Project Manager of the Croft
The Croft Visitor Centre at HMP Barlinnie has long been a sanctuary for families visiting their loved ones in prison, offering emotional and practical support and a welcoming environment within the prison atrium.
Over the past year, we have been dedicated to raising awareness on health and well-being and highlighting the importance of keeping a healthy mind and body as well as self-care.
Now, The Croft has taken a step forward by expanding its reach into the broader community through its health and wellbeing program The Feel-Good Factor.
The programme is designed to help promote positive health and wellbeing through a range of wellbeing therapies.
Currently, we provide mums and carers with free holistic treatments such as massages and reiki during child bonding visits at the prison. This not only offers mums and carers with some time away for relaxation at the visit but also gives dads some much needed one-on-one time with their child.
Feedback from these sessions so far…
“I was lying getting the massage thinking ‘I am actually in a prison and relaxing’”
“The lady who performed the reiki was so lovely. It was great to be able to just unwind and relax”
“It was so relaxing and a really good opportunity to relax whilst the little one played with her daddy”
This programme of activity reflects The Croft’s commitment to holistic support, recognising that the challenges of physical and mental health faced by families and individuals affected by imprisonment extend far beyond the prison walls.
The decision to grow The Croft’s services into the community stems from a recognition of the wider impact of imprisonment. Families often face a host of challenges, including financial strain, mental health issues, addictions, and social stigma, all of which can have long-lasting effects on their overall wellbeing. By extending its reach, The Croft aims to provide resources and support that can foster resilience and promote healthier, more connected communities.
In addition to its health and wellbeing program, The Croft is developing specialist peer support groups as a key component of its community outreach. These groups will offer a safe space for family members impacted by addiction issues, either as a result of a loved one in prison or those who have experienced addiction themselves.
It will enable individuals to share their experiences, challenges, and successes with others who understand their unique situation with the support from The Croft’s Outreach Drug and Alcohol Support Worker. Those attending will have access to information and support from specialist community organisations we are working with who are able to provide more targeted interventions to help achieve positive outcomes!
‘The power of peer support lies in its ability to create a sense of belonging and mutual understanding, which can be incredibly therapeutic for those who often feel isolated or stigmatised.
Helping others is the way we help ourselves- Oprah Winfrey’
A note from Margaret Smith, Chair of the Board – It has been an incredibly busy and fruitful year for the Croft. Not only did Margaret and the rest of her staff team continue to deliver and increasing depth and breadth of service to those affected by another’s imprisonment – at Scotland’s biggest prison – alongside that the team helped to develop and launch a new 4-year Strategy 2024 – 2028.
This collaborative Strategy first and foremost, recognises that partnership and the voice of lived and living experience of those impacted by another’s imprisonment must be at the heart of what we do if we are to be successful in delivering this ambitious plan.
The Strategy will be supplemented with a series of collaborative improvement / delivery plans over 2024 – based around the key focus areas to drive delivery of improved outcomes of those affected others at HMP Barlinnie. Together this Strategy and subsequent delivery plans represent our commitment to continuous improvement and our focus on supporting the best outcomes for the families and loved ones we provide our service for.
In the development of our local strategy, we have consulted with key partners and stakeholders to gain insight into what is important and have reflected this in the creation of a vision for the Croft and underpinning values and aims which reflect the core direction and focus of future work.
The imprisonment of a family member does not limit the current lives or life chances of those on the outside.
As with all Scottish Public Sector Prison’s the Scottish Government provides our Core funding to deliver 3 specific functions:
- Improving the visits experience for people visiting their family member or loved ones in prison.
- Allowing families to access independent and impartial advice, information, and support, which meets their needs.
- Voicing the needs of families affected by imprisonment to the prison we work alongside – HMP Barlinnie.
We report on our progress in relation to our core funded functions in an Annual Performance Report to the Scottish Government’s Justice Division via the National Prison Visitor Centre Co-ordinator.
Recognising the wider and more sustained impact on families or affected others, and indeed some of the complexities of their previous and current situation and experiences, our Strategy sets out or progress and further ambition that goes beyond these core functions – although we recognise these as the fundamental building blocks – we have sought and secured external funding from a range of trusts and corporate funding pots and hope to use our delivery plans as drivers to link the people who come into contact with our service with the wider eco-system of supports and services that can contribute to sustained personal outcomes and contribute to reducing poverty and inequality, an ambition of both the City of Glasgow and indeed our core funder Scottish Government.
If you would like to find out more or get involved, please get in touch!
Email help@thecroft.org.uk
Tel: 07484 664 950
Check out our new website- (thecroftfamilysupport.org)