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<p>Visits to children in the youth custody estate and compassionate visits to adult
establishments have continued throughout national lockdown. In line with changes to
the stay at home guidance and travel restrictions in the community, over the coming
weeks and months we will support establishments to ease some of the regime restrictions
currently in place. This will be done when it is safe to do so and guided by public
health advice. Our National Framework, which sets out in detail how we will take decisions
about easing coronavirus-related restrictions in prisons, was published on GOV.UK
on 2 June: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services</a></p><p>
</p><p>Maintaining safety and the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners continues
to remain a priority, as it has throughout the pandemic. A range of tools have been
made available to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and
welfare plans designed to mitigate any risks. Healthcare providers have continued
to provide access to services for prisoners throughout the pandemic.</p><p>We recognise
that family contact provides a crucial lifeline for those in our care. Secure video
calls have now been introduced at all prisons across England and Wales. As of 5 April,
over 169,000 secure video calls have been made. Currently 66% of prison cells have
in-cell telephony.</p><p> </p><p>We have tailored guidance for supporting specific
groups of people in prison whose wellbeing may be more impacted by Covid-19 measures
put in place. We are delivering more in cell-activity and are continuing to improve
our offer to support prisoners during this period.</p><p> </p><p>Work is currently
underway to roll-out of a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork
(ACCT), which is the care planning process for prisoners identified as being at risk
of suicide or self-harm. This is first being rolled-out in the female estate and ten
ACCT pilot sites from April 2021, followed by roll-out in the rest of the estate in
Summer 2021. We will, however, be keeping these timeframes under review to ensure
they remain feasible in the context of covid-19.</p>
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