COVID-19: LATEST UPDATE ON PRISONS & VISITING
Guidance is being regularly updated. Please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-and-prisons
Phil Copple, Director General of Prisons, has published an open letter for all families, 22nd June 2020, about plans for recovery. Please read the document by following this link: Notice to families
If you need more information: HMP Oakwood Family Pathway Centre – Tel: 01902 791 426
HMP Oakwood Family Pathway Centre Helpline is available Monday to Fridays, 8.00am to 3.00pm. The building is not open to the public.
HMP Birmingham Visitors’ Centre – Tel: 0121 598 8178
HMP Birmingham Visitors’ Centre information helpline is available Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3.00pm. The building is NOT open to the public.
The Family Support Helpline is open Monday to Friday 8.00am to 11.00pm. you can contact Juls via her mobile 0736 883 2303.
Alternatively you can phone the National Helpline (freephone): Tel 0808 808 2003 (freephone including most mobiles). Open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday (closed Bank Holidays).
The 'Family Pathway Centre' (visitors centre) was an exellent facility, run by the Help and Advice Line for Offenders' Wives (HALOW), who were available before and after visits to offer information, advice, and guidance and a signposting service to support agencies. There was a multi-faith room and children's play area, and refreshments were available. Access for visitors with disabilities was good.
(HMIP report on HMP Oakwood 2013)
Thank goodness for HALOW staff. It is reassuring to ring with questions as it is very difficult to get through to the main prison switchboard
(HMP Birmingham Visitor 2018)
To all of you, thank you so much for your help and support and general kindness throughout this hard time. You are doing a wonderful job. Love and thanks.
(Visitor)
Staff are always polite and friendly, whilst remaining professional
(HMP Oakwood Visitor 2018)
Staff are brill; go above and beyond
(HMP Birmingham Visitor 2018)
Only been on two visits and both blonde ladies have been so helpful and I would be lost without this service. The staff are very approachable and I feel relaxed and can ask them anything, as I feel I won’t be judged
(HMP Oakwood Visitor 2018)
The staff are all funny and make it easier when visiting. The kids love it!
(HMP Birmingham Visitor)
A family from the travelling community has been attending Homework Club at HMP Oakwood FPC each Tuesday evening for 12 months; within the family are two boys aged 5 and 3. The elder boy would enter the centre initially quite boisterous, running in and out of the play area, around the tables where people eat, pushing his little brother around on a
A young mother was observed with two small children. The eldest (2 years old) was seen to be running around, letting himself out of the doors, taking toys from other children and not responding to his mothers requests. The Children’s Worker (CW) talked with the mother and found out the child had autism – she explained he struggled wit
The Staff and visitors at HMP Oakwood Family Pathway Centre rasied a total of £253 during our Macmillan cake and coffee afternoons, “thank you for your support to a good cause”. for more information visit Macmillan’s website: www.macmillan.org.uk
Over the last few weeks, the children have been creating their own tree decorations for the HMP Oakwood Family Pathway Christmas Tree. Once dressed, the FPC tree took part in a Christmas Tree Festival at a local church near to Stafford. Over 40 trees were exhibited in the church over the weekend of the 2nd to the 4th December 2016. The FPC tree was
Over the past few weeks the children have been making and personalising their own stockings to display next to the Oakwood fire place in the Family Pathway Centre, create a warm relaxing display.
One of our prisoners has a family of 4 children, two girls and two boys. The oldest boy who is 7 years old suffers from severe Autism. Before we took up our posts as children’s workers his mother told us that he would become quite anxious waiting to be called through for the visit. He would listen for his group to be called and would get anxious wa
