Family Links is offered to the families of all prisoners in Northern Ireland. It provides both practical advice and emotional support in coping with what can be a lonely and difficult experience. Children especially can suffer real trauma. Family Links staff contact each family within 24 hours of receiving a referral from PBNI staff based within the prisons. If a family member wants to take up the offer, they’ll be given an information pack, and, depending on what they need, they can have: - One-to-one ongoing support for adults, children and young people.
- Telephone support.
- Home visits.
- Information on other agencies that can offer help, and how to access them.
- Advice and information on benefits, housing, debt etc.
- Transport to any of the three prisons.
- Help with childcare.
- Links to visitors’ centres and prison visit staff.
In the first year of the service, we made 2392 contacts with families, sent out 2012 information packs, and made 644 home visits and 3531 phone calls. In the most recent survey of the Family Links service, 98% of users were satisfied with the overall service they received from Family Links. All of the people surveyed found Family Links staff to be friendly, helpful and reliable. We will continue to carry out user surveys to ensure that Family Links is relevant and effective. | | |
Contact
Donnie Sweeney
Tel: 02890 320 157
Email: here User Experiences Margaret Sam Links More Links... |
