Partnership Finder

We change the lives of people with mental health problems by using research to bring about better services and fairer policies and we support local providers to put the findings of research into practice.

The Centre’s qualitative research helps to understand the experiences of people with mental health problems and the profound importance that services and policies have on their lives. Our work is unique because it stands apart from academic and clinically focused research projects and trials. We have a mature programme of research and policy work around the criminal justice system that has developed over more than twenty years.

Our motivation is to emphasise people’s experiences, facilitate societal change and help those who can to create a world class mental health service in prisons. We have the authority, influence, and independence to successfully bring quality research to bear on local and national decision-making and practice.

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.

Geese Theatre Company is a team of professional theatre practitioners who present interactive drama and facilitate workshops, staff training and consultation in prisons, secure mental health settings, young offender institutions, and in the community with probation services, youth offending teams and related agencies. A registered charity based in Birmingham, Geese works throughout the UK and overseas and has gained an international reputation for innovative work with vulnerable and socially excluded groups, becoming widely acknowledged as one of the key organisations championing the role of arts in the criminal justice system and wider social welfare arena. Our work provides solutions to a range of criminogenic issues, primarily focussing on attitudes, thinking and behaviour and addressing themes such as domestic abuse, sexual offending, violence, resettlement, substance misuse and offending, self-efficacy, and employability.

New Bridge match people in prisons with trained volunteers who offer long-term support through a combination of correspondence and visits. This provides people in prison with a bridge to the outside world, along with an increased sense of value and potential for their future.

No Offence! facilitates open access to and exchange of crime and justice information, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

No Offence! is a social enterprise, community interest company, not driven by private profit.

Our innovative and engaging approach facilitates the sharing of this information by instigating, supporting and encouraging communication and debate, which promotes wider understanding of complex criminal justice issues across society. By challenging barriers to positive change and influencing future policy, our objective is simple: to make a difference.

We have created a criminal justice information exchange service, which has become a centre for excellence, for the significant benefit of all who engage within the criminal justice sector.

Our mission is to show Christ’s love to people in prison by coming alongside them and supporting them. We seek, through prayer and practical care, to help, support and develop a Christian ministry to people in prison and their families.

We do this through our network of over 2,500 volunteers. We are currently ministering in almost all of the 120 prisons in England and Wales.

The Prisoners' Advice Service provides free legal advice and representation to adult prisoners in England and Wales regarding their rights, and regardless of the individual prisoners' means. PAS aims to educate and empower prisoners regarding the law and their legal and human rights.

REACH INSIDE is a charity that has been set up to help friends and family members of prisoners to REACH INSIDE and communicate easily with their loved ones.
Our POST–2–PRISON project allows anyone with online access to send a photo and a message to any UK prisoner completely free of charge.
All you need to do is visit our website (its mobile friendly too) and send your message, we will then print it and post it directly into prison.

We provide direct support services within the community for ex-offenders, older people and people in debt. We work to support ex-offenders in the resettlement process, which includes offering supported housing and help with personal and practical development, with the aim of reducing the risk of reoffending.

We have a referral process and accept referrals from various statutory providers, voluntary sector providers and in person. All new referrals complete a referral form and risk assessment before being offered accommodation.


All clients take part in a support planning process. Each client has a support worker and regular reviews of the support plan take place. We use the outcome star to work with clients to help them to identify the various actions needed to address their journey to independent living away from offending.

All clients are able to access our training, volunteer mentoring scheme, opportunities for volunteering and our debt advice service.

Samaritans provides confidential emotional support to prisoners, either by telephone or face-to-face. The organisation also selects, trains and supports prisoners, known as Listeners, to offer confidential, emotional support to their fellow-inmates.

Shannon Trust is a national charity supporting people in the criminal justice system to learn to read, and improve other basic skills. Currently, 62% of people that end up in prison either can't read or struggle to. Shannon Trust inspires and trains prisoners who can read to teach prisoners who can’t, so they're better set up for a positive future. We also support people in prison with basic maths.

In the community, we work with partner organisations supporting people to learn to read in the same peer-led way.

Established in 2000, Synergy Theatre Project works with prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk, towards rehabilitation, through theatre and related activities, while placing the wider issues surrounding criminal justice in the public arena.

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.