Prison relationship education & parenting courses now accredited by SFJ Awards We are very pleased to announce that we are now a ‘SFJ Approved Awards Centre’, following a comprehensive assessment of our practice and quality processes. We are also delighted to announce that we have successfully secured the official endorsement and accreditation for three of our relationship & parenting education programmes delivered in prisons under the SFJ Awards ALP* quality assurance framework (*Accrediting Learning Professionally). Our CEO, Andy Keen-Downs, said: ‘I’m incredibly proud of Pact’s services team for having secured this badge of quality for some of our tried and tested programmes. Pact’s programmes put theory into practice, and combine international know-how and evidence in what works in relationship and parenting education with a desistance-based approach to interventions work to reduce the risk of re-offending. We applauded Dame Sally Coates’ recommendations to include parenting and relationship education in offender learning provision, and we hope that these accredited programmes will soon be able to make a difference for many more people than ever before.’ The three Pact programmes which are available for delivery inside prisons and which can be adapted for delivery in the community are: Building Stronger Families Building Stronger Families is a six day course which maintains and strengthens couple relationships, between prisoners and their partners, thereby reducing risk of harm, improving outcomes for dependent children, and reducing the risk of re-offending. By the end of the course, participants will have a greater understanding of how language and behaviour can be used to strengthen relationships and reduce conflict. They will have strengthened their communication skills, and will be able to: List the five ‘Love Languages’ and give examples of how they can use these to meet their partner’s basic emotional needs. Recognise *STOP signs, and how using them will strengthen and grow their relationship. Recognise the common causes of conflict, describe their own typical manifestations of anger and use these as a basic method of conflict resolution. Give examples of serious destructive behaviours for which forgiveness is likely to be needed, enumerate the steps to forgiveness and describe some of the benefits of giving and receiving forgiveness. Give examples of how choices made daily affect the quality and longevity of relationships and how the fundamental choice of commitment to each other provides a solid foundation The programme also covers ‘money’ and how to avoid it becoming the cause of relationship breakdown. Time to Connect is a short parenting course for men in prison who have younger children, which builds awareness and confidence in positive parenting, and an understanding of child development through play. It builds participants’ sense of identity and responsibility as fathers, encouraging men to consider the impact of their offending and imprisonment on their child’s life chances, and the opportunities available to them to change. The programme includes workshops for parents in prison to help develop the skills to engage and play with their children during visits, and to maintain communications and the relationship. As part of the course, participants create a gift for their child and are enabled to plan and run a child-centred visit for their children. Building Bridges is a four-day relationship building course for younger prisoners and a parent or other significant adult relative who may be critically important to the rehabilitation and resettlement of the prisoner. The programme covers communication skills, relationship needs, anger styles and conflict resolution, forgiveness and future planning. The course requires the parent/carer to attend the course alongside the prisoner. Pact offers a range of other programmes, including the FLiP Family Literacy in Prisons programme, developed in partnership with the School of Education at the University of Sheffield, and Within My Reach, which Pact delivers under exclusive license granted to it by the University of Denver. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 0207 735 9535. Manage Cookie Preferences