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HMP Winchester
How we help / Affected by imprisonment / HMP Winchester

HMP Winchester

Spurgeons runs family prison services and support for prisoners' families. Our aim is to support families visiting loved ones and help children and parents to re-connect in a positive way.

At HMP/YOI Winchester, Spurgeons supports prisoners and their families via a number of programmes, courses and training including our Invisible Walls project. We also run family days and provide children's activities during visits.

From working with Spurgeons, my relationship with all my kids has got better, 100%. I’ve been in 7 prisons before coming to this one and Spurgeons have been a big eye-opener and they’ve changed a lot of things for me. I had Spurgeons to talk to and they encourage me to do better, which has changed my life. To have that in other prisons as well would be amazing.

The services provided for families and professionals at HMP Winchester: 

  • help fathers to obtain improved parenting and relationship skills 

 

  • improve outcomes for their children and families 

 

  • reduce the risks of reoffending and intergenerational offending

 

  • train the local Children and Families Practitioner workforce to better understand the needs of prisoners’ families and increase their ability to provide community support and reduce the exclusion faced by prisoners’ families.  

What do our prison services at HMP Winchester do to support families?  

Spurgeons' pioneering project Invisible Walls based at HMP Winchester launched in 2011 and works closely with the prison, fathers and their families and Probation and Children's Services to ensure that prisoners and their families are seamlessly supported from imprisonment to release. 

  • We also run our award-winning Invisible Walls Family Support service at HMP Winchester. We provide support for families visiting through our Visitors Centre, Play Area & Tea Bar, referring to other services, providing information and resources. This is supported by our volunteer workforce
  • A range of parenting courses in prison and 1:1 work for fathers
  • Monthly family days, and a homework club
  • An animated online guide to supporting a child with a parent in prison
  • Homework Club, Storybook Dads, Correspondence materials and activity packs, Dads rep
  • Baby bonding visits – In these sessions, we provide snacks, a sensory space and group songs/rhymes and Storytime as well as homework club where we provide educational resources, snacks, and circle time
  • Our Beyond the Walls, Behind the Gates programme provides resettlement support for families
  • ‘Sending a hug home’ with Linus UK

Wonderful service - your model should be replicated in every prison. Your workers all made us feel valued. I never felt you didn’t want to help!

Illustration of the invisible walls project - dad being greeted by mother and child

Spurgeons' Invisible Walls aims to support this journey.  

We work in partnership with the prison and external agencies to offer pre & post support to fathers in custody and their families. We aim for the men to be viewed first and foremost as a member of a family.

Invisible Walls family services supports imprisoned fathers to build and maintain relationships with their family through strengthened family relationships, integrated family support and parenting courses to fathers within the prison setting.  

 

We ensure that prisoners and their families are seamlessly supported from imprisonment to release so that the transitions are far less traumatic for parent-child relationships. 

Before the kids would say, "You’ve not been there since I was 10, you can’t tell me what to do" but now I try to address things in a different way and explain myself more. Instead of "I’m your dad, listen to me" I’ve changed my approach. Every day is a learning curve.

Download our visitors leaflet

Inside HMP Winchester 

 

Download this booklet for your children to show and explain different places in the prison. 

Visitors Leaflet

Download our Winchester booklet

Inside HMP Winchester-Westhill 

 

Download this booklet for your children to show and explain different places in the prison. 

HMP Winchester booklet

Invisible Walls has won praise from Lord Farmer

The review stressed the importance of strengthening prisoners' family ties in the prevention of reoffending and intergenerational crime. 

 

He commented, ''(Invisible Walls) has been transformational for men's ongoing contact and sense of responsibility towards their families, who have in turn greatly benefitted from a kinder, less punitive visits experience.'' 

Read the review

Winchester Prison contact details 

Our Spurgeons colleagues would be happy to answer any questions you may have, you can get in touch with us through the following options: 

 

Spurgeons, HM YOI Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 5DF. 

 

01962 723260

 

invisiblewalls@spurgeons.org 

 

Invisible Walls Family Support Service Facebook Page 

Find out more about our services

Getting here 

 

By bus: The No. 5 bus runs past the prison from the centre of town, past the train station. The nearest stop is outside the Royal Hampshire County Hospital. The service runs every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday.  

 

By train: The closest train station is Winchester, with regular rail links to London and Southampton. From the station take the number 5 bus (see above). You can also walk from the station, the walk takes approx. 15 to 20 minutes and is uphill. 

 

By car: By car you will need to use the Winchester City Park and Ride. To reach this, travelling from the North, leave the M3 at Junction 10 for Park and Ride East, or continue to Junction 11 for Park and Ride South.  

From the South, leave the M3 at Junction 11. Park and Ride buses run every 15 minutes. 

 

Parking: Parking on site is only available for Blue Badge holders when available. All other visitors are advised to use Winchester City Park and Ride facilities. 

 

Disabled access: The visitors centre is wheelchair accessible. 

Safer Custody Team 

If you are concerned about someone in HMP/YOI Winchester you can use our prisoner's family helpline to contact the Safer Custody Team on the number below. 

 

01962 723320 

Further support from the Spurgeons Winchester Prison Team: