Niacro

Family Links is a programme to help people cope with having a family member in prison.  It is offered to the families of all prisoners in Northern Ireland and is funded by the Probation Board, the Youth Justice Agency, the NI Prison Service and the Nationwide Foundation.

The service offers both practical 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 48 hours of someone entering prison or the Juvenile Justice Centre.  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 which can help, and how to access them.
• Advice and information on benefits, housing, debt etc.
• Transport to any of the three prisons or the Juvenile Justice Centre.
• 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 a 2006 survey of Prison Link, the service on which Family Links is founded and which ran from 1987 to 2006, there was a 90% satisfaction rate with the service.  Almost 80% of the people surveyed said they would recommend it to others.  They said it was reliable, and the staff were “very understanding and efficient – you are treated like a human being.”  This survey fed into the planning for Family Links(the name was chosen by people using the service).  We will continue to carry out user surveys to ensure that Family Links is relevant and effective.