Siobhan discusses her experiences on the Unlocked Graduates Leadership Development Programme, a two-year scheme supporting the rehabilitation of people in prison. Siobhan talks about her personal development and social impact on the programme.
Siobhan is 26 and has just successfully completed the Unlocked Graduates programme. Siobhan works as a prison officer on a PIPE (Psychologically Informed Planned Environment), where she conducts therapeutic work to support the rehabilitation of the men in her care. We spoke with Siobhan to find out why Unlocked Graduates was the career kick-starter for her.
What made you apply to the Unlocked Graduates programme?
The massive draw was that I could get operational experience working as a civil servant, in a role where you can truly see the impact of the work you’re doing.
I graduated mid-pandemic, and every time I looked for the right graduate scheme for me, Unlocked Graduates kept coming up. I’ve always wanted to work with people and do something with the Civil Service, so this style of job really appealed to me.
The massive draw was that I could get operational experience working as a civil servant, in a role where you can truly see the impact of the work you’re doing.
How have you developed as a leader?
I have grown so much as a person over the two years! From my experiences of being an officer, I’m now so much more confident in approaching those difficult conversations. Unlocked opened up opportunities that really helped me to come out of my shell and just be the confident person I’ve always wanted to be.
In my second year on the programme, I ran a project celebrating Black History month, where we hosted different cooking sessions and watched films about Black history. The events made space for me to bridge conversations with prisoners about culture and to speak about my own heritage.
I was also invited to speak at Goldsmiths’ Hall at the Unlocked Graduates Annual Lecture. It was a fantastic opportunity and it pushed me again, because I normally don’t like public speaking. But it was an incredible chance for me to network, because there were a lot of big names in the room from the Ministry of Justice, among other prestigious organisations.
What support have you had along the journey?
It’s definitely a challenging role, but that has undeniably allowed me to be a better leader.
My Unlocked Mentoring Prison Officer (MPO) has been fantastic and has supported me through all the ups and downs. She pushed me to do more than I ever thought I could! I never shied away from leadership as such, but I wasn’t always the first to put my hand up.
It’s definitely a challenging role, but that has undeniably allowed me to be a better leader.
How have you been able to make a social impact?
Just to see the change from when I first became his key worker, to now when he’s just about to be released – I’m really proud of the work I’ve done with him because it has had a huge impact.
I was able to complete a two-week work placement with Amend, which is a charity working with prisons in the United States based on a Norwegian model. We went over to Washington State to learn and share best practices with the Stafford Creek Correctional Facility.
We were able to see American and Norwegian officers collaborating on a project for the American prison. We took plenty away to improve back in our own establishments too!
But one of my most memorable moments was the impact I was able to have with a prisoner on my unit. As part of my key worker role, I identified an individual who needed support with a personality disorder. I took the initiative to collaborate with one of our psychologists to do some in-depth work with him, supporting him to understand his offending behaviour and why he ended up in prison.
The sessions were really challenging, but by the sixth or seventh session, he could clearly understand the cycle of why he struggled with offending. He’d become really open and honest, and was evidently proud of himself.
Just to see the change from when I first became his key worker, to now when he’s just about to be released – I’m really proud of the work I’ve done with him because it has had a huge impact.
How did your friends and family react to your job?
I remember it was my brother who questioned me for working in a prison while I was applying for Unlocked Graduates. In fact, his reaction in spurred me on to complete my application, because I wanted to prove that I was up for the challenge of being a prison officer.
My parents had their concerns, but they’ve realised what I actually do in my role now. There are massive misconceptions around working in prisons, but it’s not as intimidating as people think and the impact that you’re able to have is huge.
Apply now to the Unlocked Graduates Leadership Development Programme.
