By Christopher Stacey, Chief Executive

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World Values Day is an annual campaign to increase the awareness and practice of values around the world. Our Chief Executive, Christopher Stacey, reflects on some interesting and important work that we’ve been doing as a staff team, and with our trustee board, as part of our wider strategic development work, to look at our values as an organisation.

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When I joined the charity some 18 months ago, I sat down with every trustee and staff member and asked them about their views on our values. It was clear to me that there was a shared sense of what unites us. We have long seen our non-judgmental approach as being an important value, and that really shone through. Beyond that, we struggled for the words to articulate our other values, which is an interesting for an organisation that genuinely feels strongly guided by a broader set of values. 

At their core, values are what matter most to us. They are the golden thread that runs throughout everything we do and the decisions that we make. They motivate and guide us. They are the passion in our hearts, and set out what we think is important and what the organisation really stands for.  

So as part of embarking on our strategy development, we decided to be intentional in spending some time thinking about our values. Our values guide our approach to supporting and advocating for British people affected by overseas imprisonment and shape how we function as an organisation. Through our behaviour and relationships with each other and our stakeholders, we hold our values close to us in guiding our approach in both how we support people and how we work as an organisation.

Our staff strategy day in April 2024

As we finalise our strategic priorities and objectives for 2025 and beyond, we have landed on five values, created by us as a team, and I think they really capture the essence of what it means to be Prisoners Abroad. 

A longstanding value is that we are non-judgmental. We believe everybody deserves to have their human rights and dignity upheld and no one should be subject to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment. We are compassionate, helping British citizens whether convicted or unconvicted, guilty or innocent, regardless of the offence, and solely on the basis of need. 

We are inclusive. People affected by overseas imprisonment are at the heart of everything we do. We challenge discrimination, stereotypes and unfairness wherever we see it. We do not do things to people; we work with and alongside them. We actively involve people with lived experience throughout our work. We treat everyone fairly, so everyone feels welcome and valued. 

We are courageous. We challenge perceptions towards the people we support. In very difficult situations, we try to effect positive outcomes for people. We are brave, passionate, and resilient. We know we won’t succeed every time, but we always give our all and never give up fighting the corner of the people we exist for. We step towards issues not away from them because they are hard. We believe in what we do and stand up for what is right. We never stop believing in a better future for British people in prison overseas and their families, and we are optimistic for the future. We are proud of our work, we learn from our mistakes, and we always strive to do better.

We are pragmatic. We translate our belief in human rights into practical life-saving actions. We take ownership, make things happen and get things done. We’re aspirational in what is possible but honest about what we can and can’t do. We’re not just idealistic or theoretical in what we do; we are realistic. We lead by example, want the best for the people we support and untangle complicated situations so we can see what can be done to improve their lives for the better.

Finally, we are responsible. We take responsibility and have a sense of duty in advocating for people that nobody else does. We take a long-term approach, identify changes and see the bigger picture. We behave ethically, have effective governance, are transparent in how we work and protect people’s privacy. We spend our funds and use our resources responsibly to achieve maximum impact and value for money. We develop trusted and respected partnerships with a range of key stakeholders.  We work with and alongside the UK government, but we are an independent charity.

When I reflect on my conversations with supporters of Prisoners Abroad, they are characterised by these values that are shared by our community, channelled through this unique charity to provide life-saving welfare support to people who would otherwise risk being forgotten.  

How an organisation brings its values to life and embeds them in its day-to-day work is a key measure of how successful those values are. Prisoners Abroad’s values will feature as a key part of our new strategy, published early next year in 2025, and we will be making sure that they guide us in all aspects of our work. 

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Being offered a lifeline can change everything. 

Prisoners Abroad translates human rights law into practical life-saving actions by providing prisoners access to vitamins and essential food, emergency medical care, freepost envelopes to keep in touch with home and books and magazines to help sustain mental health.

Can you help to support our life-saving work by donating today?

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