Prison Visits Volunteer - Playworker

Location: HM Prison Addiewell Visitor Centre, 9 Station Rd, Addiewell, West Calder EH55 8QF. See map here.

Time: You can join us on Saturday and / or Sundays from 9.30am to 12.30pm. This would be for the full three hours.

We are flexible on which day(s) you join. We would prefer if you could support our play sessions at least twice a month. Let us know your availability and preferences.

We welcome a taster session, if you would like to see and get a feel for the place and people first. Just get in touch with us to arrange this.

How do we help at HM Prison Addiewell?

Our support at the prison in Addiewell is part of our work to keep families together. We understand the impact of relationship breakdown. We know how to offer support to families struggling to maintain a connection when a family member is in prison. It can be a highly emotional and stressful time, with lots of additional pressures on family members.

From their Visitor Centre, we support families visiting loved ones with emotional support and a listening ear when people need it most. We offer information, advice, comfort and link families to local services. We are there to offer a confidential and supportive environment to anyone struggling with adjusting.

The family member in prison can also request bonding visits with their children. This takes place within the prison, and not in the visitor centre. We support the visits by providing meaningful activities and encouraging interactions like having breakfast together. We also host seasonal family events throughout the year.

What will you do as a volunteer?

You will help our team with the family bonding sessions and / or play activities that we offer families within the prison. Your tasks can include:

• assisting children during their visit
• supporting families with play and wellbeing ideas
• reading, drawing and playing games with the children.

We will provide support and training needed for you to engage with the tasks and children in a safe manner. This includes completing mandatory training of the prison within the first few months of starting, as you will be volunteering next to prisoners. We can provide further information about this, if requested.

You can find more details about this volunteering opportunity in the decription below.