Stafford women prisoners to be trained as youth workers

The women can use their training to work with young people in the community

A new service is set to train women prisoners to become youth workers and draw on their "lived experiences" to support young people, a charity said.

St Giles Trust said the service is aimed at 18 to 25-year-old inmates at HMP Drake Hall women's prison.

The service in Stafford is funded by the City & Guilds Foundation offering a level three practice qualification.

The women will be able to then use their skills in supported work placements, the trust said.

The aim is to increase youth work provision in the area and ensure services better reflect the people they aimed to reach.

"This funding from City & Guilds Foundation will enable women to harness their lived experience of overcoming trauma and disadvantage and support others going through it right now," said Steve Clarke, head of Midlands Services at St Giles Trust.

"By providing this package of training and support to the women, they can move their lives forward and take others with them on a positive path, preventing future crime and strengthening communities."

The training will include working as peer mediators in the prison

The training covers areas including mentoring, supporting young people at risk and conflict mediation.

They will use skills to support young women and girls at risk of exploitation and violence, with the aim of "prevention and resilience building".

The trust's existing service supporting young women in Wolverhampton quickly became "heavily over-subscribed".

'Highly credible'

"Vacancies for this type of work frequently go unfilled, yet women who have first-hand experience of these issues can face barriers when seeking employment," the trust said.

"This lived experience makes them highly credible and relatable to girls and young women, builds trust and increases engagement."

City & Guilds head Kirstie Donnelly said helping those who were vulnerable as they left prison to access employment was "paramount to delivering our objective of reducing reoffending".

"This programme at HMP Drake Hall is particularly exciting for us, as it's one of the first we've funded supporting women in the prison estate," she said.

The women will also gain experience by working as peer mediators, resolving conflicts in prison.

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