Christopher Stacey, Clinks Director of Support and Development, summarises which organisations will be providing prison family services across England and Wales from October this year.
Supporting family relationships is an area where specialist voluntary organisations have a significant amount of expertise and a track-record in providing good quality support.
From October, there will be several changes to which organisations will deliver the contracted services in prisons, including prison visits. After many challenges during the pandemic which led to an extension of the existing contracts, 2022 was the point at which the contracts for delivering these vital services in prisons was to be re-commissioned through a national contract re-tender competition. The services are commissioned by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and are known as the Prisoner, Family and Significant Other Services (PFSOS) contracts. Earlier this year, we wrote about the work that we had been doing to support the voluntary sector and raise their concerns about the commissioning process. This blog is focused on explaining which organisations will now be providing these services in prisons across England and Wales.
A summary
In total, 50 contracts have been awarded, with some prisons grouped into ‘lots’, and overall, these contracts will operate across 102 prisons in England and Wales.
Over £60 million will be spent in delivering these services over the next five years, and while the specific provision will vary prison-by-prison, delivery will include; visit meet and greet, visit room refreshments, visit play, family engagement and advice, visit enrichment activity, support for secure video calls, and services for prisoners without family or significant other contact.
We are pleased that the majority of the services to support contact with families will be provided by voluntary sector organisations that have long-standing expertise in providing vital support to people in prison and their families. However, the voluntary sector’s role has reduced, and a number of smaller organisations will no longer be providing these services. We are concerned that the breadth of knowledge and experience within the voluntary sector has not been drawn upon as much as it could have been, and we will be working to understand the challenges in the commissioning process that led to this.
Which organisations are delivering in which prisons?
The table below sets out in an A-Z list of which organisation is delivering the contract in each prison.
In addition to these contracts, there is a range of other amazing work done by voluntary organisations working in prisons and in the community to support people in the criminal justice system and their families - you can use Clinks’ Directory of Services and enter a place name, organisation, or use the search filters provided to discover such organisations.
Prison |
Organisation |
Askham Grange |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Aylesbury |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Bedford |
G4S |
Belmarsh |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Berwyn |
Barnardo's |
Birmingham |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Brinsford |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Bristol |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Brixton |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Buckley Hall |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Bullingdon |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Bure |
Ormiston Families |
Cardiff |
G4S |
Channings Wood |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Chelmsford |
Ormiston Families |
Coldingley |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Dartmoor |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Deerbolt |
Nepacs |
Downview |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Drake Hall |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Durham |
Nepacs |
East Sutton Park |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Eastwood Park |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Elmley |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Erlestoke |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Exeter |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Featherstone |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Feltham |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Ford |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Foston Hall |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Frankland |
Nepacs |
Full Sutton |
Run by the prison moving forward |
Garth |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Gartree |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Grendon |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Guys Marsh |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Hatfield |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Haverigg |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Hewell |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
High Down |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Highpoint |
Ormiston Families |
Hindley |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Hollesley Bay |
Ormiston Families |
Holme House |
Nepacs |
Hull |
Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
Humber |
Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
Huntercombe |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Isis |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Isle of Wight |
Barnardo's |
Kirkham |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Kirklevington |
Nepacs |
Lancaster Farms |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Leeds |
Jigsaw |
Leicester |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Lewes |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Leyhill |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Lincoln |
Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
Lindholme |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Littlehey |
G4S |
Liverpool |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Long Lartin |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Low Newton |
Nepacs |
Maidstone |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Manchester |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Moorland |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Morton Hall |
Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
New Hall |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
North Sea Camp |
Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
Norwich |
Ormiston Families |
Nottingham |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Onley |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Pentonville |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Portland |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Preston |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Ranby |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Risley |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Rochester |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Send |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Spring Hill |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Stafford |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Standford Hill |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Stocken |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) delivered through a partnership with Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) |
Stoke Heath |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Styal |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Sudbury |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Swaleside |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Swansea |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Swinfen Hall |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
The Mount |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
The Verne |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Thorn Cross |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Usk and Prescoed |
G4S |
Wakefield |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Wandsworth |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Warren Hill |
Ormiston Families |
Wayland |
Ormiston Families |
Wealstun |
Jigsaw |
Whatton |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Whitemoor |
Ormiston Families |
Winchester |
Spurgeons |
Woodhill |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Wormwood Scrubs |
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) |
Wymott |
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) |
Clinks will continue to engage with HMPPS and families organisations to gather feedback and identify any challenges and opportunities during the contract mobilisation period.
The commissioning of these contracts was conducted through the Dynamic Framework. The competition was open to relevant registered organisations on the Dynamic Framework. If you are interested in future opportunities, find out more about the Dynamic Framework here.
If you are a family member or friend of someone in prison and have questions about the service that runs in that prison, you can contact the National Prisoners’ Families Helpline. It is open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am - 3pm. You can call 0808 808 2003 or visit www.prisonersfamilies.org.
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The role is for a leader from an organisation focused on racially minoritised people, with expertise in service delivery, policy, advocacy, or related areas in criminal justice. Racial disparities are present at every CJS stage. This role ensures these voices are central in shaping policy to help address and eradicate them. Apply by Mon 18 Nov, 10am. More info: https://www.clinks.org/voluntary-community-sector/vacancies/15566 #CriminalJustice #RR3 #RacialEquity