Your voice

At POPS, families are at the core of everything we do. Founded by families and driven by their insights, we are committed to ensuring that their experiences, perspectives, and ideas shape our work. Families don’t just highlight the issues—they help find the solutions.

Families First: The Heart of POPS

We believe in giving families a strong and active voice, not just as advisors but as key participants in driving real change. POPS’ involve family members in the development and delivery of our services and encourage, and support where needed, family members to engage in activities focused on policy change, research and media engagement, at both a local and national level.

We also know the incredible impact families can have on each other. That’s why we encourage those who use our services to get involved—whether through service delivery, peer support, or joining our Board of Trustees.

Our user-led approach ensures that POPS’ services are shaped by the people who need them most, evolving to meet changing needs. If you’d like to learn more about how to get involved, explore our website for opportunities.

Together, we can create meaningful change.

POPS’ Family Information Network (FIN)

POPS’ Family Information Network (FIN) is a valuable resource developed to ensure families have regular access to a range of opportunities to get involved and have their voice heard. Through the FIN we publish regular updates from our projects in the criminal justice system and the wider community ensuring families have up-to-date information and regular opportunities to get involved. These include information on:

  • Family Forums
  • Family Days
  • Visit Updates
  • Research Consultations
  • Training Courses
  • Media Interviews
  • Volunteering Opportunities
  • Fundraising
  • Steering the direction of POPS and our future development.

If you would like to become a member of the FIN please sign up below.

Family Forums

POPS’ family forums are an opportunity for families to meet with senior figures within individual prisons, such as the Governor and Department Heads, to discuss issues pertinent to the visiting experience. It is important for families to understand prison regimes – having Department Heads and key figures from the prison present at Family Forums enables members to develop their understanding of the processes and procedures that exist within each individual establishment.

POPS’ family forums are also an excellent way for visitors to share their views on the visiting experience and make suggestions for improvements to those who can make a difference. Improvements such as the refurbishment of Visitor Centres, better access for disabled visitors and improved visits booking systems have all been realised because of family forums.

“I never thought for a minute I’d meet a Governor of a prison. I also wouldn’t have believed that my input could have altered the information displayed on a visiting order about ID to make it consistent with the information being asked of the booking in staff.”

If you are interested in joining a family forum please talk to the POPS’ Family Engagement Work at the site you visit.

Working and volunteering for POPS

We encourage families who have lived experience of the criminal justice system to consider applying to work or volunteer with POPS. Our staff and volunteer team are fundamental to building safe, supportive spaces bringing their personal experience, passion and energy to make a real difference in people’s lives. Becoming part of a supportive and knowledgeable team you will have the opportunity to gain new skills and make an impact. Whether you’re volunteering to support families in person, employed as part of our core business services or steering our strategic focus as a member of our board of trustees we need your experience and your voice to ensure our services remain firmly focused on what’s important.

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Volunteer with POPS
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Speaking Up: Stigma

The voice of families in the criminal justice system is not often heard, or validated, in public discourse. POPS worked with the BBC Community Doorway Programme to create a short film to share families’ experiences of stigma and discrimination on their own terms. The BBC’s Community Doorway programme enables charities and community organisations to access the skills and expertise of BBC staff volunteers to deliver one-off projects. The resulting short film “Hands” explores the real-life experiences and challenges facing prisoners’ families; their thoughts, feelings and reflections on the topic of stigma.*

Produced and Directed by: Jessica Spencer, Louise Hannah and Rebecca Cheung
Editing: Jessica Spencer and Paul Hayton
With special thanks to BBC Outreach, Tina Ntow and Sarah Drummond, and all the families involved in the forums and filming.

*Holding hands is one of the only forms of sustained physical contact permitted between a prisoner and their family on normal prison visits. It became significant as a theme as we discussed ways in which families would be prepared to be filmed.