Scottish Government

8. Care

Family Contact

8.1 Arrangements for maintaining family contact are good. There are three dedicated Family Contact Development Officers ( FCDO) in place. They carry out a range of duties within the establishment and also liaise with community based, family orientated, organisations such as Families Outside, Children First, Aberlour and Barnardos.

8.2 An information pack is sent to the families of prisoners shortly after reception. This provides details of visiting times, how to get to the prison, issues relating to property and money, information about the Assisted Prison Visit Scheme and other general information. Information is available in different languages. As part of this pack, family members are invited to attend an informal meeting within the establishment. This meeting is an opportunity to meet with staff and obtain further information. This is an area of good practice.

8.3 In addition to the routine visit entitlement in the main visit room, Wallace House has its own visit facilities. 'Access Visits' are available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings: these are for children being supervised by social services. These visits take place in the main visits room and are attended by a community-based social worker. Mother and child visits take place in the Family Centre ("Little Cherubs"), which provides a very good environment for these types of visits. Family Group Conferencing is available as part of the assessment for Home Leaves.

8.4 Visit times are fairly flexible and if the room is not full, times can be extended. Similarly if visitors arrive late it is usually possible to have the visit - although this is more difficult if the visit is in Wallace where visitors have to be escorted to the houseblock.

8.5 Despite all of these positive approaches, the main visits room itself is small with few facilities. There is no shop, only a vending machine in the visits room and no tea or coffee facility in the waiting room. It is recommended that the facilities in the main visits room are improved.

8.6 Privileged mail is given to prisoners unopened.

Mother and Baby Issues

8.7 A policy document exists for the Mother and Baby Unit which outlines the processes and relevant people involved. Previous inspections reported that this policy needs to be updated. This still requires to be done as a matter of urgency. The current policy outlines health and safety requirements of babies using a risk assessment, but is unclear what this risk assessment is. It also needs to have a clearer emphasis on child protection responsibilities for staff, and cover in more detail the strategy for separation, bearing in mind how crucial this component is for future relationships.

8.8 The unit itself has seven rooms for mothers and babies. At the time of inspection it housed two pregnant prisoners and one woman who had recently had her baby. The other cells were occupied by other prisoners. Staff and prisoners spoken to confirmed that this was a fairly regular occurrence: that there were often prisoners who were not pregnant accommodated in the unit due to a lack of space elsewhere. Pregnant women and mothers spoken to said that they generally had no problem with this, but it could be noisy and they would prefer a quieter environment.

8.9 The current policy requires that staff are appropriately trained to meet the standards of care needed. Two staff have had some training in drugs and pregnancy and have taken a short mother and baby course. Staff stressed that clearer guidance in terms of training would be useful.

8.10 The inspectorate spoke to one of the pregnant prisoners and the other who had recently had her baby. They were of the view that the Unit should only be accessible to those who are pregnant. They also expressed concern about a perceived lack of consistency in the midwifery service they received. They were often seen by different midwives and therefore had to repeat information, and found it more difficult to form a relationship.

8.11 Much concern was expressed, at different levels, about the treatment of prisoners during transport to and from hospital, supervision within the hospital, and during labour. The main concern identified was that the two most recent women giving birth in Stirling Royal were double-cuffed throughout the escort and the cuffs were only removed for half an hour at the point of delivery. One of these women had a caesarean section and the cuffs were only taken off at the operating theatre.

8.12 There have also been complaints from visitors and staff regarding the handcuffing of the women attending outpatient appointments, to the point where some women are refusing to go for appointments. Many women complain that during intimate procedures, Reliance staff remain in the room. This has led to several patients complaining about a loss of dignity and privacy. Issues surrounding the escorting of mentally ill patients have also been identified, with instances of patients injuring themselves in the transfer. Nursing staff are now unable to accompany these severely distressed women.

8.13 It is recommended that the routine practice of cuffing and double-cuffing women under escort to hospital, during intimate examinations and during labour is stopped.

