Scottish Prisons Assessment and Review of Outcomes for Women (SPAROW): executive summary

Experience and views of CCU delivery partners (see Chapter 9 in the full report)

SPS delivery partners generally found the CCU environments and aesthetics to be impressive. However, for some, lack of resources – particularly adequate funding to support their work and limited private space in the CCUs – could inhibit their opportunity to work with individual women. Lack of equipment and facilities in the CCUs was also noted (for example no library); this was more conspicuous when women were not able to access these services in the community. On the whole, delivery partners found the CCUs welcoming and the atmosphere generally conducive to the work that they wanted to do. However, prison rules impacted significantly on what was achievable and the lack of community access for most women was seen as an impediment. In this regard, the SPS focus on risk appeared to be at odds with the stated ethos of the CCUs. Moreover, the process for gaining access to the CCUs was considered onerous and lengthy. Once access was gained, individual delivery partners had differing views as to whether women had been made aware of the service delivered by their organisation and whether or not it was appropriately advertised to women by CCU staff. There was a perception that officers seemed committed to supporting women, however, it was considered that CCU staffing issues (i.e. retention, absences, turnover) impacted service provision. 

That delivery partners fund their own services was seen as prohibitive for smaller third sector organisations and individuals. At times it seemed to some that services going into the CCUs were uncoordinated with some degree of overlap on what was offered. This suggests the need for a strategic overview of services and activities in the CCUs, with some delivery partners indicating that the opportunity to discuss with senior SPS management what they could offer and how it might be delivered in the CCUs would be welcome.