Meet: Lizzie, Key Worker

Lizzie is our newest Key Worker, supporting men working in Recycling Lives or prison-led workshops in HMPs Hatfield, Humber and Wealstun. She has joined the team after working within the prison service for three years.

“Rehabilitation and making a change are what drew me to this work.

“I joined the prison service on a graduate scheme and worked in HMP Wealstun for 3 years. I spent 18 months on the landings and learned a lot – it was quite a difficult role. I knew early on I wasn’t going to do that for the rest of my career, although I’m really glad I came into it that way.

“The grad scheme pushes you to think of ways the prison service can be changed. I was interested in the rehabilitation angle primarily, but often security or operational needs took priority. I did really want to help people, but you’re so weighed down with reacting to situations, that it makes it hard.  It’s’ a Category C prison, with about 900 men there.

“I felt quite involved with RL throughout my time at Wealstun. After working on the landings, I moved to the Employment Hub, which was Rick’s base when he came in. I’d spend time with him and started to manage the waiting list for people wanting to join Recycling Lives’ workshop. My manager and I came over to visit RL1 during that time too. So I had a good idea of what the charity was all about, and when the job came up it just felt like the right next step. I was so ready to be out of uniform and doing something community focussed – something positive. As sound as you can be as an officer, the uniform is always going to be a barrier, so I knew if I wanted to be really involved in rehabilitation I had to be on the other side, in the community.

“Being at RL is so different. I love it.

“A little win I’ve had already, was with a lad who I knew from my time at Wealstun. He’d had a tricky start after his release and got recalled on a technicality around curfews. After he was released again, he went AWOL but I managed to get contact details for him. We reached out and went round, took him a food parcel, took him for a McDonalds and rebuilt that trust with him. He was a shell of a man when we saw him that day, it was so sad. He later rang us when he was having a crisis moment so I know he’s really appreciative of our help. We’ve got plans in place to see him again and I’m trying to link him up with the support I know he’d really benefitted from in the past. He just needs a bigger support network so Nick in the specialist support team is working with him too.

“Having the rest of the team around you at RL is so good. You do reach out to other people for help in prison but no one seems that interested. But when I ask people for help at RL, they’re so helpful – I know I can go to Hayley for housing or Nick for that really in-depth support, for example. I know exactly who I can go to for any issue someone might have.

“Being able to help people to change was why I got into this job.”

NB: Image shows other team members

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