POPS currently has 10 Family Link Workers based within prison establishments across the North. Their role is to be a guide through the 'maze' of the Criminal Justice System and act as a broker between families and offenders, to ensure that families are able to support the offender effectively. Family Link Workers have been referred to as a lifeline for families, as they can often be their only means of learning about the prison regime and the well being of the offender.

POPS feels that families are often left out of the decision making process. We believe that they can play a role in the reduction of re-offending, if included in the sentence planning of the offender and acknowledged as an 'Offender Supporter'. Involving families can aid with successful beginning-to-end management of offenders. We feel that families can offer positive suggestions for addressing the problems that the offender faces, for example drugs or mental health issues, and can act as a support for the offender by encouraging them to persevere with the appropriate training programmes recommended to them by their personal officer.

The basic services provided by the Family Link Worker are; sending out information packs to families within forty-eight hours of a new offender arriving at the prison (this pack includes a direct dial number which families can call and enquire about their loved ones); carrying out one-to-one interviews with offenders to establish next of kin, relationship with family and other important people in their lives; working to re-establish family ties with the offender and the families, in cases where these may have broken down (i.e. helping with letter writing etc).

All of our Family Link Worker teams work with the Prison, other agencies and Visitor Centres, in a multi-agency capacity, to organise special 'Family Day' visits. These visits are designed to encourage the family and the offender to bond in a more relaxed and comfortable environment. The family days provide activities for the family unit to take part in and try to create a few hours of normality in an otherwise strange environment. POPS believe that the 'Family Days' help to maintain family ties and improve parenting skills.

Each of our Family Link Workers have a slightly different remit, which is determined by the funder or the need of the beneficiary in the establishment we work in. Below is a list of the Family Link Worker Projects we provide:

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