What we do

Our Mission

BEST’s aim is to ensure the safety, health and general wellbeing of Foreign National Offenders in custody, helping them to rehabilitate and prepare for a sustainable and law-abiding life on release.

Our Objectives

Our objectives are to:

• ensure FNOs in HMPW can communicate and feel listened to in a safe and confidential manner.
• enhance their sense of dignity and self-respect.
• alleviate their sense of social and cultural isolation.
• reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm among FNOs.
• increase their participation in the activities and services offered by the prison, such as life-skills, education and health.
• increase their ability to understand and exercise their legal rights.
• support the effectiveness of HMPW staff in dealing with FNOs, particularly at induction.

Our Activities

• BEST is the only organisation devoted to supporting FNOs in HMPW and is unique across the UK prison estate in its specific focus.
• We provide in-prison services five days a week. We have 4 volunteers who are security-vetted and key-trained and can see men on the Wings.
• We provide help in identifying and accessing appropriate legal support, particularly around bail, extradition and deportation, and support across a range of immigration issues, liaising closely with a number of law firms and the Home Office Immigration Team in the prison.
• We support the most vulnerable FNOs in immediate danger of suicide or self-harm (SASH).
• We facilitate contact with family and loved ones, providing phone credit where necessary.
• We provide information, advice and guidance to FNOs, in the most common foreign languages, through posters, the prison kiosk, and in-prison media. We also refer FNOs to partner organisations as required i.e. for health, housing, family support, addiction issues, legal needs etc.
• We facilitate communications with lawyers in order to accelerate legal processes, sometimes reducing a period of unlawful detention by several weeks.
• We offer befriending and support through our volunteer social visiting programme.
• Through all our activities and close working relationships with staff and partner organisations, we improve staff capability dealing with FNO issues and increase their capacity to carry out normal duties.

Our Policies

As a prison charity working with vulnerable adults BEST recognises the need for a Safeguarding Policy that explains the procedures required to ensure abuse is prevented and reduced and all instances of abuse of which we become aware are recorded, investigated and suitable measures taken to protect the victim and ensure compliance with the law and adherence to BEST’s charitable objectives. Our Safeguarding Policy sets out our commitment to keep safe the prisoners and detainees for whom we provide befriending and support services, our staff and volunteers, and everyone we work with and for, whether in HMP Wandsworth or elsewhere. This policy is available upon request by emailing our Safeguarding Lead: Isobel Smallacombe.

We also have a Code of Practice for all our volunteers.