HMP Drake Hall: Families and significant others strategy
This strategy outlines how we support women in our care to develop and maintain meaningful, constructive relationships with their family or significant others.
Applies to England and Wales
You can find visiting information and book a visit on the Drake Hall prison main page.
Our commitment to you
We recognise that families and significant others are central to rehabilitation, wellbeing and reducing reoffending.
Families come in many forms, including relatives, legal guardians, friends, carers and people identified as next of kin. Our approach is inclusive, trauma-informed and sensitive to the diverse experiences of women in our care.
We will embed family and significant other considerations throughout reception, induction, sentence management, daily regimes, progression and release planning.
We will work with families, partner agencies and communities to strengthen positive relationships, reduce barriers to contact and create opportunities for women to build hope, resilience and a successful future.
We will:
- provide fair, equitable and responsive access to social visits, secure video calls and other contact opportunities
- identify urgent family, childcare and safeguarding needs at reception and make timely referrals
- support parenting, emotional wellbeing and healthy relationships through learning, casework and interventions
- involve families in care, sentence progression, resettlement and release planning where appropriate and safe
- listen to women, visitors and families, using feedback and management information to improve services
- integrate safeguarding and public protection into all family work
- provide additional support to women who have no visits, no positive contact or difficult family relationships
Support and services offered
Visitors’ centre
The visitors’ centre provides a welcoming point of arrival for families.
The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) provides family engagement workers who support our family and significant others provision and services.
Soroptimist International provide a welcome and refreshments in the visits centre.
Visitor parking is available opposite the establishment entrance, with accessible parking for Blue Badge holders on the main establishment car park.
Children’s play facilities
We have toys, games, craft activities and child-friendly resources to help children feel at ease and to support positive interaction during visits.
We review resources based on feedback from children, families and the women in our care.
Family engagement work
PACT family engagement workers support women and families to:
- maintain contact
- strengthen relationships
- access guidance
- address barriers
They attend visits, support families and work alongside prison staff and external agencies.
Secure social video call support
Secure video visits are available to help women maintain contact when face-to-face visits are difficult.
Provision is monitored so that demand, accessibility and the needs of families can inform future delivery.
Parenting and relationship courses
We use learning opportunities, courses, group work and interventions to strengthen parenting, emotional support and healthy relationships.
Provision will be inclusive and responsive to identified need.
Family support
Women can access social visits, secure video visits, accumulated visits, inter-prison visits and extended family or celebration days.
Release on temporary licence may also support family contact where risk assessment and individual circumstances allow.
Family engagement casework
Family engagement casework includes:
- urgent referrals at reception
- support with rebuilding or maintaining relationships
- liaison with HMPPS colleagues and external agencies
- appropriate family involvement in care, progression and release planning
Family days
Extended family and celebration visits take place throughout the calendar year.
These visits are scheduled for at least 5 hours, with at least one family or celebration visit planned each month.
(These visits are subject to operational and safeguarding requirements.)
Care leavers
Women with experience of care may need additional help to address isolation, trauma and disrupted relationships.
Support will be coordinated with relevant prison teams, local authorities and external services, with family and significant other work tailored to individual circumstances.
Safeguarding measures
We integrate child and adult safeguarding into all family work.
We have a local child safeguarding lead and a local adult safeguarding lead.
Our staff are expected to know how to identify and raise concerns, follow safeguarding protocols and store safeguarding information securely.
The prison works with families, HMPPS colleagues and relevant agencies to respond promptly to concerns, protect children and vulnerable adults, and balance family contact with public protection.
Contact arrangements, visits and family involvement are considered individually and may be subject to risk assessment and safeguarding controls.
For more information about safeguarding measures, please see the HMPPS Child Safeguarding Policy Framework
What we have achieved
- A named Families and Significant Others Lead, Champion and Family Engagement Manager are in place to oversee our provision.
- PACT provide family engagement and service workers, supporting positive visitor experiences and family relationships.
- Soroptimist International supports the visits centre by welcoming families and providing refreshments.
- Social visits, secure video visits, accumulated visits, inter-prison visits and extended family or celebration visits form part of what we offer.
- Extended family or celebration visits are planned across the year, with at least one scheduled each month.
- Visitor and prisoner feedback has highlighted polite and welcoming staff, a fair system, refreshments, and toys, games and crafts that help children feel at ease.
You said, we did
You said
Visitors tell us they value:
- polite and welcoming staff
- a fair visits system
- refreshments
- activities that allow children to feel comfortable and spend meaningful time with their family member
We did
- Maintained a welcoming presence in visits, with staff and Family Engagement Workers available to support families;
- Provided toys, games and craft activities for children and families;
- Worked with Soroptimist International to provide a welcome and refreshments in the visits centre; and
- Continued to gather feedback from women, visitors and families so that learning can inform service development and action plans.
How we will measure our success
- Visitor and prisoner surveys every 6 months.
- Focus groups with women in our care and feedback from visitors and families.
- Review of visiting capacity, secure video call demand and women without positive family contact.
- Contract review meetings and performance oversight with family support providers.
- Action logs and development plans informed by feedback and management information.
- Monitoring of urgent family referrals, safeguarding activity and family involvement in progression and release planning.
- Regular senior-level review through reducing reoffending, rehabilitative culture and relevant governance meetings.
Staffing structure
- Governor
- Head of reducing reoffending and families and significant others lead
- Families and significant others champion
- Family engagement manager
- Family engagement and support workers (x3)
- Local child safeguarding lead
- Local adult safeguarding lead
- Visit centre support - Soroptimist International