LHF Working with PACT
The LHF is working with the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) to help keep families together when one member is in prison. This helps to reduce the risk of homelessness for both the offender and their family. Grant money from the LHF was used to help fund the intensive family support programme run by PACT.
- Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT)
- £360,000
- Period: 2011 – 2015
Andy Keen-Downs of PACT said “All the evidence shows that if we can help keep families together and supporting each other, then the risk of reoffending is massively reduced. Our staff, partly paid for by the grant for the LHF, help people stay in touch when someone is serving a prison sentence.” The PACT team work with families and prisoners, helping make and maintain contact, running parenting courses, offering mediation and doing all they can to keep families together.
A recent study by the independent New Economics Foundation concluded that the PACT service saved money for the taxpayer.
“We estimate that IFS delivers potential benefits to the State of between £500,000 and £3.4m over a one year period. This represents a return of £11.41 for every £1 invested. Based on our review of the support that IFS offers and accounting for multiple scenarios, we estimate that IFS delivers potential benefits to the State of between £515,465 and £3,479,294 over a one year period. Based on an annual cost per programme site of £40,368 in London and £35,972 elsewhere, and using our middle estimate, this represents a value of £1,281,240 or return of £11.41 for every £1 invested.
The predominant source of this impact is in cost savings from reductions in reoffending due to IFS work toward the encouragement and supporting of visits, and the consequent maintenance of family ties. Potential social and health care savings related to prisoner’s families have also been identified, as well as cost avoidance based on resettlement-focused planning.”
If you would like more information on our Integrated Family Support service, or would like to commission the programme, please contact Angus Mulready-Jones, Pact’s director of IFS, on 020 7735 9535 or email angus.mj@prisonadvice.org.uk
