HMP EASTWOOD PARK - FAMILY SUPPORT WORK
The play area inside HMP Eastwood Park
pact's Children and Families Service Co-ordinator, Emily Tait, is based inside the prison supporting the children and families of the 360 female prisoners, 75% of whom have a child under 16. Many of these prisoners are separated from their children and families by long distances. Some prisoners are also going through the process of having their children adopted or fostered. pact often help these families through this stressful and traumatic time and help to make visits a positive time for all.
Visiting a prison can seem frightening for children, but pact run a play service to help alleviate the stress of visits and allow mothers spend quality time with their children. pact and the prison also run regular child-centred family days where women can spend a whole day with their children taking part in activities and sharing a meal together.
Information for visitors to Eastwood Park Prison
Family support contact details
How to book a visit
Visiting times
ID requirements
Security procedures on entering the prison
The Visits Information Centre
Storage for visitors' personal items
refreshments and toilet facilities
pact play service
Facilities for disabled visitors
Children's visits
Help with the cost of visiting
Handing in property
Family support contact details
Email: Eastwoodpark (at) prisonadvice (dot) org (dot) uk
Tel: 01454 382336
If you would like to book a visit to see a convicted prisoner, the prisoner must post a visiting order (VO) out to your home address before you can book a visit.
*What if I don’t have an address?
If you are ‘of no fixed abode’ (you don’t have an address), a prisoner may be allowed to leave the visiting order at the gate (this will need to be authorised by the prison).
To book a visit you must call the prison booking line in advance.
For social visits please contact the prison booking line on 01454 382 159. (Open Monday to Thursday 1pm - 4pm, and 1pm - 3.30pm on Fridays).
For legal visits legal or official visits please call 01454 382088. This line is open from Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12 noon.
All lines are closed on Bank Holidays.
If you have access to a fax machine you can book a visit on 01454 382 174 and a member of prison staff will contact you to confirm your visit.
If you are already on a visit at Eastwood Park, you can book another visit whilst you’re here, as long as you have a visiting order with you (or if the prisoner is unconvicted).
Places on visits are limited and will be allocated on a a first come, first served basis.
A maximum of three adults per prisoner will be allowed to visit at any one time. An adult must accompany persons under the age of 18.
Family day at Eastwood ParkWhat are the visiting times?
Social visits are held:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 14.00pm – 3.00pm and 3.30pm – 4.30pm.
Sunday visits are also available with one two hour session between 2pm – 4pm (Convicted Prisoners only require one Visiting Order for this session)
Please note: if you arrive more than 30 minutes after the start of the visit you may be refused entry.
It is very important that you arrive at your visit with the CORRECT ID (this includes children under 18 years).
Social visitors seeing convicted prisoners will also need to present a valid Visiting Order (VO). Only the persons mentioned on the VO and booked in via the booking line will be admitted.
The following forms of identification are accepted:
-Passport (including foreign passports, and time-expired passports where the photograph is still recognisable).
-EC Identity Card
-Driving Licence
-Benefits Book
-A Senior Citizen's public transport pass issued by a local authority
-Employer’s or Student ID card, if this clearly shows the name of the visitor, the employer or educational establishment, and has a photograph or signature. Please note that the prison will compare with the visitor’s appearance or signature, and if the employer or educational establishment named on the card is known to exist.
If you are not able to bring one of the above, prison staff may accept combinations of two or more of the following:
- Birth/Marriage Certificate
-Rail or Buss pass with photo
-Cheque book or credit/debit card (this counts as one ID not two)
-Employer’s pass or ID or Student ID card
-Young Person’s ‘proof of age’ card
-Trade Union or National Students Union membership card
-Library card, if it has a signature that can be compared with the visitor’s signature
-Rent Book
-Foreign Identity or Resident’s Card (other than EC ID cards which are acceptable in their own right)
-Any expired documents from the above list that are satisfactory in other ways.
All religious headwear will be searched with a hand held metal detector. If you are asked to remove the headwear it will be done respectfully, in private and with an officer of the same sex. You will be given the opportunity to remove the headwear yourself, then given the chance to use a mirror to ensure it is put back on correctly.
Female staff can search all visitors with the exception of religious or cultural objection. In such circumstances a male member of staff will search the male visitor. Female visitors will only be searched by female staff. Babies will only be searched by trained female staff.
If you are bringing small children or babies please be aware that no pushchairs, car seats, bags or nappies will be permitted into the visits room. However, nappies are provided in the baby changing room.
Passive drug dogs are used in these searches and you are not comfortable around dogs please tell the prison staff. Small children may be carried during the search.
If the dog gives a positive indication, procedures should be explained and you may be offered a closed visit.
A Visits Information Centre is located adjacent to the staff car park and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 1pm and 4.45pm. Vending machines are available as well as toilet facilities.
Storage for visitors' personal items
You cannot take any personal items into the prison with you. Lockers are provided. You will only be allowed to take loose change into the visits room and a bag will be provided for this. Nappies are available in the baby changing room.
All items placed in the lockers are left at your own risk.
Refreshments and toilet facilities
There are vending machines inside the prison visits hall offering hot drinks and snacks.
There are also toilet facilities available inside the visits room. Baby changing facilities and a disabled toilet are also provided. Alternative facilities are available in the Visits Information Centre until 4.45pm.
Please note that you will be given a rub down search again after using the toilets.
A unsupervised play area is always available with a selection of toys for children to play with. Children are the responsibility of the visitor and must remain supervised at all times.
A pact play worker will often be available in the play area to provide activities for young children and help families feel less stressed and bond together.
Facilities for disabled visitors
The visits area is located on the ground floor so is accessible to wheel chair users.
If, because of a physical or mental disability, a visit cannot take place in the visits room, an alternative area for visits will be provided within the prison environment. You should make prison staff aware of these needs at the time of booking.
pact runs frequent child-centred family days. These are special visits when children are made the centre of the day. The visits last longer than normal and prisoners can get out of their seats and play with their children. Prisoners must apply for this themselves and families will be contacted to make arrangements.
To find out more about these days email Emily Tait at: Eastwoodpark (at) prisonadvice (dot) org (dot) uk
or call her on 01454 382336.
HMP Eastwood Park also enables mothers to have visits with their children outside the main visits times. These can either take place in the main visits room (these sessions are booked via legal visits) or on the mother and baby unit (these will be subject to a Risk Assessment by the prison).
Getting help with the cost of visits - the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme
If you are on a low income and struggling to pay for the cost of visiting a close relative or parent in prison, you might be eligible for financial assistance from the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.
Detailed information and application forms are available in the Visits Information Centre, the visitor’s waiting room and the main visits area. You can also contact pact's Emily Tait who can send you out a form, call her on 01454 382336.
To find out more you can contact the Assisted Visits Scheme telephone helpline on
0845 3001423 (open 10.15am – 11.45am and 2.15pm – 3.45pm Monday - Friday).
Address: APVU, Freepost PO Box 2152, Birmingham. B15 1SD.
If you would like to hand in property for prisoners you can do so before the start of your visit at the Visits Information Centre.
Unfortunately the prison can only accept property for prisoners receiving a visit on the same day. Due to the high volume of property received, only up to ten items may be handed in per prisoner. Detailed guidance on property allowances is available in the attached doucment and in the Visits Information Centre.
If prisoners hand out property to you, you can collect it at the end of the visit from the visitors' waiting room. You will be asked to sign to say that you are in receipt of items.
| Files | Size |
|---|---|
| Items and Clothing list.doc | 104 KB |