Support available for prisoners returning to the community
The Prison Service web-site has links to a number of organisations offering advice and support for people leaving prison. The list covers all of the seven pathways and organisations that are involved with education and training include:
Action Acton, which runs a project at its learning resource centre on South Acton Estate that offers one to one tuition in basic skills (literacy/numeracy) to ex-offenders who want to turn their lives around, get some qualifications and move into work or further training.
The Apex Trust promotes employment opportunities for ex-offenders by providing them with the skills they need and working with employers to break down the barriers to employment.
The Inside Out Trust funds and supports activities which provide prisoners and ex-offenders with knowledge and skills to contribute to their integration into the community and lead to employment.
SOVA works to strengthen communities by involving local volunteers in promoting social inclusion and reducing crime. They also operate a volunteer mentoring organisation working in the Criminal Justice System.
The St Giles Trust provides advice and guidance to prisoners on housing, education, training and employment. The Trust also employs prisoners as Peer Advisers, and provides them with appropriate NVQ training, who on leaving prison may be offered employment with the Trust.
There is also “Clinks” which is an umbrella body that supports and develops the work of voluntary organisations within the Criminal Justice system in England and Wales, including community chaplaincies, which have developed recently.
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In what ways has education and training in its widest sense helped prisoners on release from prison?
The community chaplaincy project was born out of a need to help reduce re-offending by reintegrating ex-offenders back in to their local communities using the established skills and expertise in the Faith Community Voluntary Sector. They assist ex-offenders in all areas of resettlement from housing, employment, debt and substance dependency, to a more holistic view of integrating that individual back into his or her local community. This goal is achieved in a number of different ways depending on the tradition of the particular community chaplaincy. It normally includes a combination of mentoring and support, working on a-one-to-one basis with the service user.
The service uses the experienced and well-established faith community voluntary sector ideals and its established role in the community to help reduce re-offending. Although community chaplaincies work in different ways there is an expectation that they should be cross-cultural, multi-faith organisations that embrace inclusivity and awareness of local diversity.
This service is not limited to a particular faith or religious inclination; it is open to all who need help in getting back on their feet after release from a secure environment. Those who wish to enter or re-enter their local faith community on release can do so through the community chaplain, but this is entirely a matter of personal choice.