Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership with Supporting all professionals to work with offenders’ children and their families in the North East Wednesday 25 th November #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Welcome Jenny Mooney, Chair Governing Governor, HMP Holme House

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Welcome Barry Coppinger

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Professor Adele Jones University of Huddersfield

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no COPING Children of Prisoners, Interventions and Mitigations for Mental Health Professor Adele Jones The Centre for Applied Child, Family and Youth Research The University of Huddersfield

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Context  Paucity of research into the consequences of parental incarceration  General lack of policy interest in the plight of children of prisoners  Worldwide, unprecedented numbers of people are being imprisoned and in many countries incarceration is on the increase. More parents than ever are locked up.  Impact on children is little recognized Statistics on children affected not gath­ered Stigma forces children to keep the imprisonment a secret Chil­dren’s rights subsumed by the greater powers of the criminal justice system Children vulnerable and marginalised

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no COPING CONSORTIUM Universities  University of Huddersfield, UK  Dresden Technical University, Germany  Karolinska Institute, Sweden  Universitatea Alexandra Ioan Cuza, Romania NGOs - National  Partners of Prisoners and Families Support (POPS) UK  Treffpunkt e.V. Grrmany  Asociatia Alternative Sociale, Romaina  Bryggan, Sweden NGOs – European & Global  COPE (Children of Prisoners, Europe), France  Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva, Switzerland

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no A child-centred research strategy A child-centred, interdisciplinary and multi- sector approach to identifying the mental health needs and resilience of children of prisoners and the most promising policy and intervention responses. Carried out in Germany, Romania, Sweden and the UK, the research reflected a spectrum of different incarceration levels, welfare policies, penal codes and services for vulnerable children

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no A mixed-methods, sequential design  Survey (the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Kidscreen, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire) - over 1000 children, aged 7-17 (plus parent/carers) across the four countries surveyed to ascertain coping strategies and mental health problems. Results compared with population norms  In-depth interviews - smaller groups of children and parents interviewed to explore the impact of parental imprisonment  Stakeholder consultation-to broaden the evidence about the needs of children consultations with stakeholders (prison staff, NGOs, SWs, carers, schools, residential workers)  Mapping interventions - Health care and community based services and interventions identified, mapped and documented

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Limitations  Reaching an ‘invisible’ population  Sampling bias and representativeness  Pre-existing social conditions  Minoritized children  Ethical challenges  Socio-cultural factors  Practical and logistical challenges Children’s drawings courtesy of COPE

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Some Key Findings  Children of prisoners need to count!  Children impacted by ambiguous loss  Significantly greater risk of suffering mental health difficulties (25% rising to 50%)  Key resilience factors: children’s innate qualities; stability in caregiving; maintaining relationships with imprisoned parent; support from extended family; open communication  Significant gender differences – both in relation to children and, parents  Imprisoned fathers important role models for their sons  Children impacted by circles of stigma  Prison visiting environments and family-friendly programmes make a big difference

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Agencies  Governments overall neglectful of this group of children  NGOs leading the field in terms of practice and pushing for recognition  Relationship between NGOs and prisons in some instances evidence exemplary models of partnerships  Some excellent services and initiatives exist but these are subject to vagaries of insecure funding, the lottery of geographical location, marginalisation, low visibility and difficulties of access  Schools have considerable potential to contribute to emotional well-being – a means of mainstreaming non- stigmatising support. We found evidence of schools which were punitive and reinforced stigma & isolation and others which were very supportive

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Seeking help Agencies GPs Schools Family

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Recommendations for improvements in policy & practice 1.Child-­friendly Criminal Justice Systems 2.Maintaining Contact with the Parent in Prison 3.Advice and Support to Parents and Care Givers 4.The Role of the School 5.Public Awareness & Policy Recognition

