Directory

ADVANCE Minerva delivers advocacy and support to women who have committed crime, or young women aged 16-24yrs at risk of committing crime. We work with London CRC to support women subject to Supervision, as well as offering support to women subject to short custodial sentences, including Through the Gates work. We offer one-to-one key-work to support women experiencing issues such as debt, family breakdown, social isolation, inadequate accommodation, poor physical and mental health, substance misuse and domestic or sexual violence. We run structured group-work programmes to increase confidence and self-esteem, plus diversionary activities to reduce social exclusion and surgeries with partner agencies to improve knowledge. Our aims are to offer a range of support to address the needs that lead women to offend, thereby reducing re-offending, and enabling women and children to live safer, violence free lives so that they can flourish and actively engage in society.

BLAST Foundation is a Christian "Through The Gate" Resettlement organisation, working with prisoners and ex-offenders and their families of all faiths and no faiths. BLAST aim to be provider of choice, for prisons and probation trusts wishing to reduce recidivism and improve resettlement for prison inmates who want to transform their lives and break their cycle of re-offending. BLAST achieves this through our transformation, employability & business programmes delivered in prison. These programmes combine and are supported by BLASTs mentor and resettlement services, to support ex-offenders and their families in the difficult task of re-integrating in society

Clean Break uses theatre to keep the subject of women in prison on the cultural radar, helping to reveal the damage caused by the failures of the criminal justice system. Through our unique work, we raise difficult questions, inspire debate, and help to effect profound and positive change in the lives of women with experience of the criminal justice system.

Since 1979, Clean Break has been the only women’s theatre company of its kind, and we continue to inspire playwrights and captivate audiences with our ground-breaking plays on the complex theme of women and crime.

Through theatre workshops and projects in prisons and in the community which build confidence, resilience and wellbeing, we transform the lives of women who have experienced the criminal justice system or who are at risk of entering it.

Criminon UK is a registered charity delivering distance learning life skills courses in many UK prisons. We are members of LASER Learning Awards (formerly the Open College Network South East Region), and have four courses accredited. Our accredited course "Understanding and Overcoming Addiction", aligns with learning outcomes of the NOCN National Qualification Unit's 'Introduction to Drug Awareness', Level 1. Our other accredited courses deal with literacy at Entry Level 2 and Level 1 and a simple guide to better living and self-respect at Entry Level 2. Further life skills courses we offer deal with Parenting, Communication and Personal Integrity. We also offer a Mentor Course which gives the offender the skills to help others with their literacy and allows them to give something back, helping them achieve greater confidence and self-respect.

Since 1885, Forces Employment Charity's aim has been to help those leaving and those who have left the Armed Forces to find and to remain in employment throughout their working lives. We aim to make the client 'Job Ready' by signposting them to bespoke support required using our Project Nova network of support and tracking this via our Nova Support team prior to finding them the right employment choice.
Project Nova is an early intervention scheme working in conjunction mainly with the Police and NHS dealing with Ex Military personnel who have been arrested or are on the periphery of doing so. Project Nova works with many partner organisations including HMPPS & CRCs and local authorities along with numerous military charities.

Hafal (meaning 'equal') is the principal organisation in Wales working with individuals recovering from serious mental illness and their families. As a member led Charity, we were founded 20 years ago on the belief that people who have direct experience of mental illness know best how services can and should be delivered. Providing support across all 7 local health board areas of Wales and delivering over 76 projects, Hafal is dedicated to empowering people with serious mental illness and their families to:
• Achieve a better quality of life.
• Fulfill their ambitions for recovery.
• Fight discrimination.
• Enjoy equal access to health and social care, housing, income, education, and employment.

Hibiscus enables marginalised migrant women trapped in the immigration and justice systems to rebuild their lives. We are the UK’s leading organisation working with Black, minoritised and migrant women and families at the intersection of the immigration and criminal justice systems.

We work across prisons, detention centres and in the community, with additional expertise in working with survivors of trafficking across all these settings. We provide individual advice and advocacy, alongside activities promoting practical support, wellbeing and empowerment and agency.

Our holistic person-centred approach supports and empowers our clients to overcome their multiple and often complex needs and, importantly, addresses the disadvantage that language and cultural barriers present.

imagine if was founded in 2015 to instigate real change in people’s lives through the arts. The company is run by founding Artistic Director, Francesca Joy and is based in Leeds.

imagine if has a strong track record of working in prisons nationally and with prison leavers in the community, with the main geographical focus being across Yorkshire. We have worked in 26 prisons across the UK and USA, having engaged with over 9,000 prisoners and continually supporting prisoners when they are released into the community, for as long as individuals require support.

We have demonstrated that theatre is a powerful tool that can be used to reach out and connect with people from all areas of society. The theatre we create is based on the world around us comprising real stories from real people. We aim to create work that is inspiring, entertaining and unashamedly honest for intimate audiences.

INYBB is a community of artists and facilitators that engage with people in the community and secure settings through creativity. It is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company which has been working in London and the South-East since 2016.

