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Safety and Relationships
The process to become a volunteer is comprehensive. Every person is vetted by PCSANZ, with commendations from their respective church or faith-based community, and there are extensive requirements from Ara Poutama Aotearoa and Serco to gain access to the prison.
When organising the volunteers’ activities at prisons, the chaplains are constantly aware of the need to be prepared for disruptions. The main disruptions include sudden prison or unit lockdown, or there being too few prison staff on site at a given time to facilitate the volunteers’ activities and/or ensure their safety.
Being a PCSANZ volunteer is different to being a personal visitor to a paihere. As a member of the public, you may
be able to become a visitor to a paihere. However, this relationship is initiated by the paihere and must be approved by prison management (Corrections or Serco). Generally, PCSANZ does not allow its volunteers to also be a personal visitor to any paihere.
