By Tina Kikta, Senior Services Manager

When someone goes to prison, the sentence is served by one person, but its impact is felt by many.

Partners, parents, children and friends are often left navigating a complex and unfamiliar system while trying to support a loved one through one of the most challenging periods of their lives.

But families are more than people affected by imprisonment. They hold unique knowledge about the person in custody, the realities of maintaining relationships during a sentence, and the barriers that can stand in the way of rehabilitation.

Too often, families and prisons can feel disconnected from one another, or even on opposite sides. Yet in reality, they often want many of the same things: safer environments, support for wellbeing, stronger family relationships and a better future for the person in custody.

That is why Pact's Family Forums, funded by Sony and delivered at HMP Leicester, HMP Gartree and HMP Onley, are so important.

Unlocking overlooked expertise

Family Forums create a safe and structured space for families to share experiences, raise concerns and engage directly with prison staff. Through regular meetings involving prison governors, visitor representatives and Pact Family Engagement Managers, families are given an opportunity not only to be heard, but to influence how services are delivered.

Family Forums are not simply meetings that people turn up to every few months. Ahead of each forum, Pact staff gather feedback from visitors through conversations and feedback forms, ensuring that a wide range of views, concerns and experiences are represented. Those issues are then discussed with prison leaders and staff, creating an opportunity not only to raise concerns, but to explore solutions, provide clarification and identify areas for improvement.

Families offer a perspective that prisons cannot access anywhere else. They are often the first to notice changes in a loved one's wellbeing, identify barriers affecting communication and visits, or highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

This insight helps prisons understand what is working well, where challenges exist and where improvements can be made. As HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted in its recent thematic review, family relationships are too often treated as a "nice to have" rather than an essential part of safer prisons and successful rehabilitation. They are perhaps the system's greatest untapped resource.

One example came from female visitors who raised concerns about having to carry sanitary products into the visits hall. The existing process required them to present these items during security checks and place them into an open tray, creating an unnecessary loss of privacy and dignity. In response, Pact worked with the prison and The Hygiene Bank to introduce sanitary product baskets in the ladies' toilets within the visits hall, ensuring visitors can access essential items discreetly and with dignity – and in turn making them more likely to visit.

Supporting and empowering families

The forums also recognise that families have needs in their own right.

Supporting someone in prison can be emotionally exhausting and often disempowering. Family Forums provide a space where questions can be asked, concerns can be raised and honest explanations can be given. Not every issue can be resolved, particularly where security considerations apply, but transparency helps families understand why decisions are made. Even when change is not possible, clear communication builds trust and reduces frustration.

Turning insight into action

One of the most valuable aspects of the programme is the "You Said, We Did" approach.

Feedback from families is formally recorded, actions are communicated, and progress is displayed in visitor centres and visits halls through visible "You Said, We Did" boards. This feedback loop demonstrates accountability, shows visitors how concerns have been addressed, and reinforces the message that families' knowledge and experience can lead to tangible improvements.

A particularly powerful example came from families who told us they wanted opportunities to have photographs taken during social visits. While family day events often include photography, not every family is able to attend them. As a result, some were missing opportunities to capture precious moments together with their loved ones.

Through the Family Forum, this feedback was discussed directly with prison governors. As a result, families can now submit requests for photographs to be taken during social visits for special occasions and significant moments. It may seem like a small change, but for many families these photographs become treasured reminders of connection, helping them preserve relationships during a difficult period in their lives.

Finding common ground

Family Forums are effective because they help uncover a truth that can sometimes be overlooked: prisons and families are often working towards many of the same goals.

Families want their loved one to be safe, to engage positively while in custody and to return home better equipped to build a stable future. Prisons want safer environments, successful rehabilitation and reduced reoffending. The route to those outcomes may not always be straightforward, but the destination is often remarkably similar.

By creating opportunities for honest conversation, Family Forums help bridge that gap. When we properly value the knowledge and insight that families bring, everyone benefits: families feel more informed and supported, prisons gain perspectives they might otherwise miss, and people in custody are better able to maintain the relationships that support positive change.

Family Forums are not just about giving families a voice. They are about recognising that families have something vitally important to say.

This blog is the second in a series highlighting our educational and family forums in the Midlands. These forums help to connect people across the prison system and community, with a view to better outcomes for all. With huge thanks to Sony for their generous funding of this project.

Read the other blogs:

• Why joined‑up working matters for children with a parent in prison