ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the explicit and implicit processes, conscious and unconscious, that were taken into consideration during the creation of a trauma-, bereavement- and loss-informed service, latterly known as Barnardo's Here and Now Service, within Her Majesties Prison (HMP) & Young Offender Institution (YOI) Polmont. The Here and Now Service was formed in direct response to research undertaken by Vaswani which highlighted the increased presence of trauma and bereavement for young men held within a custodial setting. The chapter describes the factors considered during the creation and development of the service, particularly at its concept but also, as new research evidence continues to emerge, in its continual development. It explores challenges and successes continue to be experienced by this service. The chapter discusses that environment is recognised as a key factor in evolutionary processes. Measuring change and the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention must be central to any psychological input in order to ascertain its efficacy.