Action for Prisoners’ Families Relationships and Family Support Seminar 23 September 2014

Supporting relationships with long term prisoners Charlotte Mann HMP Hull

Working with Families

Charlotte Mann – HMP Hull  Prior to joining the Prison Service worked in a variety of different roles and lived overseas for 6 years  Joined the Prison Service almost 7 years ago through a Fast Track Scheme – called IDS at the time.  Worked at HMP High Down, HMP Everthorpe and HMP Hull  Prison Officer, Senior Officer, F Grade Operational Manager (Now called Band 7), and currently Band 8 Operational Manager

Current Role  Head of Safer Prisons and Equalities  Involved in lots of partnership working  Working towards making the whole prison a rehabilitative environment

The importance of families   Imprisonment of a parent is a critical life event   Massive impact on the family of an imprisoned person   Families and offenders need to comes to terms with their family member being imprisoned, but also prepare for their release   Approximately one-half of prisoners are fathers of children under the age of 18, yet prisoners’ children and families seem to be an ‘invisible group’ in our society* *(Ministry of Justice/Department for Schools, Children and Families, 2007).   Significant risks associated with having a family member imprisoned   Research suggests that families are in important factor in aiding resettlement and encouraging desistance.

Developing What We Have Expanding on the current family day by providing the opportunity to bring together offenders family, significant others, Offender Supervisors, local hostel staff, mentors, substance misuse workers, educators, healthcare, circles of support and police liaison officers. Creating an opportunity to develop family ties whilst linking in with relevant services (supporting the prisoners and families in custody or on release)

What are the Aims of Family Days?

 Deliver efficiency through sharing services and removing duplication Maximising Performance *Ensuring services, resources and budgets are delivered to their maximum potential  Improve networks and systems to ensure higher risk prisoners are managed seamlessly Protecting The Public *Focusing on Offender Rehabilitation – “Breaking the Cycle”  Ensure time spent in custody is productive and purposeful, to reduce anxiety whilst in prison and on release. Operating Safe, Decent and Secure Conditions * Promoting decency, equality and a pro-social environment  Improve information sharing with families, along with internal/external agencies Working With Partners *Adopting a multi-agency approach to the management of offenders  Identify and understand the change in people, both in custody and those who will support them on release Enabling Change *Transforming Offender Lives *Transforming Offender Lives  Support prisoners in maintaining and/or developing strong family relationships Reducing Re-Offending *Focusing on the 7 Pathways: Accommodation, Education, training and employment, Health, Drugs and alcohol, Finance, benefit and debt, Children and families, Attitudes, thinking and behaviour

Benefits Prisoners returning to a stable family home resettle better and are less likely to re-offend Custody  More purposeful activity  Contributing towards a rehabilitative environment  Improved staff/prisoner relationships Community  Better resettlement  Helps breaks inter-generational cycles of crime  Prisoners children are likely to have fewer problems  Children feel valued Both  Prisoners feel a sense of responsibility/ happier  Positive public relations  Increase motivation/hope of prisoners  Families can provide intelligence  Improved behaviour  Improved joint working reduces embarrassment, stigma and develops trust

What do we need to do?  Simple criteria – based on need of the prisoner not just current behaviour  Cross functional support – family issues are relevant to every department  Board approach to managing risk – historically this decision making process has been down to 1 person in consultation with Security  Treat these visits as a meaningful and worthwhile intervention – because they are  Make sure equality is embedded in everything we do  Provide clear expectations, support and guidance

What happened?  Shift in attitudes  Positive feedback  Inspired hope  Able to support families with issues at home

What would we like to do  Homework club  Create an environment where all visits can be more meaningful  Build upon providing prisoners with the “Chance to Change”