Organisation: CCISR
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About CCISR
ISR is the shorthand for ISR: Churches for Work and Social Justice. We are a team of committed and experienced individuals who are each determined to provide Christian communities with opportunities for outreach, mission and ministry.
We seek to train and develop volunteers from Christian backgrounds in order that they can be active and effective in the world on issues of social justice and workplace Christianity.
Pathways Covered
Attitudes, thinking and behaviour
- Overview
Basic Caring Communities in Bristol is a new initiative which provides genuine support to prisoners trying to settle back into the community. The intention is to offer regular support from a group of concerned volunteers committed to helping the ex prisoner resettle effectively in the community and not re-offend.
- What we do
The Basic Caring Communities initiative is a partnership between ISR, PACT (Prison Advice & Care Trust) and the Prison Service. We provide training support and encouragement to volunteers who work as part of a community around an ex prisoner.
Referrals are made while people are in prison. We aim to see people a minimum of 3 months before release where possible, to develop a positive and trusting relationship for release.
We help the individual to come up with a realistic plan for release, covering all areas of their life they need support in.
On release day we meet at the gate and for the next 7 days we met or contact the individual at least twice a day. This is to provide a listening ear, moral and tangible support to engage in positive activity and attend supportive services.
We then meet as a community at the end of the week to discuss how things have gone, address slip ups, problems and good news, then decide on how we can best continue to provide support for up to 3 months.
- Where we do it
The service starts while someone is in a prison. We complete a number of prison visits prior to release and then meet at the gate on the day of release.
We then support individuals from out reach centres, via home visits and at other supportive organisations the individual is linked to.
After the first week of more intenstive support, we tailor the level and type of support required and requested by the individual.
- How to access
If you are working with an individual currently in prison who would benefit from this type of support and mentoring, they can make a request to the prison chaplan at HMP Bristol.
The individual must be serious about wanting to make positive changes, this should be their decision only to request this support.
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