Befriending for Reintegration: Making Connections for a Fresh Start

About this course

Befrienders play an important role in the reintegration journey of former inmates. As a dedicated befriender, you provide much needed emotional and pro-social support to former inmates as they re-enter society and face numerous barriers. Hence, it is important to have an appreciation of the aftercare landscape and to understand both your clients' aspirations and challenges as they return to society.

This course is useful and relevant for those seeking a meaningful and rewarding befriending experience as well as for volunteers who mentor or coach former inmates. It equips you with practical skills and knowledge, such as effective ways of engaging your client and navigating common challenges in the befriending process.

Course Access Period

Please note that this is an online self-paced asynchronous course where learners will be granted two month of access from the enrolment date. Do also note that the course tile may take up to 48 hours to show up on your dashboard after purchase, and your access will start after it has been made accessible.

What you will learn

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

Gain insights into the relevant aftercare landscape
Appreciate the volunteer’s role in the desistance of former inmates
Empathise with former inmates’ aspirations and challenges
Engage and encourage former inmates
Respect boundaries and ethical obligations
Practise self-care in your befriending journey

Course Staff

William Soh
Programme Head, Organisational Development, Singapore After-Care Association

Biography
Mr William Soh joined Singapore Prison Service as a prison counsellor since the early 2000s. Before his secondment to Singapore After-Care Association in February 2021, he was the Senior Assistant Director of Correctional Rehabilitation Service Branch (Reformative Training). William is a registered social worker and has a Master of Applied Psychology (Counselling). He has extensive knowledge and experience in working with various types of offending population. In addition, William teaches the Social Work and Offender Rehabilitation module in the Social Work Department, National University of Singapore.

Charmaine Teh
Social Worker, Singapore After-Care Association

Biography
Ms Charmaine Teh joined Singapore After-Care Association in 2018. Under the Initiative for Incarcerated Mothers and Affected Children (IIMAC) program, she worked closely with volunteers in supporting children of incarcerated mothers and their caregivers. Charmaine also conducted trainings aimed to empower and enrich the volunteering experiences of IIMAC volunteers. Currently a registered social worker, Charmaine now works with ex-offenders and their families on their rehabilitation and reintegration needs.

Start: Available Now
Length: 3 hours
Price: S$54.50 (including GST)
Course Provider: Singapore After-Care Association
Subject: Volunteering
Language: English

COURSE CONTACT

William

training@saca.org.sg

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