Elise Archer,Minister for Corrections
The launch of Red Cross' successful Volunteers for Change (V4C) program within the Tasmania Prison Service (TPS) is another milestone in our plan to improve rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities for prisoners.
The V4C Program is a partnership between Red Cross and the TPS, based on an award-winning International Red Cross Program, Community Based Health and First Aid.
The outgoing Premier Peter Gutwein and I have strongly focused on helping prisoners rehabilitate to get their lives back on track when rejoining the Tasmanian community, and this delivers another commitment we took to Tasmanians at the 2021 election.
The V4C Program provides training for prisoners to become Special Status Red Cross Volunteers within their prison, and empowers them to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of their prison community through identifying and progressing initiatives.
The program provides participants with skills and training to support identified projects, along with valuable life skills - including first aid and mental health first aid.
V4C is designed to improve health, wellbeing and safety outcomes for both program volunteers and the broader prison community. It is also designed to provide volunteers a greater sense of purpose, increased confidence, self-esteem and self-worth within their community, all of which support improved outcomes upon their release from prison.
The V4C Program has been operating successfully in other prisons around Australia and internationally for several years, and evaluations have found it delivers holistic health and wellbeing benefits for the prison community and all stakeholders as a result of the prisoner-led community development approach.
The program has led to reductions in rates of recidivism, assaults and self harm amongst prisoners in facilities where it operates, and it was awarded the World Health Organisation Award for Best Practice in Prison Health in 2011.
This commitment, made at the 2021 election, confirms the outgoing Premier's strong commitment to helping prisoners get back on their feet, and I thank him for entrusting me to deliver this strong plan, and I look forward to seeing the benefits of this program into the future.