Restorative Practices

8.14 Restorative Practices are a way to help resolve problems, arguments, bullying and fights without immediate recourse to a disciplinary sanction. Referrals can be made through the Orderly Room if it is deemed appropriate. It looks at the facts of what has happened, the consequences in terms of harm and how to stop it happening again in the future. The process is about more than saying sorry: outcomes are required including an action plan. The establishment is working with a number of agencies and is developing networks to take this work forward.

8.15 The approach of restorative practices is one part of the establishment's care approach to prisoners and their problems. While it does not replace the custody and good order requirements of the establishment it adds another dimension to the culture now being embedded. The importance of the approach has been recognised through an Award from the Butler Trust to the member of staff who has been developing this over the past three years.

8.16 An Inspector was able to sit in on a Restorative Practice session. The proceedings were well organised and it was apparent that the relaxed nature of the session helped the two prisoners participate fully without it being overly stressful. The officers facilitating were very professional and able to conduct matters in an appropriate way, meeting the needs of both participants. At the end of the session both prisoners were satisfied with the conclusion reached and had a greater understanding of the impact of their actions upon each other.

Physical Education

8.17 In the last year there has been an increase from two to three full time PE Instructors. The additional PEI has made a significant difference to access time for prisoners. In February 2005 before the third PEI was in place there were 606 prisoner development hours in the gym. In February 2006 there were 854 hours. The PEIs are assisted by two residential officers who help out in the evenings and at weekends when required. They have a Sports and Games qualification.

8.18 Gym facilities are fairly basic in that they consist of one gym with a stage. The floor space is used for games and the stage is used for cardiovascular work. There is a range of equipment available for prisoners' use kept on the stage. The showers and changing rooms are old but functional. They were clean and tidy during inspection.

8.19 In summer 2005 PE staff surveyed prisoners on the activities they would like to see given highest priority in the gym. The timetable was changed to accommodate these preferences.

8.20 The establishment runs a timetable from 07.30 to 20.00 hours Monday to Friday and 10.30 to 16.30 at the weekend. This timetable provides access for prisoners from all residential units. It also has time set aside for induction sessions, health assessments and health promotion. Staff can use the facilities three lunch times per week.

8.21 The time set aside for prisoners from Wallace House is 07.30 to 08.30 hours each weekday. Given that these are prisoners who have progressed the most it seems a bit unfair that they can only access the gym at that time of day, albeit they can attend every day. Several Wallace prisoners expressed their dismay at only being able to go to the gym early in the morning. The establishment should examine ways of spreading the recreational time available to prisoners in the gym in a more equitable way.

8.22 Health assessments make use of technology to assess prisoners' fitness levels and this helps PE staff to create personal exercise programmes. More generic health promotion information is also available to PE staff. There are no external facilities so activity is restricted to the gym. The size of the gym makes it impossible to have more than 18 exercising at any one time. This may have been sufficient when the prison was first built but is inadequate for the 300 plus prisoners the prison now has to manage.

8.23 Opportunities to gain qualifications in the gym are very limited. First Aid training has taken place in the past for prisoners and staff. When an interested prisoner is in the prison PEIs can arrange British Amateur Weight Lifting Association training. Preparations are underway to allow younger prisoners to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme. The prison has also run smoking cessation courses with limited success. PE staff work with health professionals to arrange a healthy eating day every year, as well as running well women clinics and stress awareness sessions. They have also participated in a mental health awareness day.

8.24 In order to meet more successfully the educational and recreational needs of prisoners Cornton Vale needs better facilities for physical education.

Social Work

8.25 The Social Work Team is fully-staffed at present, and includes a Team Leader (job share), two senior social workers, three social workers and an administrator. The team is managed by Stirling Council Criminal Justice Services. The social work team, although generic, has areas of particular practice based on the skills mix. This includes each worker holding a caseload of statutory work, and additionally specialising in addictions, mental health and child protection.

8.26 The social worker (addictions) links with the addictions team and Phoenix House and has some involvement in delivering programmes (Lifeline, Drug Action for Change and Alcohol Programme). The social worker who is a mental health officer links with Ross House where vulnerable women live. This used to be done on a duty basis (ie by appointment), but now visits are daily. The hall contacts social work to advise of admissions and concerns. The social worker who links with the Mother and Baby Unit and the Independent Living Units deals with applications for these; child protection matters; and Schedule One offenders. They also link with external services to co-ordinate the care, welfare and protection of children.

