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.