Purpose of the seminar

Offenders’ families are among the most disadvantaged groups in society, and their children are vulnerable to a range of risks, all of which make poor outcomes significantly more likely. While the number of men who come into contact with the criminal justice system is very significantly higher than for women, there is a disproportionate effect on children and families when women offend – and in particular when they are in custody.

Chaotic lives are usually rendered more chaotic by serving a prison sentence, thereby increasing the likelihood of re-offending. For these reasons, new measures have been introduced in the last two years to provide alternatives to custody and to keep women out of prison. However, some women will continue to be held on remand and given custodial sentences.

* Sources: Short Study on Women Offenders, Social Exclusion Task Force, May 2009 and The Bromley Briefings, Prison Reform Trust, November 2009


Women who enter prison are often involved with a range of support services, but too often these fail to ‘join up’ and are erratically used by the women. Involvement of a mother in the criminal justice system should act as a trigger for children’s services to review the family’s circumstances. However, responses are uneven and service providers (such as teachers or Children’s Centre staff) may not even be aware of the children’s circumstances unless they have been informed of it by the family.

Figures on the number of children of women prisoners taken into care are unreliable, but anecdotal evidence suggests the proportion is significant. A number of women deny having children because they fear they will be taken into care. Extended families often carry the burden of caring for the children, who have more than average behavioural and emotional problems, while at the same time supporting the parent in prison.

This seminar will provide an opportunity to hear about policy updates and to learn about some of the exciting and very different projects which work with the families of women offenders.


Seminar speakers:

Action for Prisoners’ Families works to reduce the negative impact of parental imprisonment on families principally by promoting and supporting the development of services for prisoners' families.

NOMS Children and Families Team works at a national level developing policy related to service delivery to the families of offenders. The team is currently involved in work which will forge local partnerships between children and family services and prison and probation services.

Barnardo’s South West has piloted schemes where Family Support Workers aim to intervene early to support whole families with a parent in prison; the region’s Assistant Director has been seconded to NOMS Children and Families Team.

Hibiscus supports women in custody who are foreign nationals. An office in Jamaica and contacts around the world enable it to maintain contact between prisoners and families. It is currently addressing the growing problem of EU prisoners.

Pact’s (Prison Advice and Care Trust) Kinship Care Support Service is based in Holloway Prison and offers a range of services to kinship carers, including conflict resolution between carers and parents.

Anawim has two Birmingham-based women's community projects which, in partnership with a range of other agencies, offer one-stop-shop services to women offenders and their children. Its family support work includes preparing women during pregnancy and supporting mothers with child protection, contact and socila services in custody and in the community.

Housing for Women manages the Re-Unite Project which was developed in partnership with Commonweal Housing. Re-Unite houses mothers who would otherwise be homeless on their release from prison, enabling them to be reunited with their children. It also provides a range of holistic support services to its families.

Who should attend

• National Offender Management Service
• Projects which work with women offenders and their families
• Housing services
• Adults’ and children’s social services
• Children’s Centres
• Community health services and prison-based health services
• Mental health services
• Substance misuse services
• Domestic violence services
• Community police
• Crown Prosecution Service

Agenda

9.00 - 10.00		Registration & Coffee
10.00 - 10.05		Welcome and introduction Chair - Sarah Salmon, Assistant Director, Action for Prisoners’ Families
10.05 - 10.30		Missing Out Introduced by Sarah Salmon, Assistant Director, Action for Prisoners’ Families
10.30 - 10.55		New national approaches to supporting the children and families of offenders Sarah Davis, Head of Children and Families, NOMS, Ministry of Justice
10.55 - 11.10		Q&A
11.10 - 11.35		Coffee
11.35 - 12.05		A new approach: Barnardo's Family Suport Worker pilot projects Tim Carter, Assistant Director, Barnardo’s South West; seconded to NOMS Children and Families Team
12.05 - 12.30		The particular challenges of working with the families of foreign nationals Olga Heaven, Chief Executive, Female Prisoners Welfare Project - Hibiscus
12.30 - 12.45		Q&A session
12.45 - 1.35		Lunch
1.35 - 2.15		Supporting kinship carers when mothers are in prison Cherecee Williams, Kinship Support Service (HMP Holloway), PACT
2.15 - 2.55		Providing joined up support for women and their children Joy Doal, Manager, Anawim
2.55 - 3.05		Quick break - collect a cup of tea
3.05 - 3.45		The Re-Unite model: a support package based around housing for the family after release from prison Judith Chambers, Director of Housing Services, Housing for Women
3.45 - 3.55		Wrap up and close of seminar

Any amendments will be included on this website.

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