8.27 Although social work has a clear role in relation to statutory work, involvement with prisoners who have the option of voluntary aftercare is less clear. Social work state that the majority of short-term prisoners bypass them, and they have very little contact unless there is a specific request. All young offenders are interviewed through the duty system. Social work within the prison would then automatically write to the relevant local authority to bring to their attention the young person's imprisonment and any other issues they felt were relevant.

8.28 Overall, the social work team is well integrated in Cornton Vale and has established positive working relationships. They are located within an area of the prison which is occupied by other key services they work with, and this adds to the good integration of the service. The current accommodation is being refurbished.

Psychology

8.29 The psychology department comprises one Senior and two psychologists. A further member of staff has been seconded to the department for a period of two years to develop a female offender specific programme. The psychologists split their time between Cornton Vale and Polmont. Each of the three psychologists attends Cornton Vale one day per week. The remaining time is spent in Polmont. This arrangement was put in place in January 2005 when the management responsibility for psychologists moved from Headquarters to establishments. This effectively reduced psychology intervention at Cornton Vale from nine days per week to three. Whatever the criteria for this decision, it is recommended that a full assessment is made of needs within Cornton Vale which might be met by psychology and whether current psychology provision can meet this.

8.30 The average current breakdown of work is as follows:

8.31 The Mental Health Nurse delivers a further two days a week dedicated to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

8.32 There did not appear to be as many referrals to the psychologists as there had been in the past, but this might be partly because people do not expect to be seen. However, the main areas of need tend to be related to addiction, relationships, and general mental health issues (including anxiety, depression and personality disorders). It is good that a female specific programme is being developed, although this will not be up and running for around two years.

8.33 The team feels well integrated into the establishment despite the reduced time spent there. They are satisfied that staff understand their role, and are flexible in helping them carry out that role. They are involved in a wide range of meetings and case conferences.

Programmes

8.34 Four Officers and one First Line Manager deliver the following programmes:

8.35 The Psychology Department are developing a female specific offending programme focusing on violence.

8.36 The establishment was recently awarded renewal of site accreditation and therefore has good accommodation in which to deliver the programmes.

8.37 The KPI target for delivery for 2005-06 is 4109 hours. This target had been exceeded at the time of inspection and projections indicated that around 5000 hours would be achieved in the year. However, the system of meeting KPIs might not always reflect a needs driven referral system. For example, the Anger Management Programme had not run because of a difficulty in filling it with suitable candidates: not enough women met the strict criteria. Yet there is a long waiting list for 'Drug Action for Change': a demand which cannot be met because of staffing.

8.38 During February 2006 twelve referrals were made to programmes from Bruce House, ten from Peebles, six from Wallace and four from Skye.

8.39 Some uncertainty about how and what programmes would be required to be delivered in the future made planning difficult. This uncertainty revolved around the future of the Cognitive Skills programme, lack of numbers to fill Anger Management, and the training implications for these. SPSHQ needs to clarify the position in relation to programme requirements not just for Cornton Vale but for all establishments.

Race Relations

8.40 One Race Relations Manager and one Race Relations Officer (based in Bruce House) are in post. These roles are additional to other tasks. There is no formal Race Relations Monitoring Group in place. A Black and Ethnic Minority Group meeting is scheduled to take place every six weeks or so although this had not regularly happened in practice. No minutes are taken but all ethnic minority prisoners have the opportunity to take part. The Inspectorate attended one of these meetings which was poorly attended by prisoners. This group is a good initiative and efforts should be made to ensure that it continues.

8.41 At the time of inspection there were ten ethnic minority and three foreign national prisoners being held. There did not appear to be any major issues arising but the establishment should review its informal way of approaching issues. In particular, meetings should be minuted, a formal RRMG should be set up and a review should take place of whether a RRO should be allocated to each residential area.

