We deliver bespoke mental health and wellbeing training to groups.

Here, we discuss the mental health continuum - and discover how everybody has mental health, but that it can affect people in different ways and lead to mental ill health.

We talk about how mental ill health can present itself both in and out of a prison environment, and how certain factors can be protective or risk factors for our mental health.

Our training session includes Brain Smart®, which has been co-created with Jamma Wellbeing. It explores how our brains processes internal and external stimulus, and in turn reacts in ways which could be detrimental to our wellbeing.

It is an educational and thought-provoking take on cause and effect within our own brains, and has led to many positive outcomes from participants who feel that gaining this knowledge will empower them with an improvement on their actions and behaviours moving forward.

Each participant receives a certificate of completion.

Following training, participants are asked whether they would like to join our Mental Health Ambassador (MHA) programme.

Those who sign up are given branded t-shirts, door cards and lanyards to identify them as peer support to others.

MHA meetings are conducted regularly, supervised by Project Leads, to allow MHAs to share how they have helped others, and to get support if they have experienced anything that is troubling them.

Once Ambassadors have spent a certain amount of time engaging with the project, they are invited to become trainers.

We upskill them via 'Train the Trainer' sessions; where the training materials and facilitation is discussed in greater depth, and an understanding is gained of how the accreditation works.

After this, the new trainers have 2-3 observed deliveries to their peers, before officially being certified as Mental Health Instructors. They are given polo shirts reflecting their trainer status.

This part of the project provides the element of sustainability; as we aim to have the training delivered on reception/induction in all prisons within a year of implementation in the establishment.

After a successful pilot at HMP Lindholme, we introduced this concept to our project, which forms part of our 'through-the-gate' support services.

People in prison are given a safe space to discuss topics that are meaningful to them. This can be anything from issues they are facing in the prison, to more emotional subjects such as family and relationships.

We have had some excellent feedback from holding these sessions, as many people in prison find it difficult to have frank and open discussions with their peers, and even more so with prison staff.

As participants near release or gain release on temporary licence (ROTL), any topics which have been discussed that we can support with are followed up on - such as help with employment or volunteering opportunities.

These sessions are facilitated by Project Leads and/or MHAs and are welcome to all - not just those who have previously participated in the project.