Small Acts, Big Impact: Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

This Mental Health Awareness Week, Unlocked Graduates is proud to celebrate the incredible individuals who make a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of others. We’re especially proud of one of our Unlocked participants, Erin, who was recently recognised for her dedication to supporting the prisoners in her care.

Erin should be given a certificate because she is one of the best officers for support and duty of care.

Championing Mental Wellbeing

Erin, a participant on our 2022 Cohort, recently received the prestigious HMPPS Wales Prison Officer of the Year Award in the Changing Lives category. This heartfelt nomination came directly from a prisoner Erin has gone above and beyond to support. Here’s what they had to say:

“Erin has supported me through anniversaries and major trauma. She supported me for over 45 minutes in a review and has gone out of her way. I have trust issues and Erin understands that. She gave me good advice to ‘talk first’, and you know what? She is right, it does help.

Everything she has done with me has helped my mental health. Yesterday I had a bad anniversary… Erin was there to talk and support me when I broke down.

I reckon Erin should be given a certificate because she is one of the best officers for support and duty of care.”

Small Acts Create Big Impact

Erin’s story exemplifies the power of seemingly small interactions. A listening ear or moment of support can have a significant impact on someone’s mental health, especially in challenging prison environments.

We caught up with Erin on her reflections after receiving this amazing nomination:

“It was such a nice surprise to find out that I had been nominated for, and actually won the award! The ceremony was lovely, and we got to hear a lot about what the prison and probation services are up to. It really opened my eyes!

I knew that I had been nominated by a few people, but the nomination that won me the award was sent in by one of the prisoners I work with. I’ll always remember when he has a difficult anniversary or something important coming up, and make sure I keep checking in on him.

He wrote a really long nomination about an interaction that I thought wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for my role! But clearly it meant a lot to him.”

Celebrating Best Practice

Working as a Band 3 Prison Officer requires you to commit to supporting the mental wellbeing of the prisoners in your care. Checking in on those around you and offering your support can make a huge difference to someone’s time in prison and can even prevent them from reoffending in the future.

We’re proud of all of our Unlocked Graduates creating safe spaces in their establishments and opening up vital conversations around mental health with both prisoners and with staff.