The Ministry of Justice plans to spend about £115,000 hiring actors to help family liaison officers (FLOs) practice breaking the news of an inmate’s death to families. The training is described as a “real-life” scenario intended to test how FLOs communicate sensitive information.
According to the reports, the exercise involves actors playing the relatives of a deceased inmate, allowing FLOs to rehearse the process of delivering the notification. Both sources focus on the cost and the use of actors in the scenario, noting it has drawn criticism over value for money. They do not provide additional detail such as where the training will take place, how many FLOs will be involved, or whether the actors’ roles are based on any specific operational guidance.
The differing outlet angle is mainly the framing of the spending: coverage emphasizes the alleged waste of taxpayer funds while describing the same core plan for actor-led training.
