C.07 Support Hui

A support hui is an opportunity to proactively involve a prisoner’s whānau / family, the wider community, and other professionals to work collaboratively to achieve better outcomes for a prisoner’s rehabilitation / reintegration pathway.

Hui are purpose-driven, to build on and maintain protective factors for a prisoner. They are held at a suitable location either within a prison, or service centre. Hui can also be held in a service provider office or at another government agency office.

Corrections staff can either be involved in hui through organising, supervision, and support, be invited to participate, or manage / facilitate prisoner attendance at a hui when organised by another government department or agency.

Detailed information regarding whanau and reintegration hui can also be located in the Case Management Practice Centre and are listed in the related links.

Support Hui can include many key rehabilitative / reintegrative processes such as: Whānau Hui: strengthening the relationship between prisoners and their whānau while they are in custody not only assists prisoners in all areas of their reintegration, it also provides the prisoner’s whānau with an opportunity to clearly understand the risks and needs of the prisoner and how they can best support them. The prisoner can develop and strengthen their sense of belonging, connection, and identity, in a safe and supervised way as part of their rehabilitation / reintegration pathway. Reintegration Hui: can incorporate all activities and actions that are identified as part of a prisoner’s reintegration and can include hui for future planning and support regarding education, programmes, employment, accommodation. Support Planning meeting: for specific offending types for prisoners if identified as being required prior to release. The meeting creates a support network and a safety plan. Restorative Justice Conference: participation in these processes is strictly voluntary for all participants and will only go ahead if all parties give their informed consent. Family Group Conference: this refers to prisoner participation in a FGC (as a parent / relative / guardian) that may be organised for a child / young person through Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice Co-ordinator or an under 18-year-old in corrections custody. Further information on support hui is provided in the related links.

C.07.01 Planning and preparation of support hui

A support hui is NOT a private visit. It is a planned and supervised process to strengthen development, implementation, and finalisation of the prisoner’s rehabilitative / reintegrative plan.

The planning, preparation and holding of a support hui is completed by case management while working with the prisoner, custodial staff, probation officers, service providers and others as identified who are specific to the purpose of the hui.

Case managers ensure that support hui is scheduled to occur at appropriate stages of a prisoner's sentence to maintain continuity of the offender plan objectives and rehabilitation / reintegration pathway.

The case manager completes the logistics for organising hui participants. The prisoner is empowered to ‘own’ the hui with the support of the case manager.

The purpose of each hui will vary depending on the prisoner’s situation. What should be a common theme is ensuring the objectives are clear, concise, achievable, and that they are communicated to all groups attending by the prisoner with the assistance of a case manager.

Support hui can be held with participants attending in person, or through different available methods, such as AVL, depending on the facilities available to all participants.

C.07.02 Engagement of support hui participants

The identification and level of involvement of support networks and the need to hold a support hui can occur at any stage during a prisoner’s sentence.

Case manager’s work with prisoners during their time on remand and once sentenced, working with them to action and achieve objectives in their offender plan.

The prisoner must consent to their identified support people being contacted as part of the hui process. Identified support people need to consent to participate in a hui. This process is managed by the case manager in collaboration with the prisoner.

Where support people are identified, the case manager will consider the suitability of the identified support, how much pro-social support involvement is appropriate, as well as when and how, contact with those individuals can / should occur. Case managers are guided by the ‘Levels of Pro Social Whanau Involvement’ in the case management practice centre.

Where corrections staff (other than the case manager) are working at engaging support for a specific hui to be held, the case manager must be involved to ensure alignment with the prisoner's offender plan and to assist in assessing the suitability of the support people identified and level of pro-social support involvement that is appropriate.

If identified support people are assessed as suitable and indicate they are willing to be involved in a planned support hui (during the prisoner’s sentence, preparing for and on release), the organising case manager must record the relevant detail in IOMS offender file notes for the relevant prisoner (under Case Management / Third Party Contact).

C.07.03 Notification of organised support hui

A Support Hui is NOT a private visit, so participants do not need to be approved visitors.

The case manager organising the hui will work with the site where the hui is to be held; to ensure the hui occurs safely and effectively for all involved and any risks identified have been considered in the context of the hui and are mitigated where required.

The organising case manager will send to the relevant manager (for example, the prison director or delegate or service manager) notification of a planned Hui through provision of [C.07.03.Form.01 Support Hui – Notification] form.

The notification outlines the hui proposal. This is the date, time, location of the hui, the prisoner it is for, the purpose of the hui, the corrections staff, service providers and prisoners support participants who will be attending, as well as provide detail regarding the suitability assessments made regarding the support participants.

The relevant manager will review the support hui notification information and liaise with the case manager regarding any questions they may have or to provide advice regarding additional measures that may be required for the safety of staff, the hui participants, and the security of the prison.

The relevant manager will sign off the notification for the planned hui and return to the organising case manager.

The case manager will ensure a copy of the completed notification is provided to the appropriate entry staff (prison / community corrections service centre / service provider / government agency) so they are aware of the scheduled hui, who is attending and all other relevant details.

The case manager will record the details and outcome actions (as applicable) of the support hui in IOMS offender file notes for the relevant prisoner (under Case Management / Third Party Contact).

C.07.04 Hui through other government agency

When hui is organised through another government agency, corrections staff will work with that agency to facilitate prisoner participation.

The prison director (or nominated delegate) is responsible for liaising with the relevant co-ordinator of the government department organising the hui and the relevant corrections staff.

Corrections will work with government departments to ensure the requested prisoner participation in the hui occurs safely and effectively for all involved and any risks identified have been considered in the context of the hui and are mitigated where required.and any risks identified have been considered in the context of the hui and are mitigated where required.

Prisoner attendance at government agency requested hui can be facilitated through considering temporary removal, AVL or telephone conference.

C.07.05 Support hui – Process not limited

The case manager is essential in collaborating with a prisoner and organising support hui for a specific rehabilitative or reintegrative purpose, this process can be utilised by other corrections staff when needed.

Corrections staff who use this process when working with a prisoner must collaborate with and include the prisoner’s case manager to ensure the hui is aligned with the prisoners rehabilitative / reintegrative pathway.

The principles of this process apply when government agencies approach sites regarding the need to hold a support hui for a specific prisoner.