Health, inclusion and citizenship: pan-regional prisons programme

Forming part of Big Lottery-funded Target: Wellbeing North West Regional Portfolio, the programme aims to deliver a range of integrated strategic initiatives that will reduce inequalities, have a positive impact on the drive to reduce re-offending and achieve sustainable improvements in health, wellbeing and learning outcomes for offenders and their families, with a particular focus on mental health, physical activity and healthier eating.

The programme comprises three projects:

Project 1 – Greener on the Outside (Prisons): GOOP This project will provide opportunities for offenders to participate in environmental projects through locally determined, needs-led activities that will impact positively on the three priority outcomes of the Big Lottery Well-Being Programme. Drawing on the British Trust for Conservation of Nature (BTCV)’s Green Gym delivery model, the project will provide a range of diversionary activities, resulting in increased levels of physical activity, improved mental well-being and increased awareness of and understanding of environmental issues and of the food growing process – as well as enhancing skills development and employability. Reflecting the needs of different types of institution and categories of prisoner, the range of types of activity is likely to include:

• community-based environmental ‘outworking’ (e.g. building boardwalks; clearing scrub to improve access to the countryside; fence building and bench construction; community food-growing; grounds maintenance and landscaping)
• ‘in-prison’ horticultural work and food growing linked to educational cookery classes and resources developed as part of Project 2.

Project 2 – Offender-Focused Resource Material This project will aim to reduce inequalities and improve the health and wellbeing of offenders through improving their health literacy. Using skilled arts and health development workers, it will involve the participatory and creative adaptation, development, piloting and dissemination of health and wellbeing resources appropriate to and targeted at the offender population. It will:

• import and adapt existing (and where necessary develop new) resources/toolkits focused on healthier eating, physical activity and mental wellbeing in order to improve the health literacy of offenders
• actively involve offenders and staff in the creative development and adaptation of resources
• provide training for different stakeholders on the use of the resources within a number of different types of intervention programmes, support for piloting in different contexts and wider dissemination.

Project 3 – Inside Out: Family and Community Health Literacy Project This project will provide a range of health and well-being focused resources and activities for offenders’ families and dependents – thereby achieving a coherent, ‘whole-system’ approach to health improvement within the offender community and further developing the evidence base for health-led parenting and support for vulnerable and excluded families. Recognising that social and family links are at the heart of offender management, the project will work to build social and family relationships through robust local partnerships with prison visitor centres, local faith communities and the local community and voluntary sector – and will comprise two main strands working across the three Target: Wellbeing priority areas:

• the development and provision of structured and engaging activities that enable offenders’ families and dependents to understand the benefits of adopting healthier lifestyles and facilitate attitude and behaviour change
• the participatory development of health and wellbeing resources that reflect national standards and guidance and specifically target vulnerable families of people who offend.