Mark Heybourne, Development Manager

Action for Prisoners’ Families

The national federation of services supporting the families of prisoners

Since 1990 we have been working to raise awareness of the impact imprisonment has on children and families of prisoners.

We promote the just treatment of prisoners’ families and call for all voluntary and statutory agencies to respond to the needs of prisoners’ children and families. We work to enable families to become more visible to policy makers and to have their voices heard

www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk

Some examples of best practice in the UK of work with families of prisoners located here in the North East region:

NEPACS – founder members of Action for Prisoners’ Families• Acklington & Castington Family & Friends Support Centre (the first centre to accurately reflect its activities in it’s name!)• Special Children’s Visits• Youth Activity Room in Durham (only one in the country)Also •The groundbreaking work of Kay Lewin and the other Family Link Officers in Durham• The LINKS Initiative at HMP Frankland (involving families in treatment and targets)•Holme House Visitor Centre

www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk

KEY FACTS

• 150,000 children have a parent in prison every year

• An estimated 7% of the child population in England and Wales will experience the imprisonment of their parent during their school career.

• 55% of male prisoners are living with a partner before imprisonment

• 66% of women prisoners have dependent children under 18

• 25% of young offenders are fathers

• 45% of prisoners have lost contact with their families

• 22% of prisoners who were married on imprisonment are now divorced or separated.

Sources: Reducing Reoffending by Ex-prisoners: SEU, 2002 and Reducing Re-offending: National Action Plan 2004

“When he got arrested it caused loads of fights in the family. Mum didn’t know until someone told her. I felt upset at first, and I missed him all the time. But I was ashamed and didn’t want to tell people. We never got any information from anyone, where he was or telling us what was happening.”

15 year old male, father in prisonNo One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

“At the time, I couldn’t accept it, couldn’t cope, but I think now it’s hit me – but not bam, oh my God! It’s slowly caught up with me and I can see myself changed quite badly. I’m like a whirlpool, I know no direction anymore. I used to be happy go lucky, had lots of friends, loved the career I had and now I’ve become a recluse, depressed, socially phobic, I’ve got no confidence. I’ve lost a lot of self-respect”

‘Anna’ from Sentenced Families Gill Pugh, Ormiston Trust)

“It makes you feel horrible, like you have done something too. They watch you and make you

feel guilty just for being there. They search you and make you take your shoes off and you feel

stupid and it is horrible. You don’t get used to it. You sit there waiting for them to call you.

And you feel ashamed.”

14 year old female, brother in prisonNo One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

‘‘All week, he’ll (6 yr old son) be going , All week, he’ll (6 yr old son) be going , “wanna see Dad!” And when we get “wanna see Dad!” And when we get there within 15 min’s he’s bored. He there within 15 min’s he’s bored. He

wants to go to the toilet and they don’t wants to go to the toilet and they don’t let them use the toilets while you are in let them use the toilets while you are in the visits, so it’s either, make him wait, the visits, so it’s either, make him wait, or get up and walk out and you’ve lost or get up and walk out and you’ve lost

the rest of the visit!’the rest of the visit!’‘Michelle’ from Sentenced Families

(Gill Pugh, Ormiston Trust)

“To keep his interest in the family so he doesn’t forget us, so he doesn’t forget that we exist.

But also to let him know that we care” (13 year old male, step-father in prison)

“She mustn’t think we don’t love her. She might harm herself again if she

thinks we don’t love her” (15 year old female, mother in prison)

No One’s Ever Asked Me, Kelli Brown

What is family friendly?Family friendly is concerned with the benefits

for everyone; bringing children and parents and human values back into the heart of planning

and services.It’s about the big things and the small details –

from government policy to a Lego or K’NEX table in a visit’s area – looking at what will make life better for families on a day-to-day basis and

on a long-term basis.Family and Parenting Institute

We are working to be more family friendly by:

welcoming parents, children and young peoplefinding ways to make our services more family

friendly striving to make our premises safe, stimulating

and comfortable for parents, children and young people

valuing and supporting the role parents play in nurturing the next generation

Create partnerships with the prison service to become more family friendly

“While the importance of families in the effective resettlement of prisoners has long been recognised, there has been a lack of clear evidence. These results show that family and friends were the most common means of prisoners finding ETE on release. Moreover, family/partner visits made it more likely that a prisoner would have ETE and accommodation arranged on release. If levels of ETE and accommodation outcomes are to be significantly increased, further efforts may be required to maintain and increase the frequency and quality of contact between prisoners and their families.”

Home Office RDS Findings Resettlement Outcomes on release from Prison 2003

“I believe passionately that a person with a stake in society, something to look forward to, an opportunity to reach out, is far more likely to be a responsible member of society than someone without such a life chance.’

Tony Blair, 2006 Criminal Justice Bill

“I believe that we sometimes fail to give enough emphasis to the powerful impact of supportive relationships to prisoners….an offender is much less likely to re-offend if he feels part of a family and community, from which he receives support as well as owes obligations.’

Charles Clark, 2005, PRT Lecture

The need to talk less and do more.

"Blair's premiership has to be seen overall as a positive record in terms of intentions, ideas and direction although we still have a long way to

go in order to make Britain a truly family friendly society.

Mary Macleod, Family & Parenting Institute 2007

Could the same be said for NOMS & The Children and Families Pathway?

www.prisonersfamilies.org.ukmark@actionpf.org.uk