Welsh mental health charity Hafal confirmed its status as a leader in the provision of Welsh language services yesterday when it won its fifth Welsh Language in Healthcare Award.

The charity won the award for the Welsh language focus of its Link Service which provides access to health and social care services in the community for those in contact with the Criminal Justice System who have a mental illness. The service, which is funded by the Big Lottery and Lloyds TSB Foundation, also provides a specialist service for women from Wales who are being reintegrated into communities on release from prison.
Penny Cram, Lead Officer of the Link Service, said: "Offering a bilingual service has always been a priority and all of our printed and online information has been made readily available in plain-speaking, accessible Welsh.

"One issue for our female clients is that there are no prisons in Wales for women. This means that many Welsh women prisoners will not have services delivered to them in their first language, often resulting in disengagement from those services. Hafal's Link Service is dedicated to providing comprehensive bilingual information to these clients as well as support from a Welsh-speaking Link Officer."

The award includes a £1000 prize which will be used to produce a bilingual credit-card style contact card for women prisoners outside Wales.