Partnership Finder

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.

Fine Cell Work trains and pays prisoners to do craftwork in their cells to encourage motivation, improve mental health and build employability skills. FCW is geared to long-term, male and female, high risk offenders who stay on the programme for 2 to 10 years. Our goal is to enable prisoners to gain social and employment skills so they can desist from re-offending in the future. Prisoners on the programme work for 20-40 hours a week in their cells.

We have a workforce of approximately 250 prisoners across 30 prisons. The apprenticeship training is done by 50 skilled volunteers. The prisoners make hand-embroidered quilts, cushions, clothes, rugs and furniture covers which are sold internationally and to museums and designers.

Our aim is to enable prisoners to gain motivation and “work-readiness” by doing cellwork and to follow on with further employment preparation in workshops where they can do accredited training in soft furnishings, machine embroidery and upholstery.

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.

We work to organise a network of pastoral support for Muslim Chaplains and staff; to prepare, produce and recommend teaching materials and accredited courses; to provide mentoring and job shadowing services for Muslim Chaplains; and to engage the communities for the resettlement of prisoners and help to reduce reoffending. We also raise funds in order to pursue the MCA's activities.

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.

Pact is a national charity that provides support to prisoners, people with convictions and their families. We support people to make a fresh start, and minimise the harm that can be caused by imprisonment to people with convictions, to families and to communities.

Pact works in over 65 prisons and 8 CRCs and provides prison-based family engagement workers, Visitors’ Centres, visitor support, supervised play, catering and family activities, relationship and parenting education programmes, court and community family support, ‘Through the Gate’ family resettlement support and community based mentoring and befriending programmes.

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

Prison Fellowship aims to support prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them through practical programmes and prayer.

We seek to help, support and develop a Christian ministry to prisoners through Sycamore Tree, our victim awareness programme; Angel Tree, where we support prisoner's children at Christmas; Letter Writing and other practical support through chaplaincy.

We do this through our network of volunteer members, and currently have over 1,800 members across 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 runs the Shannon Trust Reading Plan, an award-winning peer mentoring programme which encourages and supports prisoners who can read to give one-to-one tuition to help non-reading prisoners learn to read.

Startup is a charity which supports ex-offenders into self-employment. Our support is tailored to each individual and includes business planning and advice, financial help to purchase equipment and materials, peer mentor support and access to a business adviser for a year once client begins self-employment. We welcome referrals from partner agencies or direct contact from ex-offenders.

Our re-offending rate is under 5% working with 1200 ex-offenders, supporting over 300 into self-employment.

Startup is now actively looking to deliver contracts countrywide, to both female and male prisoners and ex-offenders, focusing on self-employment advice and support. We work with many partners, have offices in Oxford and London, and would welcome being part of a consortia. We bring a dedicated, successful award winning team and programme (Centre of Social Justice award 2012, OCVA charity of the year 2012, Howard League for Penal Reform 2013). Contact Gill Ryan for further information.

Sue Ryder supports people living through the challenges of life-limiting conditions in our hospices, neurological care centres and in the community.
Sue Ryder's award winning prison volunteer programme offers work experience and training to currently serving offenders helping to equip them with transferable skills whilst increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem. We are currently working with around 60 prisons nationally with volunteers working in a variety of roles in over 120 locations. Many of our volunteers move on to paid work with us.

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.