The second Transnational project meeting took place in Leuven, Belgium on the 19 and 20 September 2023, hosted by the KU Leuven University.

Project partners had the unique opportunity to discuss in person on the progress of the project and on the steps to be followed for the development of the project outputs and results.

The discussions which took place during the meeting mainly focused on the project’s Blueprint of Prison Staff Mentoring led by the University of Leuven, an output which is the cornerstone and the basis for the development and the implementation of the rest of the project results. The active participation of all partners, who contributed with important and very relevant country- specific information on the needs of the prison staff, the ways that newly employed prison staff can be supported and the effectiveness of a mentoring programme for them, facilitated the decisions which needed to be taken for the smooth implementation of the project.

The participation of representatives from the Danish Prison Officers Union and the National Trade Union of Prison Policemen from Romania, was a significant asset for this meeting, since in both countries mentoring initiatives for prison staff have already been organized and evaluated. Their experience on such interventions paired with the expertise of project partners on mentoring and on the criminal justice systems of their countries facilitated the design of important milestones of the project, such as the structure of the mentoring programme for prison staff, the recruitment of mentors and mentees and the matching process.

Finally, the training of mentors and of mentoring coordinators, two of the most important activities of the project were analyzed, so that all partners proceed accordingly in their national contexts.

Overall, it was a very fruitful meeting for all partners!