Information for Referrers about Elizabeth Fry House
Visiting Elizabeth Fry Approved Premises
We welcome colleagues from the Prison and Probation Service visiting us at Elizabeth Fry House. Please do contact us if you would like to spend some time finding out about the Approved Premises environment and support available to residents.
There are 24 beds at Elizabeth Fry House, 18 of which are in single occupancy rooms. The Approved Premises has one downstairs bedroom and four bedrooms which are suitable for an individual with a conviction for arson (subject to risk assessment).
We can provide placements to women assessed as posing a medium to very high risk of serious harm to others.
We provide placements to women on licence, PSS, Community Sentences and Bail.
I wouldn’t change anything about Elizabeth Fry as you all do an excellent job in helping people back into the community and helping everything find a place to live so we can get back to normal lives.
Marnie, Ex-Resident
Partnerships
Staff at Elizabeth Fry House work closely with partner agencies, including colleagues from the Probation and Prison Services to share information and manage risk. We contribute to MAPPA and professionals’ meetings as required.
We work with a range of partner agencies to ensure that residents at Elizabeth Fry House have access to healthcare and support in relation to the pathways to offending.
Whilst not a PIPE, Elizabeth Fry House benefits from having a Senior Psychologist and Assistant Psychologist, both of whom are based at the Approved Premises two days a week.
Making a Referral
Referrals are usually made by the resident’s Offender Manager to the Central Referral Unit for Women via NDelius. Referrals should, where possible, be made six months prior to release. This enables us to begin to work with the resident prior to release which helps to achieve a successful placement and move on.
We consider women convicted of all types of offences and will offer a placement having considered whether the risk of serious harm to self and others can be managed at Elizabeth Fry House.
In order to process a referral we require a completed referral form and supporting information including previous convictions, pre-sentence report, OASys, risk assessment, details of current medication and any other relevant information, for example mental health reports and MAPPA minutes.
We are also able to offer placements for women on bail or as part of a Community Sentence. In these circumstances, please contact the Approved Premises directly in the first instance so we can discuss suitability and agree the best way to proceed.
We are always happy to discuss potential referrals if you are unsure whether a placement at the Approved Premises is appropriate. Please contact the Approved Premises if you are a member of Probation or prison staff and wish to discuss a referral.