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Recommendations: Sentencing & Imprisonment Courts should take the child’s best interest in to account at the time of sentencing and in decisions on imprisonment. Assess the impact of the parent’s sentence on the child & consider:  If the arrested parent is the child’s sole or joint carer  Residency arrangements for the child following sentencing  The proximity of the child’s residence to prison  ­The opportunity for the child to be represented and heard

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Maintaining Contact with a Parent in Prison The Issues:  Maintaining the parent - ­child relationship builds resilience  A child has the right to stay in contact with both parents (CRC)  Face-­ ‐ to-­ ‐ face contact enhances coping skills  The first prison visit is crucial in reassuring children of parent’s safety  Initial visits often take long to arrange  Prison visiting environments vary  Prison staff not always behaving in child-­ ‐ friendly manner  Telephone contact expensive and often restricted to out-­ going calls

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Contact  Minimum standards on visiting facilities needed  Prisons should provide age-appropriate activities that both occupy children during visits and foster interaction between children and their imprisoned parent  Prisoners should be able to both make affordable outgoing calls, and receive incoming calls from their family in their own language  Both children and parents benefit when imprisoned parents are supported in maintaining their parenting role while in prison, even if this is diminished

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Open communication  Children do better when they are given truthful information  Parents should share responsibility for providing information from the start of the process to its eventual conclusion  Decisions about how much children should be told should be reached in the best interests of the children (not those of parents)

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Inter-agency collaboration is key Four points for interventionArrest Sentence Prison Release

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Conclusion  Arrest and search policies and procedures need to align with the CRC  Best interests of affected children in parental sentencing (e.g. the proximity of the prison to the child’s home)  Adoption of Child Impact Assessments prior to sentence (e.g. status of the offender in relation to the child i.e. sole or joint carer, location of child’s residence, caregiving arrangements for the child following a custodial sentence)

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Children’s rights  Maintaining contact with an imprisoned parent - right of the child rather than as a privilege for the offender  Right to maintain contact during remand as well as imprisonment  Informed about the purpose & nature of searches – carried out in child-sensitive ways  Restrictions on physical interaction kept to a minimum

The COPING project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under Grant Agreement no Research report, conference presentations and research instruments available at :

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Rebecca Cheung Senior i-HOP Engagement Officer

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders  Potential for poorer outcomes: 25% of children of prisoners at higher risk of mental health issues.*  No routine identification  ~200,000 children affected by parental incarceration each year  Stigma and isolation What’s the need? Image courtesy of NEPACS How many children are affected across the North East? *The COPING Project; Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health 2012

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders i-HOP: Who are we?

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders  National one-stop information and advice service for professionals working with children and families of offenders providing: Web-based knowledge hub Rolling programme of awareness raising workshops Direct engagement with LAs to develop strategic responses. Quality Assurance Tool Standards and Monitoring Toolkit  Partnership between Barnardo’s and POPS Introducing i-HOP

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders  Raise Awareness at Practitioner Level  Tackle Stigma  Multi-agency Response  Engage User Voice  Strategic Approach Moving Forward

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Workshop 1: Identification Workshop Facilitator: Stephen Sinnott, POPS Location: Meeting Room 1 Workshop 2: Workforce Development Workshop Facilitator: Elle Laporte Butchart, NEPACS Location: Meeting Room 2 Workshop 3: Sustaining Awareness ‘Champions Scheme’ Workshop Facilitator: Polly Wright, Barnardo’s Location: Meeting Room 3 Workshop 4: Developing a strategic approach Workshop Facilitator: Helen Attewell, NEPACS and Rob Brown, Stronger Communities (Middlesbrough) Location: Training Suite Workshops

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders The Voice of the Child

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Coffee Break

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Helen Attewell CEO, NEPACS

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Planning for the future How do we score?

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Planning for the future Applying knowledge, building a plan

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Planning for the future Next Steps?

Barnardo’s Reg. Charity Nos: and SC POPS Reg. Charity No: Funded by i-HOPNE2015 in partnership #iHOPNE2015 #childrenofoffenders Questions to the Panel