3B:What is ‘success’ in meeting the needs and interests of learners?

One course funded by the Writers in Prison Network Limited allowed young women to improve their literacy skills by helping them to read and discuss a range of pre-selected poems and stories in the light of their experience and their reaction to them. Identification with characters in the literature helped to motivate the learners. The course required all participants to attend each session promptly, to read literature and in particular to think about the way it related to them. A prison officer, a learning support assistant and two teachers facilitated the programme. This course is soon to be incorporated within the Education Department. Its success has meant that two participants have significantly reduced their self-harming. It helped women to express themselves in ways they had not imagined was possible.

A recent initiative in one male establishment included pet therapy to encourage social interaction between people and animals. The idea of the initiative was to provide learners with the therapeutic benefits of a dog and also to incorporate a variety of basic skills programmes in the therapy, so improving literacy, numeracy and social skills. The course gives learners the opportunity to increase their vocabulary, extend verbal interactions between group members and improve their knowledge of concepts such as size, colour and weight. It also increases their attention skills, develops leisure and recreational interests and boosts self-esteem. There has been an improvement in accredited and non-accredited achievements for literacy and numeracy for prisoners on the programme. Two learners at the institution are now reporters for the national prison newspaper ‘Inside Time’ after writing a newspaper article about their dog.

One young male offender was on a family literacy course that helped him to ‘become a better dad’ to his daughter. He was given the opportunity to create story books and had made his daughter the main protagonist in his stories. Once he is on parole, he is keen to spend more time with his daughter to ‘make up for lost time’.

In the female estate, the project ‘Storybook Mum’ involves young offenders in developing their literacy skills. The project is conducted with library staff. Learners record stories for their children on audiotape to help improve their verbal communication skills. Once they have recorded a story, it encourages them to move on to improving their writing skills. Learners find that it has helped them communicate better with their families. There are plans to extend the project to other members of offenders’ families including sisters and aunts.

Connexions is successfully involved in delivering aspects of resettlement programmes, and in particular in helping young people to write their curriculum vitae. In some establishments Connexions runs weekly training sessions on career opportunities that give information on the Connexions network to help learners when they are released. By improving their basic skills, many young offenders achieve vocational qualifications, education and training. Staff work with resettlement teams to help prisoners continue or take up learning opportunities on release. Some institutions are now offering the Youth Achievement Award with Nacro.

Staff at HMP YOI and Remand Centre Glen Parva are greatly committed to reducing re-offending. There is a team that is dedicated to the resettlement of young offenders. This team provides practical advice and assistance with employment and housing issues. Glen Parva also has very productive links with a number of external partners. It has been working closely with organisations such as The Prince's Trust to provide structured programmes and a sense of stability for individual learners. More importantly, this partnership has also provided young offenders with the opportunity to have a more settled lifestyle on release.

‘I’ve been here 17 months. Before I came to jail, I was kicked out of school and my learning stopped. I have been in education here ever since. I know how to use computers and I’ve been on a cooking course. My drawing and art have improved. My English had no full stops or capital letters. I have had to write formal letters and I can do this now. I have a Level 1 certificate. Most people here diss you, but because I’m a bit older than the others, I have helped them to write forms and things. I like to help others and I feel better when I do this.

 

‘I want to go to college when I get out to do a business course and to do some more education in English. I don’t feel I’m up to scratch.

‘My greatest achievement is getting my driving test. I did it five times. The first time I got 28 out of 35. I enjoyed coming here for education. It’s the first time being in my cell that I could actually concentrate.

‘There are a lot of things I could do better. I have not paid my daughter, Shiniah, enough attention. I had her when I was 15. Learning more means that going back to her and my mum I can do this.’