Prison support programme for women wins award

Alana House is a women-only centre providing outreach services to women who have committed offences

A community project supporting women building a future for themselves and their children has won an award.

Alana House, run by the charity PACT, is a women-only centre in Reading, Berkshire.

The centre has provided outreach services across the county since 2010 for women who have committed offences, but were often victims of trauma themselves.

The prisoner reintegration programme has now won a Robin Corbett Award (RCA).

Kathryn Warner (left) is PACT’s director of community services and development and accepted the award alongside Alana House team leader, Lynda Souter (right)

Alana House has expanded since it was first set up to also offer support to women with multiple or complex needs.

The service will be given £5,000 after winning the RCA.

Natausha van Vliet, from PACT, said: “We are deeply honoured to receive the Robin Corbett Award in recognition of the important work of our women’s community project Alana House. 

"Part of our transformative work includes embedding support workers in custody suites and courts to provide women with holistic and therapeutic support. This approach ultimately prevents women from entering the criminal justice system.”

The award was created by Lady Val Corbett, as a tribute to her husband Lord Robin Corbett, who chaired the All Party Parliamentary Penal Affairs Group.

Judges for the award included the director of the Prison Reform Trust, the former head of London Prisons, the president of the Prison Governors Association, as well as others within the industry.

Lady Corbett said the applicants for the awards this year were of the "highest standard".

Lady Val Corbett with Kathryn Warner and judge panel chair David Apparicio MBE