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Our Work
The work of the FCCT brings a uniquely faith-led response to the process of resettlement. Working closely with statutory organisations such as relevant Youth Offending Teams, Probation, Social Services and the Police, FCCT aims to support the young men leaving Feltham by linking them to trained volunteers in the relevant Church, Temple or Mosque in the community they are returning to. By doing this we hope to create be-friending relationships which will serve as a source of support and encouragement, helping the young men to build on positive commitments made whilst in custody and so avoiding crime. Referrals of suitable young men are usually made through the Chaplaincy within the prison, but have also come from Resettlement, Probation and voluntary agencies such as the De Paul Trust.
The aim is to give a sense of community and responsibility to young men whose lives can appear aimless and disconnected from the communities in which they live. FCCT is convinced that, for those young men who show an interest in faith, becoming part of a worshipping faith community can be really helpful in reducing recidivism and reducing feelings of alienation.
We are a multi-faith project, working with boys of a wide variety of faith backgrounds and training volunteers from a diverse number of Faith Communites across London. Have look at our web page on Faith Communities or Volunteers for more information or to get involved.
Our History
The Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust (FCCT) came about, in 2002, through the vision of the three full time faith leaders in HMYOI Feltham – Rev Paul Foster (Church of England), Moulana Sikander Pathan (Muslim) & Fr Roger Reader (Catholic). Having all begun to work at Feltham at around the same time, they saw just how quickly many young men re-offended and returned to custody. They also saw how many young men either renewed their faith commitment while in prison or came to faith afresh. Convinced of the need to offer these young men a network of ‘unconditional support’ on release, they saw a model in the Community Chaplaincy projects already up and running in several adult establishments around the country. By reaching out to, training and matching volunteers from local faith communities with young men returning to these same communities, and supporting the faith communities in getting the most from the statutory and voluntary agencies associated with Criminal Justice, the Chaplains felt they could sustain the work begun inside the prison.
Community Chaplaincy itself is built on a model used with great success in Canada, where re-offending rates among clients have been considerably reduced.
In close partnership with the Senior Management Team at HMYOI Feltham, it was decided to set up a project. We have been operational since May 2005.
The Trustees
Godfrey Allen - Chief Executive, Apex Trust
Hermione Wright - Assistant Chief Probation Officer, Southwark and Lambeth
Dr. Hashim Charif - Chairman, Amal Trust
Rev. Robert Gillion - Representative of the Bishop of Kensington
Ben Thomas - Head of Innovation, The Prince's Trust
John Beastall - Chairman, Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust
Darren Raymond - Artistic Director, Intermission Actors
Harmander Singh - Development Worker, Faiths Forum for London (part of the London Civic Forum)
Rev. Roger Reader - Roman Catholic Chaplain, HMP & YOI Feltham
Rev. Paul Foster - Anglican and Co-ordinating Chaplain, HMP & YOI Feltham and Treasurer, Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust
Moulana Sikander Pathan - Area Chaplain, London. Muslim Chaplain, HMP & YOI Feltham
Tim Hicks - Learning and Skills, HMP & YOI Feltham
The Team
The Community Chaplaincy Team are always keen to hear from you. So if you would like more information about our work or want to get involved in some way please do get in touch.
Office telephone number: 020 8844 5585
Who we are
Prison
The Facts of Life at Feltham Young Offenders Institute
- boys entering Feltham can be as young as 15 years old
- an average of 5000 boys ‘visit’ Feltham every year
- more than 10 faith groups are represented amongst the boys who are detained
- around 75% of boys who visit Feltham will re-offend within one year.
Feltham is primarily a remand prison and the high turnover of young people through our gates makes it challenging work to build relationships, earn trust and make a difference to the lives of the young men passing through. Having said this there are many facilities for the young people who remain in custody, both educational and vocational, as well as housing and employment support.
The Chaplaincy team at Feltham are multi-faith. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the faiths represented at Feltham:
Buddhist
Christian (denominations include: Church of England, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Jehova’s Witness and Salvation Army)
Hindu
Jewish
Muslim
Sikh
If you, or someone you know, is a member of a faith community and are based in any of London’s 33 boroughs, we would love to hear from you.
External Govenrment Agencies
Working closely with statutory organisations such as relevant Youth Offending Teams, Probation, Social Services and the Police, FCCT aims to support the young men leaving Feltham by linking them to trained volunteers in the relevant Church, Temple or Mosque in the community they are returning to. Below is a list of some of the main Governement Agencies we work with. Click on the links to visit their websites for more information on their work.
Prison Service
Youth Justice Board
Probation Service
Metropolitan Police
Home Office
NOMS
Voluntary Agencies
The Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust is a registered Charity with limited resources. In order to be effective we work in partnership with a variety of other organisations. Some of these organisations will help the young people we work with by providing housing opportunities and others may provide training and employment help. Below is a list of some of the organisations we have worked with or consulted with: Action Acton
Action for Prisoners Families
Amal Trust
Apex Trust
Business Action on Homelessness
Cardinal Hume Centre
Caring for ex offenders
Churches' Criminal Justice Forum
Clinks
De Paul Trust
Hooper Walker consultancy
Laurel Leaf
London Action Trust
Muslim Women’s Helpline
PACT
Peace Alliance
Pecan
Prince’s Trust
Prisoner’s Families and Friends
Salvation Army
SPEC
St Giles Trust
St Mungo’s
Street Pastors
Time for God
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