We met with a Welcome Directory Champion from one of our longest serving registered faith/belief communities to talk about how their faith community supports prison leavers. We learnt about how it takes time to build trust and that it’s important to offer support gradually… one step at a time.
My Quaker Community
We are a small faith community that has been registered with The Welcome Directory for about seven years. I have a personal background of working as a Prison Chaplain and my faith community is connected with three prisons.
Supporting Prison Leavers
Some of our Quaker group members are now supporting a prison leaver who has been in and out of prison. At the moment we are supporting him by helping him to get established in his new flat and once it’s set up, we’ll meet with him and continue offering support. Eventually we’d like to invite him to one of our smaller midweek meetings.
I’ve also been meeting another prison leaver in a local café for several years now. He’s a lovely man and I’d trust him with my life. His licence conditions are being lifted, so he could come to the faith community in future, but he’s taking it one step at a time.
Making a Difference
I think our help has meant a lot to the prison leaver who’s been in and out of prison. I think that having his own flat will really help sustain him staying out of prison.
A Good Welcome is …
Finding a small group of members to support the prison leaver and exploring the possibilities of coming to a service with the wider faith community further down the line. It’s just getting the balance right and knowing you have to be careful, but also appreciating the person for who they are.
Thank you to this member of the Quaker Meeting Group for sharing your time and story with us and for the difference you are making for people who have left prison.
Disclaimer: This case study represents the individual’s views, not the views of theirorganisation
A stock image has been used to ensure the anonymity of the faith community & its members