8.42 The establishment has a detailed Race Relations Action Plan in place. This follows a Race Relations Audit in December 2005. It covers a range of issues - highlighted at a local level over time and including more recent requirements from SPS Headquarters. A review of actions are outlined, along with an accountable member of staff. A Race Relations Audit Tracker covering actions outwith the Action Plan is also in place. A recent Race Relations 'Update' Newsletter provided details of the new telephone translation service available to SPS and provided details of how to access the service. All staff received a copy of this information sheet.

8.43 Diets are catered for, and an area in the kitchen is set aside to prepare halal food. Special diets are rarely requested, and no one was receiving one at the time of inspection. Should a special diet be requested a tailored menu would be provided. The canteen stocks a number of products requested by ethnic minority prisoners: in particular shampoo, conditioner and hair gel. The canteen had run out of these items during the inspection. It is good that these items are provided, but consideration should be given to providing a wider range, and ensuring that they are always in stock.

8.44 Three formal complaints using the Confidential Racial Incident Report Form ( CRIR) had been made in the past year. These were linked and had been dealt with appropriately.

Chaplaincy

8.45 Two chaplains are in post, providing a total of 37 hours per week to Cornton Vale:

8.46 A Roman Catholic Service takes place on a Sunday morning and this is very well attended (sometimes reaching over 80). The Church of Scotland Service was moved recently from a Sunday morning to a Wednesday afternoon. This is reasonably well attended (can reach 30). Both services are ecumenical in nature. Part of the Wednesday service is discussion based and for this reason officers are not present.

8.47 The chaplains are involved in a range of work across the establishment. One provides an input to young offender, ICC, and mental health issues. The other inputs to long-term prisoners, race relations and general family issues. Both are involved in induction on a daily basis and in one-to-one work if required. They attend a number of meetings within the establishment.

Youth Agenda

8.48 The establishment has a Youth Agenda in place. This aims to achieve the maximum amount of time spent out of cells in constructive activities. It tries to engage young adults in an interactive way that integrates activities, employment and learning programmes. It stresses the need for all staff who work in Skye House to display a positive role model approach towards the young adults being held there. This is an ongoing approach and the effects are being monitored in terms of levels of bullying, the atmosphere in Skye, the personal appearance of the young adults, and the cleanliness of the hall and rooms.

Visiting Committee Under 21

8.49 The Chair of the Visiting Committee indicated that he and the members believed that the Committee was well supported by the prison management and by the Governor.

8.50 The most significant factor in the lives of young adults in Cornton Vale, in the view of the Chairman of the Visiting Committee, was the unhappiness of the lives they had lived before coming into prison. For many of them when they were in Cornton Vale, the key issue was "what is happening to my family?"

8.51 Two matters had been giving considerable concern to the committee. One is their perception, supported by comments from many prisoners, that Young Offenders are spending an increasing amount time locked in their cells. The other is the amount of money spent on food. This sum has remained at £1.57 per day since 1996 (as everywhere in the SPS) a sum which was described by the Chairman of the Committee as "outrageous".

8.52 The Committee had been extremely impressed by the project "Destiny's Design", developed under the Scottish Young Enterprise scheme.

Visiting Committee Over 21

8.53 The membership of the Committee has been changed in the past year: more members are now involved in the regular work of the Committee. The Chair of the Visiting Committee indicated that she and the members believed that the Committee was well supported by the prison management and by the Governor.

8.54 Developments at Cornton Vale which are felt by the Committee to be particularly beneficial to prisoners include the opening of Wallace House, the growth in Family Contact work (in particular the possibilities for better family contact for families living some distance from Stirling made possible by video-conferencing), and the introduction of the Strategy for Positive Relationships. Their experience, confirmed by what they were regularly told by prisoners, was that relationships between prisoners and most members of staff were excellent, (although a few members of staff adopted an intimidating and authoritarian style).

8.55 The Committee expressed some concern over certain matters. They believed that the number of prisoners being restrained by prison staff was increasing, that more prisoners were being kept locked in cell for longer times, and that Sunday worship might not be meeting the needs of all denominations.