Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Prison Advice and Care Trust
Prisoners' Families Helpline: 0808 808 2003
Get Help
Volunteer
Donate
  • Twitter
Menu
  • About us
    • Read the Pact Story
    • Watch the Pact Story film
    • Our Five Year Vision
    • Who we are
    • Where we work
    • Our history
    • Our team
      • Our CEO
      • Executive Team
      • Pact Trustees
      • Pact Futures CIC Directors
      • Our President and Vice President
    • Our impact
    • Advocacy
  • Our services
    • Where we work
    • Pre-custody
      • Court
    • Custody
      • Group work
      • Casework
      • Visitor support services
    • Through the Gate
    • Community Services
      • Community Family Support
      • Befriending
      • Call Pact's Services
    • CFO3 Programme
    • Commission us
  • Children & young people
    • For children
    • For young people
    • For professionals
    • For parents/carers
      • Supporting my child
      • Pact Packets
      • Mum's the Word
      • Women Flip the Script
  • Prisoners' families
    • Prison Visitors' Guides
    • Prisoners' Families Helpline
    • Children and young people
    • COVID-19 support
      • Pact Packets
      • End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR)
      • Compassionate Release on Temporary Licence
    • Your questions answered
    • Court Support Service
    • Family support
    • Other helpful organisations
  • Get involved
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Fundraising Promise
    • Parish support
    • Volunteer
    • Work for us
    • Sir Harold Hood Memorial Lectures
  • Prisoners' Sunday
    • About Prisoners' Sunday
    • How you can mark the day
    • Resources
    • Donate to Prisoners' Sunday Appeal
    • Sign up to Fresh Start
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Befriending
  1. Our services
  2. Community Services
  3. Community Family Support

Befriending

Having a close family member go to prison is terrifying and traumatic. Having support and someone to talk to who knows the prison experience and what families are going through makes all the difference.

- Comment from a befriendee 

Would you like someone to talk to about having a loved one in prison? We have a dedicated team of trained volunteer befrienders who can offer sympathetic, reliable, non-judgemental support. 

What is befriending?

Befriending is the formation of a trusting, encouraging and beneficial relationship, developed and maintained consistently over a period of time, whereby the befriender offers appropriate emotional and practical support and guidance to the befriendee, closely monitored by an agency.

What does Pact's befriending service offer?

  • A telephone call once a week at a time convenient to both the befriender (a trained Pact volunteer) and the befriendee (the service user receiving support).
  • Support and guidance to help understand the impact of imprisonment on individuals and their loved ones.
  • A non-judgmental ear.
  • Someone who is able to further signpost and offer referrals to other agencies that may be able to offer additional support.

How does it work?

The befriender (a trained Pact volunteer) will contact their befriendee (the service user receiving support) within a week of getting a referral. They will make initial contact and arrange a time and place that is convenient for you both for the first session.

Each session should last approximately 30-60 minutes (although this is flexible) and you should have a minimum of one session each week. It is likely that for the first week you will have two calls: the initial contact and a more structured session. Support will be offered for 8 - 10 weeks (on average) and will be constantly reviewed to make sure that it is still beneficial and needed. 

It was such a relief to talk to people in the same situation who didn't judge; just to be able to escape.  The staff are always very helpful and help me with any information that I may need.  

I am really grateful that such an organisation is there to help people like myself.

- Comment from a befriendee

What training and checks will befriending volunteers have?

In order to become a befriender, volunteers will be fully DBS checked and will have completed the following training:

  • Befriending training
  • Safeguarding training
  • Professional boundaries training
  • Reference checks.

I thoroughly enjoy being a befriender to someone who has a loved one in prison. It is a very difficult situation to find yourself in and, given my prison experience and Pact training over the years, I think it definitely helps them understand this complex world and to know that they are not alone.

- Comment from a befriender

If you have a friend or family member in prison and would like to find out more about our Befriending service, please email us on [email protected].

Published: 20th October, 2020

Updated: 11th November, 2020

Author: Katie Salt

Related topics:
  • Community services
Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Pact continues to make the case for vaccinating whole prison communities

    Pact continues to make the case for vaccinating whole prison communities

    We are disappointed to see that, despite media reports that members of the JCVI have acknowledged that an age-based approach is not practical for the prison estate and could lead to wastage, Ministers are not recognising the unique challenges facing prisons.

  • Lizzy's Story

    Lizzy's Story

  • Support prisoners and their families this Lent

    Support prisoners and their families this Lent

    This Lent, we ask you to support our work and help us to reach more prisoners and their families.

  • HMPPS National Helpline for Prisoners’ Families launches new website

    HMPPS National Helpline for Prisoners’ Families launches new website

    The national Helpline funded by Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) and run by the national charity supporting prisoners and their families, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), has launched its brand new website.

Related

  • Prisoners' Families Helpline

    Prisoners' Families Helpline

    Call the Freephone confidential helpline for information and support for anyone who is affected by imprisonment.

  • Family support

    Do you need someone to talk to? Our Family Befrienders can provide practical and emotional support to help you cope with a loved one's sentence.

Most read

  • Current vacancies

    Current vacancies

    With services in Cumbria to Cornwall and West Wales to Kent, we have job opportunities all over the country. If you don't see your dream job at the moment, sign up to receive our vacancy alerts so you can hear about future opportunities.

  • Prison Visitors' Guides

    Prison Visitors' Guides

    Want to know more about where we work? Click here to find more information about the prisons we work in, visiting hours and contact details.

  • Tagging

    Find out more about Home Detention Curfew/Electronic Tagging

  • Who we are

    Who we are

    Find out about how we commit to work with prisoners, their families and communities.

  • Contact us

    Contact us

  • Through the Gate Mentoring Services

    Through the Gate Mentoring Services

    Pact provides Through the Gate and Mentoring Services to those leaving custody in order to support them with their immediate resettlement needs.

  • Prisoners' Families Helpline

    Prisoners' Families Helpline

    Call the Freephone confidential helpline for information and support for anyone who is affected by imprisonment.

  • HMP Belmarsh

  • Family support

    Do you need someone to talk to? Our Family Befrienders can provide practical and emotional support to help you cope with a loved one's sentence.

  • HMP Wormwood Scrubs

Latest tweet

  • @valeryanne @HMPWScrubs @Shannon_Trust @giveabookorg @Storybookdads @LBHF @Novuschange Hi Valerie, thank you so muc… https://t.co/Nb8guBKJaM

    5thMarch, 2021 @prisonadvice
  • Are you looking for a fun weekend activity? Why not make some play dough using ingredients from the kitchen! Rish,… https://t.co/2xqcfDRU2w

    5thMarch, 2021 @prisonadvice
  • Lent is a time of waiting, which this year has an even greater meaning when we think of prisoners and their familie… https://t.co/SZqIONZtKb

    5thMarch, 2021 @prisonadvice

Sign up to our Fresh Start Newsletter

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter your email address Please enter a valid email address (e.g. [email protected])

Helpful links

  • Apply for job
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Safeguarding
  • Give us your feedback

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • youtube
  • twitter
Volunteer Hub
Pixie

   

 

Pact is a registered charity - number: 219278 Company registration number: 356443

Pact Futures CIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pact and a community interest company registered in England and Wales no. 9248698