific principles to support reintegration in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways.
To find out more about the Reintegration/Rehabilitation (Prisoner Reintegration Services) context/specialisation within the Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Level 5) Applied Practice, contact Careerforce via [email protected].
For all media enquiries please contact Paul Williams, General Manager Marketing, Communications & Insights on 027 600 7395, or at [email protected].
Careerforce supports employers across New Zealand’s health and wellbeing sectors to run workplace training programmes, allowing staff to achieve nationally recognised qualifications on the job. For more information please see: www.careerforce.org.nz
Susan Tattersall