Centre Overview

Fulham Correctional Centre is a 1,035 bed medium and minimum-security male correctional centre located at Hopkins Road, West Sale - about two and a half hours drive from Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. The facility is operated by The GEO Group Australia Pty Ltd (GEO) on behalf of the Victoria Government.

Fulham is focussed on providing prisoners with opportunities to prepare them for release to the community as a law-abiding citizen and making a positive contribution.

The management of prisoners at the facility is based on the principles of GEO’s Continuum of Care® which focusses on addressing the needs and risks of reoffending for individuals by way of participation in rehabilitation and reintegration programs offered at the Centre. The Centre encourages prisoners to take advantage of the opportunities on offer and promotes self-responsibility.

The Centre has a number of departments that provide services to individuals and enables them to participate in activities including:

• Work opportunities
• Education
• Social and interpersonal relations
• Recreation
• Health services treatment and planning
• Counselling and referral services
• Catering and canteen
• Security services

The facility is managed by a team of senior leaders reporting to a General Manager. The departments include Health Services, Vocational Services, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Services, Custodial Services, Finance and Administration, Facility Maintenance, Contract and Performance and Human Resources.

Primary Health Services

  Primary health services delivered at the Centre are supported by the GEO Clinical Governance Framework and the National Clinical Governance Committee. Locally, there is a Health Service Safety and Quality Committee that operates to ensure best practice health service delivery and continuous improvement strategies.

The Health Services at the Centre involve the provision of primary health services to individuals and includes:

Primary Health

• Services offered (e.g., Emergency Response, Triage, Chronic Health Care Plans, etc)

• Pathology, Medical Imaging.

• Dental

• Medical, Nursing Allied Health

Primary Mental Health

• Services offered (e.g., HRAT, Crisis Support, Mental Health Recovery Plans, etc)

• Medical, Nursing, Allied Health

• Consultant Psychiatrist.

Medical Coverage

• Nursing (both shift work and Monday-Friday Positions)

• Allied Health – including physiotherapy, optometry, podiatry

• Casual / part time / full time

• Dental Mental Health Nurses.

Rehabilitation and Reintegration

Clinicians at the Centre have a specific role in rehabilitation by supporting prisoners to change behaviours through addressing ‘risk factors’ for offending, alcohol and other drug issues and assisting with development of skills and strategies that support a prosocial lifestyle. 

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team the rehabilitation and reintegration function strives to support change, reduce risk and improve lives. The Centre provides a range of therapeutic programs and educational courses for prisoners with many opportunities for employment and vocational training.

The Rehabilitation and Reintegration Team consists of the following team members:

• Manager, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Services
• Clinical Services    
  • • Senior Clinician
    • Clinicians
    • AOD Specialist
• Family Services Coordinator
• Health and Wellbeing team
• Aboriginal Liaison Officer
• Aboriginal Wellbeing Officer
• Reintegration Services
• Administrative Support

The GEO Continuum of Care® model provides enhanced in-prison offender rehabilitation, education and vocational training, health care and reintegration services, integrated with post-release support provided by contractors.

Clinicians do this by:

• Developing a therapeutic alliance with prisoners that encourages and supports change.
• Assessing each prisoner’s individual risks and needs.
• Developing individualised treatment plans.
• Facilitating individual intervention and group programs (remand, sentenced, AOD, violence) that address risk factors for re-offending.
• Role modelling prosocial behaviours and attitudes.

Clinicians also complete the following work in respect to prisoners:  

• Orientation to the Clinical Service
• Distress Intervention

Coping and Adjustment

• Individual Treatment Plans (where indicated)

           - e.g., complex presentations and challenging behaviours

          - Responsivity issues

         - Individualised treatment needs

• Peer Support program

         - Do good be good’.