Supporting children, young people and families with a close relative in prison.

Supporting children, young people and families with a close relative in prison

• Supporting Kingston children, young people and families with a close relative in prison.

• Supporting Kingston professionals and agencies working with prisoner’s families.

• Raising awareness of the needs of prisoner’s families

Development of the project

• 2008 Kingston Local Safeguarding Children’s Board recognition of children of prisoners as a distinct and vulnerable group in the borough

• 2008 Kingston Authority Children’s Services commissioned local parenting charity ‘Kingston WelCare’ to pilot a families of prisoners support project. Families Apart Project developed. (Every Night You Cry Barnardo’s 2009)

• 2009 Kingston WelCare commissioned to further develop the Families Apart Project.

• 2009 Service level agreement jointly initiated

Development of the project

• 2009 Steering group formed by Kingston Children’s Service manager (Early Help/prevention) Cross sector representatives.

• 2010 Families Apart Protocol Launched in partnership with Kingston children’s services offering professional information/guidance highlighting the aims of the local authority and Families Apart in supporting children of prisoners.

• 2011 Aim from protocol further developed Named lead staff member in Kingston schools.

Financial problems (H)

Coping Alone (F)

Preparing for release (E)

Getting a break (K)

Telling the children (A)

Visiting Prison, staying in touch (D)

Worried about the children (school, friends etc) (M)

Supporting Families of PrisonersSupport Wheel

Name:

11

33

22

General things I am not happy about

Problems that I need to sort out

Crises I need help with

44

Things I feel good about

Nothing that needs to be sorted out

55

Name of support worker

Drugs and effect on family (J)

44

55

33

22

Finding out about the prison (B)

Worried about a prisoner (C)

Childcare (L)

Hostility from the community (I)

11

Strengths

Housing (G)

Plan agreed ……………………….….

Plan reviewed …………………….….

• Telling the children

• Worried about the children

• Coping alone

• Visiting/staying in touch

• Preparing for release

Delivering support

•Professional involvement : Consultation/ advice/resources/ continual support •No professional involvement: Direct contact and support/resources/CAF

• Identifying key issues using family support wheel• Family support plan agreed• Review and Evaluation

Barriers and issues

• Prisoner’s families hidden group

• Changing structures and people

• Time constraints

• Engaging Professionals

• Funding

What has worked well

• Commitment to multi agency working• Community based• Professional Consultations• E bulletins• Hidden Sentence training/Briefings• Provision of free resources

Thinking ahead

• Work with local prisons • Support groups • Develop best practice in working with particular families * Deportation

* sexual offenders • More robust evaluation linked to outcomes