Opening in 1980, Ashdene has been supporting people with convictions for 45 years. Located in the Cathedral City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, the service provides supported housing with extra care – a blend of independent living and onsite support for clients with care and support needs.
Ashdene’s main house is home to 17 clients, which includes a 3-bed flat allowing for a staged step-down. They also have 4 move-on houses in the community for a further 17 clients living more independently.
We connected with Julie, who has been working at Ashdene for nearly 15 years. She became the service manager in 2021 and is currently working a temporary role in Langley’s central care team.
“For me showing love is all about giving respect. It’s not about looking at their past but looking forward”
Tell us about Ashdene?
At Ashdene we provide support for guys with convictions coming directly from prisons or hospitals. We work to give them a running chance of living independently. Supporting them to not reoffend and showing them that there is another choice for their lives other than that path that leads them back into prison.
Photos below: Craft Sessions & Animal Therapy at Ashdene
What kind of support do clients need?
Clients at Ashdene can have various needs – like mental health, care needs and addictions. A key thing is also how much the world has changed since they went to prison. Sometimes guys come out with nothing – they have no ID or any way of proving who they are. We have to help them start from scratch. You can’t get a bank account, and things like booking appointments, using the internet, mobile phones etc. have all completely changed.
I remember one client was trying to sort his benefits out on an automated phone system and they just couldn’t deal with him, I heard him say “This is why I’d go back to drug dealing, it’s just easier”. With all that in mind, we do all we can to support our clients to be able to survive and then thrive in society.
What kind of activities help clients progress?
Alongside the regular keyworking and practical support we do lots of activities. Some clients enjoy crafting, there’s animal therapy. We do trips to places they might never have been – like a zoo or a museum. Things like this show them the sort of life they could have. It helps decrease that feeling that they might be better off back in prison. Enjoying activities helps them realise they can actually enjoy life on the outside.
What are the challenges you see in this work?
Being the ones to have to set boundaries can be challenging at first. You might think the best way is to try and be liked by letting clients do what they want. But actually, even if they give you loads of flack, they do normally understand why decisions are made and they can see the benefits. And that leads to mutual respect which enables you to develop better working relationships with clients.
What is the significance of showing love?
For me showing love is all about giving respect. It’s not about looking at their past but looking forward. I remember one client who had made some mistakes. We sat down and talked about what happened and then we started to talk about what we’re going to do next, and he was so surprised that we still wanted to work with him.
There are scenarios where Langley is unable to offer another chance but it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve it from somewhere. I do believe that everyone deserves another chance, and that shocks clients because in the past people have just washed their hands of them. But Langley is willing to keep supporting and that has a huge impact.
Also significant to the work at Ashdene has been a longstanding relationship with, and support from, local churches in Wakefield. Rob Magee started working for Langley in 1997 and has been involved at Ashdene for over 25 years, now as a regional manager. Rob told us a little about this work with local churches:
“For a long time Ashdene has developed partnerships with local churches and chaplains which have been so significant and helped the service to be accepted in the local community. Over the years clients have attended churches and even volunteered at foodbanks and cafes. We’ve had visits from the Bishop of Wakefield, and managers now go to the bishop’s breakfast each month. Two long-standing chaplains Dave and Kathy, who came through a partnership of over 20 years – first with St Andrew’s and then St Catherine’s – visit every week to meet clients and pray with them. They are so understanding, nonjudgemental and supportive, and clients get curious about God and come in and out of prayer time.”
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