SCC Prison Social Care Team

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness,dignityand respect.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been ratedgood.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy, and compassion, respecting their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. Their comments included, “[Staff members] take an interest in my life”, “I am happy with the support [Staff member] provides”, “The team are friendly, understanding and help with my needs”, “They encourage me in everyday stuff which helps me very much” and “They are very kind and understand mental health which is good.” The staff told us they did not judge people, regardless of their past and the offences that led them to be incarcerated. The registered manager told us they provided frequent supervision meetings with staff so they could discuss any concerns or anxiety they may have when providing support.

Feedback from the prison staff indicated people received good and caring support from the staff. A prison staff member had told the management team, “[Staff member] is very good, [they] make sure [Person] gets into the shower safely and deals with [their] laundry, [they] go above and beyond.”

The provider kept a log of compliments they received from people, relatives and professionals involved in people’s support. These included, “[Person] mentioned just how fantastic you were, how helpful you have been and how you treated [them] with dignity and respect. I just wanted to say a huge thank you. It makes a huge difference to know that there are decent humans like yourself”, “Your tenacity for detail and support has been paramount in ensuring [Person] got this far” and “I would say [Registered manager] has stuck by me through all my growing pains and that is what you call a good social care worker. I just wanted to thank [them] for putting up with me and having real care for the people [they] work with.”

The registered manager told us they ensured people were always treated with kindness and compassion. They sought feedback from people and their relatives to ensure any concerns were addressed promptly.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took into account people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People were treated as individuals regardless of their protected characteristics. For example, one female born person was now identifying as male. This was reflected in his support plan and appropriate support was provided to him. This had contributed to the person feeling valued and respected by the team who supported him.

Some people had mental health needs and had received support from the mental health team for some time, and more recently from the prison social care team. During a review, one person had acknowledged that in addition to the support from the mental health team, they felt their mood had improved since received support from the provider. This meant the additional support had positively contributed to people’s wellbeing.

One person whose first language was not English was supported with their communication needs by staff showing pictures, speaking slowly and using visual prompts, gestures and signs. Due to living in prison, it was not possible for staff to use electronic equipment to access translating applications. However, the team consistently found ways to improve communication to support the person better.

The management and care staff told us they were dedicated to ensuring people’s needs were met. They understood people’s individual needs well and were committed to treating them as individuals. This included respecting people’s faith and relationships.

People’s religious and cultural needs were recorded in their support plans, and as much as possible, met. For example, one person had requested to attend a Mosque. The occupational therapist had emailed Chaplaincy, who facilitated the person going to Friday Juma prayers.

People were consulted regarding their preferences for the gender of the care workers who supported them. All said they were happy to be listened to and have their wishes respected.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People’s choices and independence were encouraged and promoted, as much as this was possible within the prison system.

The registered manager told us people were always at the centre of every decision made at the service. They told us they consulted people regularly to assess if their needs had changed and they required additional support. For example, one person whose needs had increased due to age and frailty had been provided with a shoehorn, so they were now able to put on their footwear independently. Peer support from another person who spoke the same language helped the person express themselves and make their needs heard. The registered manager told us, “Our approach remains non‑judgemental and person‑centred at all times.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People told us the staff were kind and provided care and support in line with their wishes and needs. They told us the staff were always willing to help when they visited.

The registered manager told us the staff reported anything of concern immediately when they visited people. They said, “We will conduct an assessment straight away. Also when someone has been admitted to hospital, we will assess them in that setting and ensure they are ok for discharge, and if they require additional equipment or change their room to suit their increase needs.”

The provider cared about and promoted the well-being of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The registered manager told us, “As part of the induction, staff spend time shadowing other staff members. This may be over several weeks until all key talks are completed in each of the prisons. In addition, as part of the probation period this area is discussed to check staff feel confident going in by themselves and identify any support needed. Staff are encouraged to report any concerns and discussed in supervision."

The registered manager spoke positively about the staff team. There were systems in place to identify if staff had any specific health or well-being needs. For example, reasonable adjustments were made if a member of staff was ill or pregnant. They told us, “Compliments received about the staff get published. I have an open-door policy, and the staff can come and talk to me anytime they want. I do support the staff with their visits.” The senior manager added, “There is nothing we expect staff to do that we would not do ourselves.”

Staff were supported to develop professionally and take on more senior roles. The senior manager told us, “We looked at a staff team with various backgrounds, so we have a mixed skill base. We are looking at bespoke training also like a mental health program. So, we are looking at that at the moment.”

Staff felt supported and spoke of being a good team. A staff member told us, “We are encouraged to progress. We have reflective practice, and group supervision. ”Documents we viewed confirmed this.