Prisoners and their families

Our work combines education, training, and support to address the complex needs of prisoners and their families. Developed with input from individuals with lived experience, we have created resources like Mia’s Story and Freya’s Story, two books designed to help children affected by parental incarceration. These have been distributed to schools, prisons, probation services, police, and social care teams to provide meaningful support to families navigating this experience.

To foster trauma awareness within the prison system, we’ve developed a prison-specific trauma-informed training package which ahs been offered to all prisons in the locality. Additionally, we’ve delivered the trauma-informed programme Strength Inside to multiple cohorts, focusing on building resilience and self-awareness.

Educational activities such as the Time 4 Change course, address issues like knife crime and serious violence, whilst investment in prison facilities such as sensory rooms and energy walls help create environments that support rehabilitation.

We’ve also worked closely with innovative initiatives like the 180 Project at HMP Lancaster Farms, which introduces prisoners to CrossFit to build physical and mental strength, unity and hope. This programme includes support for transitioning to life outside prison, helping participants sustain their progress, build resilience, and reduce the risk of reoffending.

We have reach across all five Lancashire prisons;

• HMP Garth
• HMP Kirkham
• HMP Lancaster Farms
• HMP Preston
• HMP Wymott

We also work with our nearby women’s prison, HMP Styal, and Wetherby Young Offender Institution.

Independent evaluations show that our interventions have real impact. For instance, the sensory room at HMP Wymott has been found to reduce violence by providing a space for de-stress and de-escalation, especially benefiting neurodivergent prisoners and those with mental health challenges.

Prisoners have shared how the programme has given them hope, with one saying, “It gave me some home that this doesn’t have to be it.” Staff training has also been highly effective, with 92% finding sessions useful and nearly all reporting they would change their practices. Staff gained a deeper understanding of trauma and how it contributes to serious violence, helping them intervene more effectively.