Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos 216250 and SC037605

CHILDREN’S CENTRES;WORKING WITH UNDER FIVES AND THEIR FAMILIES

AFFECTED BY IMPRISONMENT

Owen GillNicki Smith

2nd April 2012

BACKGROUND

Children of prisoners originally identified as key target group for CCs. Now there is generic statement of the ‘most disadvantaged’.

High number of under fives affected by imprisonment. CCs offer wide range of support addressing different elements of the child’s ecology.

Child---family---wider family---community---formal orgs---wider society

Early intervention

Focus on the child’s world

Loss

T

I

M

E

Responsibility

Security

CO

NF

LI

CT

Fear

Why, why, why, why?

“He’s quite a happy little child in his own way, when he’s not having a paddy… he has got a lot more clingy. His behavioural difficulties have deteriorated since his father has been in prison.’’

mum ref 2.5 year old

"I asked him what was wrong and he started crying and said that the little boys were laughing at him, saying his dad was in prison and on Crimestoppers and stuff……. Then he said they were calling him burglar and stuff like that. ‘Mummy, it upsetted me.’“

mother

I have no choice…Harry, age 8

IMPACT OF PARENTAL IMPRISONMENT ON UNDER FIVES

Stress on remaining parent can impact on parenting Child’s confusion/anxiety Break down of key relationships as result of stigma, transience

etc. Stress around visiting Mothers imprisoned; Break down of care arrangements Issues when mother returns to parenting. ‘Catch 22’(Corston) re no accommodation –children not returned Particular challenges re distances involved in visiting

CC’s AND FAMILIES; REACH AND PRACTICE

Techniques of ‘reach’ into communities. Links. Making families affected by imprisonment realise CC is for them.

The culture of the CC Practice. Addressing different aspects of the

child and family’s life. Finances, practicalities (how to visit, maintain contact etc) community relationships

WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES

Making links between offender management services and child care services.

Links into prisons and providing info re CCs Referrals, partnership agreements, SLA’s etc Breaking down professional culture

differences.

Many of the children and families of offenders are the same families with multiple problems that DfE is trying to address through Family Intervention Projects (FIP)

Rather than waiting for the first signs of risk to emerge in children, we could do more to predict future risk by picking up signals from the family as well as a child

Children’s RightsChildren have rights under the UN Convention on the Rights

of the Child (UNCRC) Article 5 – benefit from the guidance of a parent Article 7&8 – to know and be cared for by parents Article 9 – to only be separated from their parent when it is in the

child’s best interests Article 9 acknowledge that separation might be caused by

intervention of the state, but where that happens the child should be given information and has the right to maintain relations and direct contact on a regular basis, if this is in their best interests

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Sept 2011 – Incarcerated Parents – two primary themes

Babies and children living with or visiting a parent in prison Children left outside when their parent is incarcerated

So……

Who are they?

Where are they?

Who is looking after them?

Who is aware of their needs?

What systematic support is available?

How do you identify them in your centre?

"What support are these children getting? It is a really good question - and one I feel I should have given more attention to in the past" - Headteacher

"If the estimation is right, I could have up to 2,000 children of prisoners in my area and I didn't even know about them" - Local Authority, Children’s Services