1. Therapeutic approaches to working with offenders’ children
Facilitator – Susie Bryant, Senior Practitioner Community Support for Offenders’ Families, Barnardo’s Isle of Wight

2. COPING Project -University of Huddersfield 2013
Children with imprisoned parents as a group are at a significantly greater risk of suffering mental health difficulties than children who do not have parents in prison.
Children of prisoners have additional needs compared to children without imprisoned parents
Stigma remains a barrier to accessing interventions and services
Coping Children of Prisoners Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health November 2013

3. COPING has identified key factors relating to children’s resilience which include:
Children’s innate qualities
The importance of stability provided by caregiving parents
The importance of sustaining and maintaining relationships with the imprisoned parent
The importance of the quality of the parents’ relationship with the child prior to imprisonment has also been underlined
Support from other extended family members
Coping Children of Prisoners Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health November 2013

4. The offender journey

5. Impact of key attachment figure offending
Can aggravate existing problems that already put strain on family.
Important to take a whole family approach.
Impact can vary from one family member to another.
Impact can vary over time.
There may be both positive and negative impacts of parental imprisonment.
It is important to hear the voice of the child.

6. Impact on children
The impact on children, might vary over time and become more apparent at certain points:
When a family member is arrested
When a family member is attending court/standing trial
When they find out about a family member’s imprisonment
Prior to or directly after visiting a family member in prison
When there are special events such as birthdays, father’s/mother’s days
There is a home visit by the family member in prison
A family member is released from prison
“I just kept acting stupid because I missed him (father in prison) and got in loads of trouble…being in some big tantrums” Boy 12 years old

7. Theory
Attachment
‘Parent-child relationships are undermined, disrupted and damaged by the court and prison systems.’ (NSPCC, 2014)
Disenfranchised grief
‘The grief experienced by those who incur a loss that is not, or cannot be, openly acknowledged, publicly mourned or socially supported.’ (Families Outside)

8. Children of Prisoners - additional needs
Children of prisoners’ sense of ontological security is shaken when they experience the absence of a parent due to incarceration. Ontological security is a state of mind that rests on a sense of continuity regarding events in one’s life, allowing one to have a positive view of the self, the world and the future (Giddens, 1991). A reduced sense of ontological security in children of prisoners can be said to have led to the need for increased levels of help and support.
Coping Children of Prisoners Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health November 2013

9. Children of Prisoners - additional needs
“You feel like you don’t have anyone”
Furthermore, the ambiguous loss that results from the incarceration, where the parent is emotionally part of the child’s family but is physically absent (Boss,2007), increases uncertainty and the level of posttraumatic stress for the child (Bocknek, Sanderson, & Britner, 2009), increasing the level of need for help and support.
Coping Children of Prisoners Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health November 2013

10. “If you do nothing but strive for the deepest possible understanding of a child and if you communicate that understanding, that experience can be life-changing”
(Kahn, 1991)

11. Basic principles of intervention
Building rapport
Active listening:
Matching body language
Minimal response
Use of reflection
Use of summarising
Communication:
Open questions
Avoid why questions unless absolutely necessary
Statements
‘I wonder’
“I was 9 when he went in, now I’m 11. It makes me kind of angry and sad, its hard that I really don’t get to spend any time with him. I wish he could GET HIS LIFE STRAIGHTENED OUT!

12. Learning from our experience- therapeutic intervention
Non-judgemental
Authentic
Honest
Don’t always have the answers
Child's voice
Have the conversation
Listen to their narrative
support wheel/evaluation
Structure, familiarity, predictability
Carers emotional resilience
Anger Anxiety
Regression

13. Case Study: Matthew and Christine
“I split up with my ex-partner following a lot of domestic abuse and he ended up going to prison. We have a son together- Matthew, he is 9. His dad has been to prison a couple of times and the first time Matthew was able to visit him. The second time his dad didn’t tell us where he was serving and since he came out he’s refused to let us know where he’s staying and we aren’t able to find out. This is devastating for Matthew and he is struggling to get his head round it.
Matthews emotional wellbeing has been really affected by what has happened and he has struggled coping at school and has lacked confidence and an ability to control his anger”

14. Matthew - intervention
Anger Management
Understanding and recognising signs
Trigger situations
Safe ways to release anger- identification of personal strategies.
Practice and sharing with adults to support
Anxiety Management
Recognising signs
Self monitoring of feelings and thoughts
Encouraging identification of worries
Identification of personal strategies
Practice and sharing with adults to support

16. Anxiety Management – Tension imagery

17. Anxiety Management - Relaxation imagery

18. Case Study: Matthew and Christine - end of intervention
“Barnardo’s has really helped us get back on track. Matthew has had regular 1:1 sessions in school which focussed on anger management and anxiety management strategies and raising self-esteem. Barnardo’s has also given strategies for us to use at home such as anger rules and with the teacher for implementing in school.
We have both gained in confidence since Barnardo’s worked with us and to be honest even a year ago I wouldn't have been able to talk about what we have been through. Two years ago I couldn't talk about what had happened without crying. I am so thankful for the support Barnardo’s has given us and I finally feel that we are now coming out the other side”
“Without this help and support I’m not sure we, as a family would be where we are now. We have all grown with confidence that everything will work out”

19. Any Questions?

20. “I think I’m making better decisions”
“I feel comfortable when I say things to her…..no-one has talked like this to me before”
Child Service User
“You don’t feel like nothing when you’re with her”
Young Person Service User
“I think I’m making better decisions”
Child Service User
“Working with you is really good because you’ve talked about things with me and whenever I’m upset or something you always understand and cheer me up”
Child Service User