Northumberland CVA brought together partners from across the public, private and VCSE sectors to explore practical ways of improving support for people leaving prison and strengthening collaboration across Northumberland.
Northumberland CVA recently hosted a Call for Action event in Cramlington, bringing together organisations from across Northumberland to discuss the challenges people can face when leaving prison and rebuilding their lives. The session built on conversations from the Mind the Gap roadshow and focused on identifying practical actions that services and partners can take to improve support, reduce barriers and help people reconnect with their communities.
Encouragingly, 38 organisations have already pledged their support to be involved in the Call for Action going forward. This reflects a strong willingness across sectors to work together and find ways to improve the support available to people as they transition back into their communities.
What challenges were discussed
During the session, partners shared their experiences and highlighted several barriers that people leaving prison can face when trying to rebuild their lives.
These included:
- Short term notification of release, leaving little time for individuals or services to prepare
- Lack of identification or documentation needed to access services such as housing, banking and benefits
- Loss of connection with friends, family and wider support networks
- The stigma that people can face as an ex offender when trying to move forward
Many attendees spoke about how these barriers can quickly add up, making what should be a fresh start much more difficult.
Insights from the discussion
The conversation also explored some wider reflections about how systems and support structures could better enable rehabilitation.
One important point raised was the role of trust in helping people take responsibility for rebuilding their lives. If people are not trusted to make positive changes without strict supervision, it can make it harder for them to develop the independence needed to move forward.
Participants also reflected on how prison time can sometimes become what was described as “dead time”, where there is little progress towards preparing for life after release. Increasing opportunities for training, education and future planning during a sentence was seen as an important step in helping people build a more positive future.
What happens next
The discussion also highlighted the importance of continued collaboration between partners to strengthen support and improve outcomes.
With 38 organisations already pledging their support, the Call for Action represents an important step towards strengthening collaboration across Northumberland.
Northumberland CVA would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to such an open and thoughtful discussion. The Call for Action will continue to bring partners together to explore how we can improve support, strengthen connections between services and reduce inequalities across the county.