This blog gives details of the organisations that will receive funding through the HMPPS grant programme 2020-22 and the projects that they will deliver over the next two years.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has awarded grant funding for 16 new projects to support partnerships with prisons and probation areas nationwide.

Congratulations to the organisations who will be receiving funding - we look forward to hearing about the outcomes of the projects. We’re pleased that HMPPS is investing in the voluntary sector and the organisations selected demonstrate the vast range of work that the voluntary sector delivers in the criminal justice system.

Organisations were asked to submit bids for funding to provide short-term projects under four themes:

• Improving support for families and significant others
• Improving outcomes for those with protected characteristics
• Improving safety in custody

Improving health and well-being.

HMPPS ran three engagement events around the country, organised with Clinks, to promote the grants programme to voluntary sector organisations.

From 220 applications received, 16 were successful.

The successful organisations and projects by theme are:

Improving support for families and significant others
 

• Nepacs will pilot a project to improve contact between prison residents and their children, supporting the recommendations of Lord Farmer’s reports. It will operate in HMP and YOI Low Newton women’s prison, with the potential to extend to other prisons in Tees and Wear.
   
• PACT will develop, implement and test a best practice model of how prisons can communicate effectively with the families and significant others of residents. The project will work with HMPPS HQ, HMP Nottingham and HMP Foston Hall.
   
• Thames Valley Partnership will develop targeted interventions to strengthen women’s family ties and relationships with significant others. The project will pilot Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in Thames Valley sites in Bicester, Reading and Slough, and will work across a number of prisons.
   

Improving outcomes for those with protected characteristics
 

• Brighton Women’s Centre will deliver and test a bespoke women’s service for women at Court and at breach threshold. This will include providing a targeted intervention for women across Sussex attending breach hearings in court.
   
• Sign Health will address the lack of deaf awareness in the criminal justice system to increase engagement within prison and probation services. A pilot will be tested at probation offices throughout North West England.
   
• The Traveller Movement will develop, test and co-produce a culturally appropriate intervention to address disproportionality and reoffending rates of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller youth and young adults serving a custodial sentence. This project will be tested in and around the Greater London area.
   
• The Zahid Mubarek Trust will test and deliver a Prisoner Equality Advocates project to contribute to the improvement of outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals, particularly young adults in custody and after release. The project will be piloted at HMYOI Feltham and HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
   

Improving safety in custody
 

• RECOOP will develop, deliver and test a self-help mind map intervention tool for vulnerable and/or violent prisoners, and pilot and test rollout of peer supporter training in the Devon area.
   
• Remedi will use and test an established assessment toolkit to identify, monitor and support individuals arriving in prison who are most at risk of the consequences of the illicit economy and support them out of a cycle of victimisation using restorative peer mentoring support. This will be piloted at HMP Birmingham.
   

Improving health and well-being
 

• Age UK National will encourage and support older prisoners to take a proactive role in improving their health and well-being through a programme of purposeful activity and new services in the South of England.
   
• Amphibian and Reptile Groups of UK will aim to improve prison residents’ health and wellbeing through a programme of outreach and engagement focused on conserving native amphibians and reptiles. This project will focus on prisons with an older prison population.
   
• Cruse Bereavement Care will develop and trial an innovative, tiered bereavement service for prison residents at prisons in Yorkshire.
   
• Food Matters will investigate the link between diet and mental health through a food-based project to enable women residents to make informed, balanced food choices. This will be tested at HMP Send.
   
• Inside Job Productions will co-produce mental health and well-being materials for the benefit of people in prison. Content will be tested at HMP Wandsworth, using Radio Wanno, touch screen kiosks on the wings, and TV screens in key locations, and made available to prisons across London. The project will also produce a toolkit for innovative content production to support more effective, data-driven communications across the whole prison estate.
   
• Lancashire Wildlife Trust will empower young people, adults and communities to connect with their local environments to learn new skills, build resilience and improve their physical health and mental well-being. This pilot will create longer-term opportunities for Approved Premises residents in Lancashire.
   
• No Place Productions will work with a BBC writer to create a drama production aimed at reducing the use of psychoactive substances by prison residents. This will be piloted in prisons within North West England.

Diane Caddle, Executive Director Safety and Rehabilitation, and Chair of the HMPPS Grants Board said: “The grants programme gives us the chance to expand our work with our partners to find new ways to improve outcomes for those in our care both in custody and in the community.

I look forward to being able to capture and share the learning from these projects across the whole organisation and with partners.”