What We Do
Training professionals
We use arts-based interactive training materials to raise awareness among professionals and support agency staff of what prisoners' families experience and the support they need.
Mentoring
We will be providing a body of trained mentors who have themselves had someone close to them imprisoned. These mentors will be available to work with families of prisoners where appropriate.
Training materials
We produce innovative and interactive training materials to raise awareness of what prisoners' families experience and the support they need. These training materials, aimed at anyone who may need to support someone affected by imprisonment, are devised and produced by service users working with professional artists.
The training pack includes:
- A CD of songs written and sung by prisoners' families
- CDs of interviews with families talking about their experiences
- Paintings produced by families
- Poetry written by families
- 'Dancing Round the Truth' – a short DVD about two teenagers whose father has been sent to prison for the murder of their mother's lover. The film was produced with the Amber Foundation who work with homeless unemployed young people
- 10 training exercises
Training for Trainers
In order to provide our training to a wider audience, we run training for trainers days showing others how to deliver the String of Pearls Project training package. These sessions can be for service users wishing to join the String of Pearls Project training team or for staff training representatives from other organisations wishing to disseminate our training to their staff and clients.
Cost for these training for trainers' sessions are available from us.
Research
Through running arts workshops for prisoners' families we research into different aspects of how imprisonment of a loved one can affect the whole family. These workshops involve the participants in producing poetry, paintings, music and recorded interviews talking about their experiences and the support they need.
Networks
Through our multi-agency training we encourage local networks of support agency and family services who are trained to support prisoners' families.
Arts projects
As well as our training work we run arts projects designed to raise awareness of what prisoners' families experience. These workshops are for anyone who has, or has had, a close relative or friend in prison. Professional artists are employed to work with a group for a short period (e.g. one day) to produce a particular piece or collection of artistic work which can be used to highlight what the families and friends of prisoners go through.
Any arts projects will be clearly advertised on our website in advance. Currently we have no funding for arts projects.