Social work in unusual places: Strengths-based practice in prisons

Strengths-based social work is possible when working in prisons – but it presents unique challenges.

In a joint presentation at the recent Shared Futures in Social Work conference in Birmingham, Sara Bell and Nicola Aulton discussed the role of the social worker in prison.

Ms Bell is a deputy principal social worker and Ms Aulton is a social worker with the Prisons and Approved Premises team for Staffordshire county council. The Prisons and Approved Premises team is made up of a practice supervisor, three social workers, and an Occupational Therapist, who across the county’s eight prisons and two approved premises

They began with an overview of the prison population: in England and Wales, they said, 17 per cent of the prison population are now aged over 50. This includes 3970 individuals aged 60 plus – three times the number it was 15 years ago.

Older adults in prison have many health problems. They have more complex health needs than their peers in the community. It is estimated that between 85 and 93% have some form of physical illness including most commonly, respiratory, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disease.

The most frequent mental illnesses include personality disorder, depressive disorder and substance misuse.

Older prisoners also often have complex social care needs, which prisons are ill-equipped to manage. They have intense anxieties about release and typically perceive their release planning to be non-existent.

The team are expected to complete training to enable them to draw and hold keys in the prison that they go to.

“When I first joined the team, I expected to be escorted around the prisons,” Ms Aulton said. “It came as quite a shock when I learnt that I would be responsible for keys, locking gates and my personal safety. In some prisons we also draw radios; this is necessary if we are expected to work in areas where officers are not present.”

They said that social work practice works well when it uses a strengths-based approach, putting the individual at the centre of social work intervention, promoting empowerment and control. Sara Bell said, “there is a power imbalance; it is already off-kilter because the person is in prison so that can make it difficult to achieve a strengths-based practice.”

Other crucial factors included:
- Being trauma informed, which acknowledges the need to understand a heard, lived experience, develop trust and empower individuals to achieve their outcomes
- Making sure the person is heard, and be an advocate where appropriate.
- Multi agency working
- Recognition of the importance of other professionals' roles.

The pair said that the law says that people in custody who have needs for care and support should be able to access the care required just like anybody else.

Anybody in a custodial setting will be treated as an ordinary resident in that local authority area for the purposes of a social care assessment and the provision of care and support.

As in the community, people have the right to decline an assessment and decline support, although a social care practitioner may consider mental capacity and refer to the Mental Capacity Act.

Also like adults in the community, a financial assessment will be carried out if a support package is needed. However, unlike adults living in the community, those in prison are not entitled to a direct payment to purchase their care and support.

Once a social worker has assessed a person’s needs and developed a support plan, the prison is responsible for meeting the needs identified. They may work with other agencies such as Healthcare and chaplaincy in order to do so

“Specially trained prisoners are employed to provide extra support to prisoners who are assessed as needing it. This can be with tasks such as collecting their food, cleaning their cell and mobilising using a wheelchair,” Ms Aulton said. “But no hands-on care is permitted -- if this level of support is required it must be provided through a funded care package.

“We are also asked to work with people to consider what their needs may be in the community in preparation for release and be involved in release planning.

“We are asked to attend parole hearings as witnesses and give evidence in relation to social care needs -- I don’t think that this will ever not be terrifyingly daunting.”