HMP and YOI Styal: Families and significant others strategy

You can find visiting information and book a visit on the Styal Prison main page.

Our commitment to you

We recognise the importance of the role families and support networks have in helping the women in our care successfully resettle back into communities.

We seek to reduce the impact a custodial sentence has on family ties, relationships, and parenting through taking a positive approach to maintaining and developing family ties.

We will develop the way work with families, local authorities, children’s services, charitable organisations, and community partners to ensure the best possible support to those in custody, their families and contributing to better outcomes for effective resettlement.

We also recognise that strengthening family ties can help a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing, improving both personal and prison safety and security.

Support and services offered

Visitors’ centre 

Our visitor’s centre is open to visitors up to one hour before visits.

All adult visitors should expect to provide photographic ID upon arrival.

The visitors centre has lockers, toilets and a children’s play area.

Family support from the visitor centre

The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) work with us in the visitors centre.

They can provide:

• information and guidance for issues including housing, finance, alcohol and substance misuse
• emotional and practical advice and support about prison procedures including support for first time visitors
• someone to talk to with confidence, if support is needed
• support children who are visiting, linking in with their schools, providing resources.

Children’s play facilities

A soft play area is available for young children.

PACT provide a children’s play coordinator who develops activities and resources for children of all ages, including those with neurodivergent needs.

PACT can provide ‘at table’ boxes and activities to help parents to play with and interact with their children.

We can also advise and lead on activities for older children visiting prison. 

Family engagement work 

PACT work with the women in custody with any family-related issue.

This may include:

• providing information and advice to their loved one in the community, support to maintain contact and be a parent in prison
• strengthening and maintaining relationships and re-connecting broken relationships
• liaising with social services and acting as a point of contact to support engagement with their social workers
• support for those who do not have visits  

Staying in touch

Secure video calling

Prisoners are entitled to free video visits. These can be requested via the Prison video App (which is free to download).

Visitors must download the App and follow the instructions to register.

Phone calls

Prisoners have access to in-cell telephones to help them stay in contact

An automated message will play when you pick up the phone to say that you that you are receiving a call from a prison.

Letters

Each prisoners is allowed to send a second class letter each week for free.

They can send more letters if they pay for them.

Email

Family and significant others can email prisoners through www.emailaprisoner.com. It costs about the same as a stamp.

Once the email is received it will be checked and linked to the prisoner’s laptop.

Prison visitors

Prisoners who do not get social visits can apply to attend our community visits,

These monthly visits, are a chance to meet with official prison visitors in the visits hall.

Storybook Mums

Prisoners can create a recording of their voice reading a story that can be sent home to the child.

Release on temporary licence (ROTL)

To help our prisoners with resettlement, we have a range of employment positions with local companies in the community. Subject to clearance, our prisoners can work on day release.

Child Resettlement ROTLs:

Eligible prisoners can apply for temporary release for the purpose of childcare resettlement, if they are a primary carer of a child under 18. CRL can be taken no more than once per week.

Parenting/relationship courses 

PACT offers a range of parenting and relationships courses which in small groups or one-to-one.

Family support

PACT staff can offer emotional support to all visitors, as well as practical information about issues including travel and transport, explaining prison procedures in advance of entering the prison to go through to the visits hall.

We provide additional support and reassurance to first time visitors, who may feel anxious, including a warm welcome, information packs, and personalised support.
We can also accompany particularly nervous visitors through the security checks on their first visit. 

Family engagement casework

PACT offers support on strengthening and maintaining relationships and reconnecting broken relationships. This includes liaising with social services and acting as a point of contact for child protection and child welfare issues.

Extended visits

Children’s visits

Prisoners can apply for a place on these visits. They are 3 hours long and take place on one afternoon each month.

These visits are welcoming and supportive, giving time for children to play and the prisoner to interact in a relaxed manner. 

Activities promote interaction and socialisation. These are often themed towards seasonal and calendar events.
Prisoners can also share light refreshments with their visitors.

Two adults can attend, with no limit to the number of children.
No visiting order is required for these visits.

Family Connect visits

These visits are for prisoners serving indeterminate sentences and sentences over 5 years.

They are held 4 times a year, last for 3 hours and are held in the afternoon.

No visiting order is required for this visit.

Prisoners can share light refreshments with their visitors during these visits.

Care leavers 

A member of our senior management team is our care experienced support lead for those who arrive from the youth estate or enter custody and are identified as being care experienced.

We hold monthly forums are for care experienced prisoners.

And we take a tailored approach with specific prison officer roles to best support access to a range of support.

Safeguarding measures

All adults in need of safeguarding have the right to live their lives free from abuse of any description.

Our safeguarding policy that ensures measures are in place for people in our care, vulnerable adults and children.

All agencies and individuals that have contact with adults in need of safeguarding have a duty to protect them from abuse. Where abuse is reported to or suspected by any person the response will be prompt and in line with prison service policies.

Please speak to a member of PACT on visits if you have any concerns on a visit.

For further information about safeguarding measures, please see the HMPPS Child Safeguarding Policy Framework

What have we achieved?

• We opened our family room which is an individual bookable space.
• Children’s visits are now regular, 2 adults can attend.
• We have an increased range of activities for all ages.

You said, we did

• Increase the tea bar to enable a wider range of food and drink to be served.
• Allow two adults onto social visits
• Provide more lockers.
• Replace the furniture on visits.
• Provide a bookable space for individual visits.
• Provide more activities for teenagers: we now provide games machines.

How will we measure our success?

• Prisoner forums with Head of reducing reoffending, PACT manager and Head of operations.
• Twice yearly visitor forums with Head of reducing reoffending, PACT manager and Head of operations.
• HM Inspectorate of Prisons feedback.
• Prisoner Family Needs Questionnaire.
• Managing quality of prisoner life questionnaire.

Staffing structure

Governing governor
Deputy governor
Head of reducing reoffending
Head of perinatal pathway and healthcare
PACT manager
Family support worker