Objectives
As stated in Europe 2020’s strategy, Europe is facing a serious skills gap that risks hampering growth and employment in the future. The least-skilled workers, who are in the most urgent need to be upskilled for employment purposes, tend not to take part in the training. In the case of a prison facility, the challenges faced by the workers are truly unique. Often, the correctional personnel experience role conflicts when they attempt to reconcile their custodial responsibilities (i.e., maintaining security) and their treatment functions (i.e., facilitating the rehabilitation of inmates). These and other constraints, which are relatively specific to the prison environment, negatively affect the staff’s physical and mental health, causing high levels of anxiety, burnout, and depression.
Besides being a dangerous, complex and stressful occupation, prison staff face several social problems - such as poor social status, role conflicts, demanding social contacts (with inmates, colleagues, supervisors and governors) - and gender issues.).
Besides being a dangerous, complex and stressful occupation, prison staff face several social problems - such as poor social status, role conflicts, demanding social contacts (with inmates, colleagues, supervisors and governors) - and gender issues.).
LEADCOR “Leadership development for occupational stress reduction in correctional settings” project aimed reducing of occupational stress through leadership development in the prison context. LEADCOR project focused on enhancing the leadership competencies of staff aiming to promote a safe and prejudice-free learning environment for these diverse and vulnerable group of learners. Furthermore, it sought to contribute to the mitigation of the tensions between prison key stakeholders (i.e., management, prison staff, inmates and inmates’ families), enabling considerable savings in personnel budgets by reducing early retirements and absenteeism, while improving the quality of work with inmates and, ultimately, enhancing opportunities for rehabilitation.
LEADCOR project sought to co-jointly develop an innovative and integrated training curriculum and programme for occupational stress reduction through leadership development in the prison context. The specific goals of the project were:
1. To increase awareness on the importance of leadership and the negative impacts of occupational stress in the daily life of prisons;
2. To develop transversal skills for prison staff, such as leadership and management competencies that can positively impact the reduction of stress;
3. To mitigate tensions among management and staff, between staff, among staff and their families, and between staff and inmates (through stress reduction);
4. To positively enhance the health of prison staff members.
LEADCOR project sought to co-jointly develop an innovative and integrated training curriculum and programme for occupational stress reduction through leadership development in the prison context. The specific goals of the project were:
1. To increase awareness on the importance of leadership and the negative impacts of occupational stress in the daily life of prisons;
2. To develop transversal skills for prison staff, such as leadership and management competencies that can positively impact the reduction of stress;
3. To mitigate tensions among management and staff, between staff, among staff and their families, and between staff and inmates (through stress reduction);
4. To positively enhance the health of prison staff members.