{"id":7619,"date":"2021-10-05T16:02:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T16:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2021.cjg-annualreport.co.uk\/?p=7619"},"modified":"2021-10-25T12:25:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T12:25:00","slug":"supporting-families-impacted-by-imprisonment-a-new-dawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/2021.cjg-annualreport.co.uk\/?p=7619","title":{"rendered":"SUPPORTING FAMILIES IMPACTED BY IMPRISONMENT \u2013 A NEW DAWN"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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BY JULIE-ANNE SIMM<\/b>

Manager, The Croft (Visitor Support & Advice Service at HMP Barlinnie)<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Through direct collaboration with visitors to Barlinnie<\/b>, the service provided by the Croft<\/span><\/a> to families affected by imprisonment ensures that our work not only meets the needs of families but, it is driven by them and designed around their specific needs.\u00a0 <\/span>This creates a unique, symbiotic partnership which underpins the support we provide to families at a time when they may feel a lack of control over events and to provide them with the information they may need to take back control and move forward with their lives.<\/p>

Covid 19 restrictions and lockdown impacted greatly<\/b> on everyone \u2013 with the most vulnerable in society at the core of this \u2013\u00a0our families included<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>We are a visitors\u2019 support service located in the front entrance of\u00a0<\/span>HMP Barlinnie \u2013 in the areas where families come to visit their loved ones in prison. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When face-to-face visits in the Prison shut down<\/b> we lost the core access route to support many of our families.\u00a0 <\/span>Due to the nature of our work face-to-face support was our mainstay so our website, social media and phone service was used by families less so.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The only constant in life is change \u2013 Heraclitus<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A lesson well learned during lockdown and subsequently with ongoing restrictions<\/b>, to continue to support families we had to \u201cadapt & thrive\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>Despite the majority of the staff team being on furlough for an extended period of time, we drew strength from each other and our partners to continue to provide a service to our families, details of which can be found in our Annual Report 2020<\/b><\/span><\/a> <\/b>We expanded our use of social media and the phone\/text service to keep families up to date and find out what they needed. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Feedback from families was that more practical support was required<\/b> e.g. providing shopping vouchers, kids activity and craft packs to help keep them active and entertained, care\/well-being packages for both adults and children alike, specific family support packages.\u00a0 <\/span>Much of this kindly provided by our partner organisations who were not able to access their families and had secured additional funding to support those affected by Covid 19 but wanted to extend their reach.\u00a0 <\/span>Along with this families were kept up to date with Covid 19 changes, how restrictions impacted on sending in items\/money for loved ones, how to set up virtual visits and the emotional support which is at the heart of what we do.<\/p>

We have exciting plans moving forward to embrace the learning from the last year<\/b> with more focus on using social media and technology to engage with families outwith Barlinnie through online groups, revised social media strategy and embedding outreach in local communities through peer support hubs, created in partnership with both existing and new partner organisations and agencies.\u00a0 <\/span>We have secured the tech to take these to our hubs and host virtual visits for families which loved ones in any Scottish prison and for those unable to make it to Barlinnie.<\/span><\/p>

Our families often have a wide range of needs<\/b> that they require support with often in specialist areas such as housing, addictions, benefits and such like.\u00a0 <\/span>We are not experts in these areas so to provide the best all round experience for families, we work closely with a variety of partners whose core focus is providing this specific information and support, these include but are not limited to:<\/p>