Volunteering as a Prison Visitor
In this exciting new role, you will support prisoners who do not receive visits and therefore may be socially isolated. You will provide emotional, practical, and social support to the prisoner with whom you are matched and will meet with the same prisoner each month.
Why volunteer with Pact?
Pact was founded more than 125 years ago by volunteers. True to our roots, volunteers continue to play a key role in helping us provide our services in courts, prisons and communities across England and Wales.
We hope that you make the decision to come join us and help us get one step closer to a society that understands justice as a process of restoration and healing for all.
At Pact we believe in the unique dignity of every human being. We are an inclusive, welcoming organisation, with a diverse workforce of people who share our core values. We welcome applications from people from all sectors of our diverse communities and all backgrounds, including people who have been affected by imprisonment (appointment to post is subject to a risk assessment).
What you will be doing
- Keep Pact up to date with your availability and interests to ensure that we
can match you with a person in prison who would value being visited by
you - Work with Pact to book visits with the person you have been matched
with - Attend the visits at the dates and times booked and to ensure you follow
all visit procedures (training and guidance will be provided) - Following the visit complete and send a contact sheet summarising your
visit, within 48 hours - Prepare for future visits by following up on conversations in previous visits
(where appropriate) to maximise the use of time during future visits - Explore hopes and concerns about preparing for release and share any
significant concerns with your manager - With your line manager, agree an exit plan which may include ensuring
appropriate on the day of release support - Adhere to policies and practices relevant to this role including: Code of
Conduct; Confidentiality; Health & Safety; Child Protection and
Safeguarding; Equality and Diversity; Media and Social Media; Information
Security; and all Prison security rules.
The skills you need
- Good interpersonal skills and the ability to relate sensitively to the needs
of prisoners - Good communication skills, both written and verbal
- Non-judgemental and empathetic attitude
- Good understanding of safeguarding, professional boundaries and
confidentiality
What's in it for you
- Personal fulfilment and a real sense of making a difference to a person’s
life - Full training and induction provided with regular ongoing support
- Develop skills and enhance your experience for future volunteering /
employment opportunities - Out of pocket expenses covered in line with our expenses policy
Disclaimer
This role is subject to the completion of Pact's mandatory training and checks
which our staff will be on hand to support you through.
Training
Safeguarding, Professional Boundaries, Equality and Diversity, Data Security
and Health and Safety training is required for this role, as well prison visitors
specific training related to the role. We anticipate the entire training will take
between 10-12 hours to complete in total, of which most can be completed in
your own time. You will also have access to a range of other training
opportunities.
Checks
- 3 years of employment history or other activities (e.g., studying,
travelling) - Enhanced DBS check (Disclosure & Barring Service
What happens next?
After you’ve filled in an application, we will invite you for an interview at the earliest convenient date for you and your prospective manager. This is an opportunity for us to find out a bit more about you and your motivations for volunteering and for you to find out more about Pact and the role you’ve applied for to make sure it’s what you expected! Where possible, we will conduct these interviews on site and in person, so you can get a feeling of the working environment and the commute.
Please note, this is a fixed term role running to October 2027.
If successful at interview, you will then be required to complete our background checks, which will include references and an enhanced DBS. You will also be required to complete our mandatory online training (approx. 10-12 hours) before being able to start the role (please see the role profile for more information about the training).
Once all the checks and training have been completed, you will have a check-in meeting with your manager to check you have understood everything and give you a final chance to ask any questions before you start!
Suggested Involvement
Because of the recruitment process which can take several weeks, Pact hopes you will commit to volunteering with us for at least 2 shifts (visits) a month (approx. 2 hours per visit, plus travel time) for at least 12 months from when you start.