Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley Local Area Committee

FAULDHOUSE AND THE BREICH VALLEY LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE

REPORT BY AUDREY PARK, DIRECTOR, HMP ADDIEWELL, KALYX

A. PURPOSE OF REPORT

To inform the Local Area Committee (LAC) of key community related activities and achievements at HMP Addiewell during its first year of operation and to brief the LAC on community related developments for the calendar year 2010.

B. RECOMMENDATION

The LAC are invited to note the contents of the report.

C. SUMMARY OF IMPLICATIONS

I Council Values N/ A

II Policy and Legal (including N/A Strategic Environmental Assessment, Equality Issues, Health or Risk Assessment)

III Resources - (Financial, N/A Staffing and Property)

IV Consultations

D. TERMS OF REPORT In December 2008 HMP Addiewell, a 700 space private prison situationed in Addiewell, officially opened. The prison, run under contract to the Scottish Prison Service by Kalyx, accommodates male adult and young remand male prisoners predominantly from Lanarkshire. The prison’s philosophy centres on a learning model, within a secure environment.

In February 2009 Audrey Park, Director of HMP Addiewell, presented the LAC with information on the Prison. The presentation focused on the opening, day to day running of the facility and community related activity at HMP Addiewell. The following paper updates the LAC on activities since February, primarily focusing on the community related activity that has occurred and activity planned for 2010.

Community Related Activity

Understandably, given the complexity of opening a Prison, the primary focus for year one was to achieve operational stability within the Prison. This was to ensure a solid foundation for future developments was built. HMP Addiewell in year one successfully achieved this along side undertaking a range of activities as part of the local and wider community. In this, we have been well supported by Clare Summers, our Locality Planning Officer, with a number of meetings and briefings throughout the process. Outlined below are a number of key achievements and aspirations for the year ahead.

During the first year, HMP Addiewell have supported West Lothian Council in the establishment of a bus service to the prison, utilising funding provided by SPS. This service was successfully tendered and is now up and running. A bus shelter and turning circle have been constructed outside the main entrance. West Lothian Council in conjunction with the Prison have produced a bus timetable outlining services to and from HMP Addiewell. This has been issued to the families of prisoners.

A Local Residents Committee has been well established in the area. The committee meets every two months in the prison. This is a positive forum, with no outstanding matters of concern. The level of disruption to the local residents has been kept to the absolute minimum.

Relationships between the Prison and the local Lothian and Borders Police division are exemplary, with a high level of mutual support and a high visibility strategy, which is working well.

With regard to potential housing issues that were identified through partnership working, a full time Housing representative was appointed to coordinate the housing needs of our population on release across the 3 mainly affected Local Authorities (West Lothian, North and South Lanarkshires). The representative works closely with the prison and we have seen no evidence of the early fears that significant numbers of prisoners would present as homeless at West Calder.

Positive contractual relationships have been built with West Lothian Criminal Justice Social Work (who provide statutory services within the Prison) and with West Lothian College (who provide some of our learning services to prisoners.)

In August, the Prison hosted its first Prisoners Family Day. This was a very positive event, with play activities for some specially selected prisoners and their families. This forms a key element of the prison’s Family strategy, believing that positive family relationships can contribute significantly to reduced offending. Although the majority of our population comes from the Lanarkshire Community Justice Authority catchment area, a significant minority come from West Lothian, therefore these and other such activities are a positive contribution to the local community.

Prisoners have undertaken a number of charitable acts during the year, either through donations, organised events or activities. Most recently, Santa’s sleigh was refurbished for local community groups through Livingston Rotary and was much appreciated by residents and local children.

The prison is a large employer in the area, with our total headcount now around the 350 mark. Whilst HMP Addiewell’s link with employability partners in West Lothian did not get of to an ideal start employability partnership with providers has recently been established. The aim of the partnership is to ensure employment opportunities are provided for local residents. Agencies in the partnership include Workdirections, Access2employment, Intowork, Careers Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and Community Regeneration. A network approach has been established where vacancies within HMP Addiewell are circulated to partners in advance of advertisement. Regular meetings have been held between HMP Addiewell and agencies to provide information on the recruitment and interview process. As a result, a number of clients previously on incapacity benefit have successfully gained employment at HMP Addiewell.

In addition a significant proportion of our workforce live within 10 miles of the prison

Future Developments:

Having successfully achieved operational stability, the Prison will focus on further developing some of the wider community related links aspired to before opening. The Prison has recently appointed a Families and Communities Manager to specifically take forward this agenda. The remit of the role will be to ensure that HMP Addiewell properly supports the families of prisoners in our care. The role will also provide the mechanism for making effective links with the local community to determine the most appropriate way for the Prison to contribute. One mechanism under discussion is using existing staff skills to contribute to activities within the local community. The Prison is in the process of undertaking a skills audit of all staff. This will then be accessed to see how identified skills can be used for wider community benefit.

In February, we will open a Community and Charities workshop for prisoners. Although all activity will be carried out within the prison, this will provide a flexible opportunity to respond to requests from the community for assistance with labour intensive work, small fabrication works and one off projects. This will provide the dual benefit of keeping prisoners active with purposeful work whilst contributing to a range of community interests.

E. CONCLUSION

This report seeks to update the LAC on activities within HMP Addiewell particularly relating to community related developments at HMP Addiewell during year one. A verbal briefing from the Director, Ms Audrey Park to the LAC, will support this report.

F. BACKGROUND REFERENCES

Files held with Community Regeneration, West Lothian Civic Centre

Appendices/Attachments: None

Contact Person:

Audrey Park, Director, HMP Addiewell, 9 Station Road, Addiewell, West Lothian EH55 8QF Tel: 01506 874514 Mobile: 07824 836527 E-mail: [email protected]