Our Impact

Our year in numbers

In 2024/25, we reached almost 4,800 families and welcomed nearly 70,000 visitors to our prison visit centres. Every one of them has a story to tell.

Read about some of their journeys in our impact reports below – and how you can support us to continue to make a difference.

What our families say

Gilby’s story

Five-year-old Gilby worked with our Stars Bereavement service after his dad Matt passed away.

Hear from mum Sadie how Stars helped give Gilby the tools to open up about his Dad’s death.

Watch the video

Stories from our services

‘I feel less angry’ – Billie’s journey with Breaking Barriers

After witnessing the traumatic arrest of her father in her family home, Billie was left feeling confused, angry and overwhelmed. With her close bond with her father shattered, Billie struggled to manage her emotions and cope with the drastic changes in her life.

Breaking Barriers stepped in to give Billie the support she so desperately needed.

Billie’s negative behaviours at school and home were escalating after her father’s arrest. Arguments at home, increased unhealthy behaviours and spiralling anxiety were just some of the side effects of her trauma.

After her referral to Breaking Barriers, our practitioners provided Billie with weekly support sessions in school and at home. Working with them, she set goals and developed coping strategies for managing stress, including creating a ‘self-soothe’ pack to improve her resilience.

Billie also participated in the development of our Dylan’s Story book, a tool which helps children understand what it’s like to have a parent in prison.

This experience allowed her to explore her feelings about her father’s arrest and its impact on her emotional wellbeing. Over time, Billie was able to better understand her father’s situation in prison and quell any misconceptions she had.

Breaking Barriers’ support made a big difference to Billie’s life. She soon felt less angry and more open to understanding the emotions of others. A mediation-style session held at her home also addressed the challenges in Billie’s relationship with her mother and helped them to find common ground.

Both Billie and her mother validated each other’s feelings and the work of the Breaking Barriers team helped them develop a happier family environment.

Her behaviour at school also improved and she has been able to better manage her temper and anxiety.

“I feel less angry at everything now and I’m more open to understanding other people’s emotions. I’m grateful for the support I received.”