The Role of Schools in Assisting Children and Young People with a Parent in Prison – findings from the COPING Project

Children who experience parental incarceration are vulnerable to facing poor outcomes in terms of their mental health and education. Schools have the potential to provide a point of stability during a parent's prison sentence, thereby assisting children affected by parental imprisonment to remain resilient. This paper will present school related findings from COPING, a three year pan-European research project that investigated the impact of parental imprisonment on children in the UK, Romania, Germany and Sweden. It will focus on good practice points for schools regarding how they can most effectively support children of prisoners by drawing on the views expressed by young people and families affected by imprisonment, as well as professionals who work in a school setting. Young people placed a high value on support from trusted school staff that had a general awareness of issues relating to parental imprisonment as well as knowledge of their own particular situation. This paper will therefore stress the need for all school staff to be trained with regard to the impact upon children of parental imprisonment. The paper will also include a discussion of workshops involving young people in Secondary education that were designed to enable them to think about the impact of parental imprisonment

Unsung Heroines: Celebrating the care provided by grandmothers for children with parents in prison

This article focusses on the issues that arise when grandmothers are put in the position of caring for their grandchildren while their parents are in prison. It will present the lived experience of three grandmothers who are in this position and 16 imprisoned mothers, whose mothers were caring for their children, who participated in two focus groups at two different female prisons. It is now well established that parental imprisonment generally has a negative impact upon children. Children with imprisoned mothers often face the most disruption to their lives. Many children with mothers in prison are cared for by their grandparents, with grandmothers generally doing the majority of the care. Pressures faced by grandparent carers of children with incarcerated parents occur as a result of stigma, loss, isolation, poor health and a lack of practical, emotional and financial support. If grandparents were not willing to provide this care, many more children with parents in prison would face being placed in foster care, or in children’s homes. The complexities encountered by both grandparents and imprisoned mothers as a result of the changes in roles that arise from these circumstances will be explored

Picturing Diversity

‘Picturing Diversity’ is a multimedia-based learning resource which aims to help learners to develop a better understanding of diversity and community issues through the use of video-based interviews, with local community members. The aim of this resource is to encourage students’ to engage with some of the richness and complexity around such concepts as ‘identity’, ‘community’, ‘diversity’ and ‘equality’

Breaking down barriers: understanding the experience of British Pakistani families affected by imprisonment

This paper explores the experiences and support needs of families of British Pakistani prisoners through in-depth interviews with six family members of different BP prisoners: four males and two females, ranging between 18-40 years. Key findings are that family members of prisoners experienced the Criminal Justice System as culturally inappropriate and insensitive, raising questions of direct, indirect and institutional racism. Furthermore, family members were more likely to access support if criminal justice and support services staff were drawn from the wider British Pakistani community, but felt hindered from doing so if those staff were thought to have personal relationships to the families’ own local communities

The health impact on children affected by parental imprisonment

Scotland, England and Wales have the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe. A number of studies have highlighted the devastating impact of parental imprisonment on children. As well as a significant sense of loss, many children experience stigma, social isolation, shame and fear. This underlines the need to use non-custodial measures wherever possible to reduce the disruption and trauma of a parent’s imprisonment. Parental imprisonment can have a negative impact on children’s short-term emotional well-being, as well as their long-term health and social prospects. Women, who are more likely to be primary carers, tend to receive short sentences for non-violent crimes without consideration of the impact on their children. Separation from a mother is particularly traumatic, and children affected often face greater disruption as it is more likely to involve other changes (eg, carer, home and school). Children with imprisoned mothers often reside with grandparents, who may also need practical and financial suppor

A Difficult Disclosure: The dilemmas faced by families affected by imprisonment regarding what information to share

