L E T ' S T A L K A B O U T S W I N F E N
Starting a conversation about where we want to be
Governor
I joined Swinfen Hall last summer, having worked at prisons across the Midlands and North over the last 10 years.
Straight away, I could feel that Swinfen is not, despite what we might be tempted to think, a typical Category C trainer prison.
Over 90% of our population are young adults, which makes for a very different experience to most prisons. This is a unique place.
Although there are pockets of real expertise present across Swinfen, the young adult prison population is very demanding and complex. We’re missing some of the foundations we must have in place to meet their needs.
As your Governor, it’s my responsibility to start a conversation about where we are now, and where we want to be in the future.
This starts with a vision statement that sets out our long term aims, is aspirational and has the power to inspire each and every one of us.
Our vision statement needs to be simple and should remind us why we are here, in good times and bad. Swinfen had a vision statement in place, but it’s fair to say that most of us would struggle to recall it, or apply it regularly to our day to day duties.
You’ve told me that’s because it hasn’t fit the work we do here, or – looking into the futurethe journey we need to go on together. ‘Raise the Bar’ was the name given to Swinfen’s action plan, but the reasoning for this was unclear, and you could be forgiven for mixing the two things up.
Setting direction, shaping the vision
I waited until we had appointed a permanent Deputy Governor so that they, Lou in fact, could help us as a team develop and share our vision.
It was important for us that we involve colleagues in setting the direction, and shaping the vision for Swinfen Hall. Our starting point was the Awayday in March, where all Band 5, 6 and SLT managers spent time reflecting on Swinfen’s history, what we need to focus on, and developing initial proposals for a vision.
Over the two days it became clear that we should be more focused on ‘getting the basics right’. Strong foundations can help us and the young people we support more than ‘Raise the Bar’ style actions, which, although eye-catching, can be quite speculative and demand a lot of energy and attention.
Getting the basics right is key
Our team of managers produced exciting proposals for the vision. For me, the satisfying part was that they came up with the ideas, building a consensus that supporting young adults and colleagues was a key feature for our work.
O U R V I S I O N F O R 2 0 2 4 :
"Swinfen Hall will provide a safe, decent and respectful environment that will support our young adults on their journey of personal growth.
As a team we will work together to enhance our knowledge and skills, so that we become role models who enable our young adults to achieve a positive future."
So how does this Vision feel, for today's Swinfen? Is it a step in the right direction?