To whom this may concern,
Amy Woodford, Family Engagement Worker, and I, Social Worker, write this jointly.
To provide some background around the implementation of the Not Beyond Redemption project here at HMP Send, it should be noted that solicitor Camilla Baldwin hosted a monthly legal clinic at HMP Send which was initially hosted by St Giles trust.
This partnership has since ended and Camilla Baldwin approached myself and Amy in moving forward with the rolling out of the Not Beyond Redemption’s legal clinics. Pact and Not Beyond Redemption have officially partnered in 2021 and we are grateful for the support we and the women of HMP Send have received.
Amy and I host the clinic on a regular basis. This, unfortunately, has been affected by Covid-19 but the aim is to resume the clinics on a monthly basis when the current pandemic allows so. We organise the schedule for each clinic, movement of the prisoners, and supervision on the day. Following these clinics, we handle all admin stemming from these clinics and general communication with the respective solicitors. This has been brilliant and the women are getting so much support from this partnership.
The support received by Not Beyond Redemption has been imperative and has created so much hope for the prisoners here at HMP Send. It has allowed Amy and myself more time to focus on supporting the women and leaving the legal matters to professionals. We feel that the women are getting good advice which allows them to know where they stand and understand what rights they have.
It should be noted that we have received very positive feedback from both prison staff and prisoners as getting legal support for prisoners is extremely difficult in normal circumstances. We have also have incredible results where mothers are now involved in their children’s lives where they weren’t before. The prisoners are also hoping to raise funds for Not Beyond Redemption as a thank you for the support they have been receiving from the team.
We hope this partnership remains in place and are hopeful this will expand to other prisons where Pact would hugely benefit from this support. It has been incredibly beneficial for Amy and myself to be able to turn to free, accessible, and quick professionals when the next appropriate steps to take in a case is the legal route.
Amy and I would like to thank the support we and the women have received from Not Beyond Redemption and are hopeful this will continue in the future.
Kind regards,
Katia Parent
Social Worker