Creativity can provide powerful ways to express, reflect, connect and improve wellbeing. It can change the way people see themselves and create change for them and others. It can positively impact secure settings through transforming environments. Our projects have run in prisons, schools, PRUs, hospitals and community settings including at HMP The Mount, Newham Probation Service for MOPAC, HMPYOI Feltham, Kingston Hospital, Marylebone Women’s Refuge and Princess Alice Hospice.

We have a focus on sharing work to connect people and communities and improve settings through co-created murals and artworks. We do some through-the-gate work with young adults leaving HMPYOI Feltham and employ them as experts by experience to improve our offer.

One Small Thing’s vision is a justice system that can recognise, understand, and respond to trauma.
Our mission is to redesign the justice system for women and their children.
How:
Redesign the way the justice system responds to women and their children in a way that can be replicated and scaled nationally.
Educate prisoners to understand how trauma can affect them and equip them with the skills to respond; and train frontline staff to understand and respond effectively to trauma and adversity.
Influence politicians and policy makers to encourage culture change across the justice system and the people who work within it.

Pact is a pioneering national charity that supports prisoners, people with convictions, and their children and families. We provide caring and life-changing services at every stage of the criminal justice process: in court, in prison, on release, and in the community, based on a public health model of practice.

We work in more than 60 prisons and provide prison-based family engagement and social workers, Visitors’ Centres, visitor support, supervised play, catering, family activities, relationship and parenting education programmes, court and community family support, resettlement support and community-based mentoring and befriending programmes. Our volunteers and staff can be found in courts, prisons, probation services, and in communities across England & Wales.

We also run the HMPPS contracted national Prisoners' Families Helpline which can be reached seven days a week on 0808 808 2003.

RECOOP promotes the care, resettlement and rehabilitation of older offenders and ex-offenders, in particular but not exclusively through the provision of support, advocacy, mentoring and advice on finance, housing and health that will enable them to take control of their lives and remain free from offending and prevent them from becoming socially excluded. We offer consultancy, training and direct services aimed at supporting prisons, probation staff and other organisations, including third-sector organisations, to build the range, capacity and skills necessary to meet the needs of older offenders in custody and through the resettlement transition. A number of our services are available through the Prison Education Framework Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). These include our day centre and buddy support management and training services, in-cell distraction packs and our older ‘Transition’ resettlement course.

St Giles Trust aims to help break the cycle of prison, crime and disadvantage and create safer communities by supporting people to change their lives. Our services put reformed ex-offenders at the heart of the solution, training them to use their skills and first-hand experience to help others through peer-led support.
We work in custody, through the gate and into the community, finding solutions to support offenders break the cycle and move towards social inclusion and mainstream provision. Services are delivered in prisons and CRCs throughout the country, with current programmes running in Wales, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Norfolk, Suffolk, London and the South East. We work with a wide demographic and have specific experience with particular groups including female offenders, BAME, young people and foreign national prisoners.
We provide flexible, tailor-made services which are driven by the needs presented by the people we are trying to help. Typically, this involves: helping people

The Clink Charity’s sole aim is to reduce reoffending rates of ex-offenders. We work in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison Service to run projects that train and give practical skills to prisoners to aid their rehabilitation. The Clink Restaurants and Gardens allow prisoners to learn, engage with the public and take their first steps towards a new life.

All projects utilise our Five Step Programme to ensure that prisoners receive the support they need, not only while they are in prison, but also after release:
Recruit – Train – Support – Employ – Mentor

The issue of reoffending has become one of the most pressing challenges facing society today.

45.2% of adults reoffend within one year of being released. For those serving sentences of less than 12 months this increases to 57.5%.

Training with continued support & mentoring allows us to link clients with employment, assist with other circumstances and ensure smooth transition leading to stability and progression.

We are Forward, the social enterprise that empowers people to break the cycle of crime or addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

The Reasons Why Foundation provides a Behavioural Change Mentoring service to people with criminal convictions across the London region.
Our individualised support packages, empower our service users to achieve their potential and lead positive and productive lives. We help our mentees to find employment, apprenticeships, training and education.
We look at the causes and effects of attitude, behaviour and actions, highlighting potential areas of harmful/negative impact on their development. We look for the Reasons Why people offend and help them to find their own alternatives which do not carry negative outcomes with them.
We offer people the opportunity to share their own thoughts, beliefs and experiences in a safe environment, in complete confidence where they know they are being listened to and actually heard. This is a vital component.

Unlock is an independent award-winning national charity that provides a voice and support for people with convictions who are facing stigma and obstacles because of their criminal record, often long after they have served their sentence.

Firstly, we help people. We provide information, advice and support to people with convictions, including running an information site and confidential peer-run helpline. We help practitioners support people with convictions by providing criminal record disclosure training. And we support employers and universities in treating people with criminal records fairly.

Secondly, we advocate for change, working at policy level to address systemic and structural issues. We listen to and consult with people with criminal records, undertake research and produce evidence-based reports to inform policy makers and the public. We challenge bad practice, influence attitudes and speak truth to power. We co-founded and support the Ban the Box campaign.