Being or having a parent in prison typically brings about negative consequences for both the imprisoned parent and their children, including a sense of loss, fear, shame, anger, insecurity and embarrassment (Almund and Myers 2003; Lockwood 2013). With restricted choices and parenting opportunities, imprisoned parents and their families have to negotiate the boundaries between the inside and outside world when faced with the decision of what and how much to tell their children about their situation (Almund and Myers 2003). This paper will draw on three different qualitative studies conducted in relation to families affected by imprisonment to explore the different approaches that families in this situation take in relation to how they deal with the disclosure of information. Quotes from parents and children will illustrate the complexities and stresses arising from this and how they impact on family members

Prisons without walls

When children’s parents go to prison, the impact on the child can be devastating. How do other European countries manage this challenge? Ben Raikes reports on the COPING research project which investigated responses from four European countries

Imprisoned mothers: ‘out of sight, out of mind’. A missed opportunity for rebuilding mother-child relationships

Introduction: All countries have female prisoners, many of whom are mothers. In most cases imprisonment leads to the separation of mothers from their children, which generally has harmful consequences. Moral judgements often mean that imprisoned mothers are not considered as a priority group for resources and thus services to support mother-child relationships during imprisonment are generally underdeveloped. This paper examines the barriers faced by imprisoned mothers when they try to make use of their time in custody to take steps towards rebuilding relationships with their children. The paper explores lessons learned from a project that operated at a Women’s Prison in the North of England, providing both Positive Parenting Courses and Family Mediation. The literature suggests that few countries have addressed the impact on children when their mothers are imprisoned. The paper thus raises important questions for policy and practice internationally and is a significant contribution to knowledge in this area. Method: Literature regarding the issues faced by imprisoned mothers is reviewed. Semi structured interviews were conducted with staff and prisoners involved in a Prison Parenting Project. A focus group was also facilitated with prisoners who had attended the Positive Parenting Course. Key policy and practice points were identified to inform the way social care agencies work with imprisoned mothers and their children. Findings: Imprisoned mothers consistently reported that during their time in prison there was minimal acknowledgement of their role as parents. However they regarded stress and guilt arising from enforced separation from their children as the primary cause of suicide, self harm and violence towards staff and other prisoners. This view was confirmed by prison staff from all departments. Additionally, the literature indicates that children are often emotionally affected when separated from mothers who are imprisoned and that these effects may be significant and long-lasting. Policy and practice Implications: It is clear that many imprisoned mothers want to use their time in custody to face up to the mistakes they have made in relation to parenting their children. This is a painful process which requires a considerable degree of self analysis, but with assistance from appropriate parenting support programmes mothers in prison can be empowered to take gradual steps towards focussing more clearly on their children’s needs. This has the potential to deliver great benefits to their children. Caribbean countries, like many other parts of the world, have increasing prison populations and an increasing number of children who are affected by the incarceration of their mothers. In a cultural context in which women have the primary responsibility for care giving, this paper raises important issues for consideration for rehabilitation policy and programming. This paper commences with a review of the literature relating to imprisoned mothers to set the work that was undertaken at Styal prison in context. After sketching out the background to the project, the attributes of the women using the service are discussed, as are the different care arrangements that were in place for their children during their sentence. The Positive Parenting Courses are explored, starting with the themes that emerged from a focus group that was held in June 2008. The focus group was made up of imprisoned mothers who had undertaken the Course. The original idea in relation to the mediation side of the Project within the prison is contrasted to the different, but equally valuable work that was carried out. Issues relating to Social Services in relation to the Project are explored. The different approaches of the mediation project are discussed, including letter writing, and the potential for the indirect mediation that took place to act as a catalyst to improve relations between imprisoned mothers and those providing care for their children during their sentence. The benefits of assisting imprisoned mothers to record DVDs are described in relation to a prisoner who made a DVD, whilst noting that unfortunately, for security reasons, this side of the project was not developed as much as had been anticipated. The importance of good relations with other personnel within the prison is highlighted, with reference to the differences in approach that occasionally arose between the Probation staff and the Mediator / Family Support Worker