Problems

Offenders & Family Support

Agencies providing advice, support and information

Apex Trust
01744 612 898
www.apextrust.com
Helpline for ex offenders, prisoners, probation staff and employers. Cover a range of issues that affect ex-offenders seeking employment including when a conviction becomes spent, how to find local sources for help, information about the Criminal records Bureau and how to disclose a criminal record to an employer.

Families Outside: Scotland
0800 254 0088
www.familiesoutside.org.uk
Helpline for families affected by imprisonment.

Forward
020 3981 5525
www.forwardtrust.org.uk
Forward empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of addiction or crime to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years they have been working with people to build positive and productive futures. They believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Their services have supported thousands of people to make changes to create better lives with jobs, family, friends and a sense of community.

Langley House Trust:
03330 035 025
www.langleyhousetrust.org
To spread and sustain Christianity among men and women who are ex-offenders or who have been or who are at risk of committing a criminal offence. Provides resettlement support for ex offenders working towards crime free independence and reintegration into society. Residential projects including drug rehabilitation centres, women’s projects and a new homeless project, along with associated move on facilities and floating support services, provide a range of supported accommodation and are able to work with those who are hard to place and who have special needs.

Nacro:
0300 123 1889
www.nacro.org.uk
Information and advice for prisoners, ex-offenders, their families and friends.

Prisoners' Families Helpline:
0808 808 2003
https://www.prisonersfamilies.org/
Information and support for families who have come into contact with the criminal Justice System as a result of a family member’s offending behaviour. Interpreting/translation services are available for those whose first language is not English.

Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group (POPS)
www.partnersofprisoners.co.uk
POPS aims to provide a variety of services to support anyone who has a link with someone in prison, prisoners and other agencies. POPS provides assistance to these groups for the purples of enabling families to cope with the stress of arrest, imprisonment and release. POPS are currently contracted to deliver the Offenders' Families Helpline.

Prison Advice & Care Trust: (PACT)
www.prisonadvice.org.uk
A national charity that provides support to prisoners, people with convictions, and their families. They support people to make a fresh start, and minimise the harm that can be caused by imprisonment to people who have committed offences, to families and to communities.

Prison Fellowship England and Wales:
020 7799 2500
www.prisonfellowship.org.uk
Supporting, through 160 local groups, prisoners, ex offenders and families. Run programmes intending to change prisoners behaviour and attitudes, work outside prison with released offenders and prisoners families including practical support for those families.

Re-Unite
https://hfw.org.uk/our-services/supported-specialist/reunite/
Re-Unite was developed to demonstrate that mothers and children who have been separated by imprisonment can be successfully reunited and indeed, thrive when obstacles are removed and when timely support is provided. Re-Unite aim to be the most effective programme in England and Wales for reuniting and resettling families when a mother is released from prison. Re-Unite is run by established charities already at the heart of their communities and offers a tried and tested package of support and housing to ensure that mothers and children start to live healthy, stable, crime-free lives.

Trailblazers Mentoring:
0800 193 4046
www.trailblazersmentoring.org.uk
Trailblazers is a national charity set up to mentor young offenders (18-25), with the primary objective of helping to reduce their re-offending. Through weekly 1 hour, 1:1 mentoring sessions – both inside prisons and “through the gate” once they are released – they aim to educate, encourage and inspire our mentees to change their future and make a positive impact on their communities.

Unlock:
01634 247350
www.unlock.org.uk
Independent award winning charity which provides information, advice, training and advocacy dealing with the ongoing effects of criminal convictions.


Guide to Bank Accounts for Prisoners 

Research suggests that bank accounts are a key factor in preventing people from re-offending as they have the ability to work and receive benefits. 
This guide explores why a bank account is so important for prison leavers, as well as the current problems surrounding the issue and the steps prisoners can take to secure a bank account for themselves.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/uk/current-accounts/prison-bank-account-guide/