Serco are working in partnership with the Restart Dogs project, providing innovative new approaches to the delivery of education in a high security custodial environment. 

The programme teaches prisoners to become Assistance Dog trainers during their time in custody. Assistance Dogs are trained to support people with disabilities and medical conditions in a variety of ways, providing both emotional benefits and greater independence. The positive, therapeutic impacts of dog training programmes in prison environments is well researched, documented and supported by clinical evidence.

Supported by experienced industry professionals and education assessments overseen by a qualified tutor, the programme provides both practical skills and theoretical concepts suitable to a range of learning levels, important for those that may have been out of any kind of formal education for many years.

Founder of the Restart Dogs initiative at HMP Dovegate, Rebecca Blockley, Senior Project Manager at Serco explains her motivations and goals for championing the introduction of the project; “I was looking for a project that would increase the prisoners feeling of self-worth and wellbeing which would improve their mental health. I also wanted a project that would give the prisoners a sense of purpose which would not only be of benefit to them but to the staff members and members of the community. The final thing I wanted to achieve was the prisoners being able to earn qualifications that would lead to employment upon release, reducing the likelihood of reoffending.

After completing extensive research, I came across the Restart Dog Project, a dog training programme based in custodial settings. Puppies from the age of 8 weeks old are fostered by prison staff and matched up with a prisoner who will train them Monday to Friday. The puppies are taught basic ‘puppy life skills’ initially and then progress to more specific tasks such as picking things up, getting things from the fridge, or turning lights on and off, with a view to them becoming Assistance Dogs.”

The project commenced at HMP Dovegate in November 2021, with the arrival of 8-week-old puppies, Emily, Rosa, Maya, and Greta. The application process to take part in the programme is synonymous with life outside of prison in that there is an application and covering letter and assessment session for those shortlisted with tutors from the Restart Dogs initiative. 

Learners are with their dogs from 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday, during which they also need to fit in their education, completing their qualification alongside the practical work with their dog. They can choose to study a Canine Behaviour course ranging from Levels 1-6, and they must master the art of having their dog sit quietly whilst they focus on their desk-based work.

The introduction of the Restart Dog Project at HMP Dovegate has had a positive effect on the prisoners involved. Research completed by the project team concluded that there has been an improvement in learners’ mental health, they have a better relationship with staff members and feel it has broken down barriers between them.  Not only are they focused on achieving qualifications within the prison, but they are thinking about future careers and using the skills they have learnt on the course when they are released.

Learners reference a range of personal benefits including a reason to get out of bed, confidence, a sense of future and responsibility, with one learner pointing out that "We're not just learning a job, we're living that job every day!".

Learners are currently focused on achieving their Level 2 qualifications, with four learners having successfully completed Level 2 and advanced to Level 3. The course is flexible catering to individual learning needs and pace. 

Rebecca says of the experience, “From working with the prisoners since the beginning of the project the transformation has been remarkable. Some of the prisoners that joined initially have gone from having no social skills, or confidence with a total mistrust of staff to now standing in front of a dog training class made up entirely of staff members and their dogs and delivering a class as well as providing one to one support. The prisoners are calmer and more relaxed and haven’t been involved in any incidents since starting. One participant in particular credits the Restart Dog Project with him stopping taking drugs completely, something he has always struggled with.”

Since 2021 two further cohorts of puppies have joined the programme at HMP Dovegate with those that joined in the first cohort now taking up their new roles as Assistance Dogs in the community.

One of the puppies from the first cohort has successfully been placed with a family in the community as an Autism Assistance Dog. Maya assists her person with all sorts of things such as visits to the shops and the barbers for haircuts, things that would have been impossible before.  Her training will continue in the community with the Restart Dog Trainers who will assist her new family with further training.

Luther and Marsha from the second cohort are awaiting an assessment by Veterans with Dogs, if they are successful then they will be matched with a veteran in the community and their training will continue with the charity.

The rest of the dogs are all being reviewed and assessed to see where their individual skills are most suited. They could work in a variety of assistant roles, such as helping a person with mobility issues, PTSD, a diagnosis of Autism and alert dogs for medical conditions.

Rebecca reflects on the impact of the scheme, “I think what makes the Restart Dogs project really stand out is the fact that it not only delivers evidenced benefit and qualifications to our learners, but also to our staff who are able to foster dogs into their families. It improves relationships between our staff and our prisoners and it gives prisoners an opportunity to do something that gives back to the community, something they are often motivated to do, but don’t always have a way to go about it.”