When the Scottish Prison Service had to pause its Throughcare service in 2019, it left a big gap in support for people leaving prison, especially those serving shorter sentences. Many of these individuals face real challenges when they return to the community, like finding somewhere to live, dealing with addiction or health issues, and trying to get back on their feet.

To help with this, Fife Alcohol and Drug Partnership brought together a group of local services to run regular Liberation Meetings. These meetings happen every two weeks and are all about making sure people leaving prison get the right support at the right time. The focus is on those coming back to Fife after serving less than four years, especially those at risk of drug-related harm.

The meetings bring together a wide range of partners, like Justice Social Work, Housing, NHS Fife, Police Scotland, Phoenix Futures, and others, to plan support for each person. They look at things like housing, benefits, health, addiction support, and emotional wellbeing. The aim is to help people stay safe, avoid going back to prison, and start building a better life.

The first official meeting took place in October 2024, and since then, 130 people have been supported. While it’s still early days for measuring long-term impact, the feedback from partners has been really positive. One Justice Social Work staff member said the meetings have made a big difference in preparing people for release and making sure everyone involved is on the same page.

This work supports the Plan for Fife’s goal of creating thriving, safe communities with low levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. It’s also a great example of local services working together to make a real difference. The next step is to expand the meetings to support people coming out of other prisons and to find better ways to track how well it’s working.