5. CONTACT
Outcome
Good contact with family and friends is maintained.
5.1 The visits room is spacious and bright and has a good café and children's play area. Prisoners can receive more than their visits entitlement. All visitors spoken to said that staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Information for visitors is readily available; there are sufficient telephones available to prisoners; and prisoners can send as many letters as they can afford.
Family Contact
5.2 Arrangements for maintaining family contact are good. All prisoners receive their visits entitlement and effort is made to provide more than this if possible. Visitors book the visits, and although there are sometimes delays in answering the telephone the system appears to work well and is popular with visitors.
5.3 Efforts have been made to introduce family awareness/induction sessions but take up has been low. The 'Storybook Dads' initiative was also suspended at the time of inspection. Staff were looking at the possibility of introducing father-child bonding visits. Information for visitors is readily available, and a comments box is on display in the waiting area.
5.4 There are six Family Contact Development Officers ( FCDO) in post. These tasks are carried out in conjunction with other duties. The FCDOs have an office but it is now rarely used.
5.5 All visitors spoken to said that staff were extremely helpful and friendly, and that they would have no hesitation in asking staff for advice or help. On the day of inspection inspectors observed a family difficulty being handled in a very sensitive manner.
The Visits Room
5.6 The visits room is bright and spacious. The tables are spaced to allow a certain amount of privacy and supervision by staff is not obtrusive. There is a large play area for children, which is staffed every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A very good café is open during visit sessions. This sells a range of hot and cold food and drinks.
Information
5.7 Information for visitors is readily available in the waiting area. Family Contact Development Officers are on hand to offer advice if required. Visitors said that they would also approach gate staff if they needed any advice.
Communications
5.8 There are sufficient telephones in the residential areas. Prisoners can send as many letters as they can afford.
Searching
5.9 Visitors walk through a portal on their way to the visits room. If the machine detects a potential metallic object the visitor is then electronically searched with a wand. If this indicates a positive result the visitor is given an outer body search.