Where to get started

Here are some things that you'll want to consider if you're just getting started. 

Know what you want to achieve and take a tailored approach 

• Which elements of the Health and Justice Charter for Families and Carers do you particularly want to address for your service or site? What is the change you want to see happen?

• You know your site, service and team best: how can you maximise your strengths? How can you align your family involvement work with the prison’s Family Strategy?

• How can you gather data and feedback to help you narrow down the best area of focus?

• Be clear about how much time and resource you might need to have an impact.  

Make sure you have clear processes to ensure safety and protect confidentiality

We recognise that seeking consent to involve families and carers can be a complex and time-consuming process. 

Do you have clear arrangements for consent and contact details to be recorded and accessed when needed? 

Add link to consent section [ADD HERE??]

Consider what targeted approaches to offer family involvement to patients who would benefit most

Evidence suggests that involving families and carers may be particularly beneficial for certain patient cohorts, including patients who are:

• Neurodivergent
• Have mental health needs,
• Have a long-term condition or serious illness,
• Are pregnant or have recently given birth
• Are self-isolating or vulnerable
• Are receiving end-of-life care. 

How can you make sure that family involvement is routinely considered for patients in these cohorts? 

Embedding proactive family involvement as routine

Rather than waiting for crisis point to involve families and carers, consider how they can be brought into the process in a routine way. 

Early Days in Custody is an important opportunity to establish family involvement: a high-risk time for health and safety, and a time where every single patient has multiple contacts with healthcare.

How can you identity people who might particularly benefit from family support with health at the EDIC stage, and arrange a follow-up to discuss, record consent and record family contact details? 

Follow-up could be undertaken by a combination of: existing routine appointments, additional visits to cells by healthcare or linkwork/navigator staff, targeted support from peer workers, or even via digital communication systems where available. 

A whole team approach 

How will you make sure everyone across your healthcare team understands the benefits and implications of family involvement, and their role in it?

How will you work with colleagues across the prison to make sure that joint processes are in place where necessary.