Field Programmes – Prison Programme – Central Bohemian Region
Target group:
Criminal offenders. People living a high-risk way of life or endangered by such a way of life.
Dealing with a person interested in the service:
A person interested in the service can apply for our programme on his own or via a specialized social worker in the prison where we commute. The interested person must be older than 18 and reside in Prague or the Central Bohemian Region.
Detailed description of service implementation:
The goal of our programme is to prevent a person being released from prison from relapsing into crime, and work with his/her family in such a way that we would create better conditions for integrating this person into society and thereby support the integration of the whole family. The “prison programme” is unique in its interconnection of services for the person serving a prison sentence or about to finish serving a prison sentence and his/her family.
The programme aims especially at increasing the function and stability of the user´s family ties, improving the user´s orientation in society and its functioning, improving the level of communication with institutions and authorities, the development of skills and proficiencies necessary to fulfil living needs (housing, employment – financial security, satisfactory relations with others, and the like), increasing motivation to find employment, and improving the user´s communication skills, his/her self-confidence and self-reflection abilities.
The programme consists mainly of the following four activities: professional social counselling for the target group directly in prison, assistance in communicating with authorities and other organizations, providing legal advice; supporting the user´s contact with his/her family, working with families of convicts while the family member is serving his/her prison sentence; assistance with housing and employment, procuring civilian clothes for field social work in families immediately after release.
Methods of work:
• absence of charges
• professionality
• low threshold – the service is intended for people who have no access to regular social and other services due to social exclusion
• a complex approach towards dealing with the user´s situation and his/her relationship with family and society
• equal access to the service – the service is provided to everyone without bias regarding gender, age, disabilities, nationality, religion, language, political ideology or sexual orientation or social situation
• individual approach – the workers approach the service user with regard to his/her unique personality, situation and wishes, taking the user´s individuality into account when acting
• the workers protect confidential information obtained from the client throughout the service, they lead the client towards autonomy so that he/she takes responsibility for his/her life situation and stops being dependent on the social worker
• mediating contact with the social environment
Handling complaints:
When concluding the contract, the client always receives and is informed about the procedure regarding the handling of complaints. The client can file a complaint in several ways, either in verbal or written form. The client can also file a complaint anonymously by inserting the complaint into the Romodrom mailbox located on the outer wall of the house where the service is provided.
Termination of service:
Each contract on the provision of a social service is concluded for a fixed period, usually one year, so if a client has not been cooperating for an extended period of time, cooperation ends when the contract expires. The client is also always informed about the ability to end cooperation with us any time and without stating their reason. On the other hand, we may terminate the service only for serious reasons (e.g. a client´s aggressive behaviour) or if the client has stopped fulfilling the conditions for the provision of services (moving to a different place).
Payment for services:
The social service is provided free of charge.
Premises, material and technical equipment:
Our service has the option to utilize a contact room (office) where the client can come, either during office hours or at a different time after making an appointment with the worker. There is a notice board in the contact room where the client can read all the information about our organization as well as information about follow-up organizations. Each worker has their own PC, internet access and work phone.
