Lifelines Scotland this month welcomed The Scottish Prison Service to their project.
Announcing their latest partnership, Project lead Gill Moreton said "We are delighted to extend Lifelines to Scotland’s prison community, who face many of the same rewards and challenges as their emergency service colleagues. Over the past 5 years, thousands of people have benefitted from using the Lifelines website and training courses to build personal resilience and to support colleagues, especially following traumatic incidents. We are pleased that prison service staff will now have access to bespoke resources to support their wellbeing as they do their important work.
Teresa Medhurst, SPS Chief Executive, said : “Our staff support and care for some of the most complex, high risk, and vulnerable people in society, going above and beyond every day to keep Scotland’s communities safe.
“It is therefore crucial to provide wellbeing services appropriate to their specific needs. This emergency responder resource will provide them with a valuable tool for supporting their mental wellbeing, resilience, and recovery, while also signposting other support services that are available to them.”
Adam Jobson, Director of Organisational Development for the Scottish Prison Service recognised the value of Lifelines resources to staff.
“We are delighted to be working alongside NHS Lothian to extend the Lifelines Scotland resources to our staff. Our staff go above and beyond every day, supporting and caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society, and doing their bit in keeping Scotland’s communities safe.”
“We recognise the importance of providing wellbeing services appropriate to their specific needs. This emergency responderresource will provide a valuable tool for supporting their self-care, resilience, and recovery, while also signposting to other wellbeing services that are available to them.”
John Cairney, Chair of SPS Trade Union Side (TUS) also welcomed the news.
"The SPS trade union side welcomes the Lifelines website as a great support to our collective memberships. We have been engaged with the employer for some time to get more centred support to prison staff. We were always pushing an open door and seeing this digital resource live is testament to the hard work put in to achieve this. The website will offer support and advice to staff, including where to get help should it be required, which is invaluable in the sector in which we work."
Fiona Cruikshanks, Governor HMP Edinburgh, highlighted the importance of this news in helping the health and wellbeing of staff.
"Supporting the health and well-being of our staff is critical to us fostering good morale and creating a positive working environment. The stresses of the job can have a detrimental impact on our staff, which is often not acknowledged or recognised by the individual until they are at breaking point. The launch of Lifelines Prison Service will provide staff with resources and tools to help them manage their mental health and resilience whilst also educating them to better understand and identify the early warning signs of poor mental health allowing them to take pro-active steps to manage this at an earlier stage.”
