1. Understanding the needs of families affected by parental offending: undertaking effective assessments and developing informed support plans

2. Understanding the pressure that a parent/carer be experiencing

3. Impact on parent/carers
Support needs can vary depending on:
Emotional resilience
Physical and emotional wellbeing
Level of independence: financial and practical
Family/community support networks
Nature of the offence
Childcare responsibilities
Relationship with children/parenting skills
The stage at which the family member is at in the offender’s journey.
Their culture, language or ethnicity.
Media coverage and community response
Relationship with offending family member

4. Supporting parents/carers
Support needs
Financial support
Housing support
Kinship care support
Employment
Childcare
Healthcare (mental, emotional &physical)
Parenting
Relationship guidance
Understanding CJS

5. Approach with parents/carers
Non-judgemental and understanding.
Be persistent – may take time to build trusting relationship.
Listen to and acknowledge their own story.
Recognise the difference between the information that you need to know and the information that you want to know.
Undertake necessary safeguarding checks.
Provide support and identify actions in manageable, realistic steps (do not add to the pressure!).

6. Developing a support plan for a parent/carer
Area of support
Outcome to achieve
Action/s
By who?
When/
where
Information about the prison 
 Feel confident about what visiting my husband in prison will be like
Mother to read Ormiston leaflet about prison visit process and follow links provided by worker . Note down any questions that she still has.
Worker to find out who runs the visit centre at the prison and find out what they offer in terms of family support
Mum
 Worker
At home this week
This week

7. 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

8. Presenting signs of impact on children
Moodiness
Aggression
Chattering
Bullying
Difficulty with peers
Appearing withdrawn
Lack of concentration/tiredness
Lack of interest in work
Antagonism towards authority figures
Bedwetting
Separation anxiety
Self harm/suicidal ideation
Substance misuse

9. Supporting children Children may need support to:
identify and share their feelings
manage their own behaviour and feelings
answer questions and address their anxieties
maintain contact with their family member
manage relationships with their peers and wider community
cope with changes in family/home environment

10. Questions children may want answered
Why their family member was sent to prison.
What happens at court? Can I go? What does it mean?
Will other people know what has happened?
What does family member’s actions mean for them? Does that mean they are ‘bad too? Does family member still love them?
How long is their family member is going to prison for?

11. Questions continued
Can maintain contact with the family member, how they will do this and how often?
What it will be like for the family member in prison – what is their bedroom like? Are they safe? What will they eat? What will they do?
What is the visiting process like?
What will it be like when family member comes home? Will they be different? Will they go away again?

12. Emotional Containment
“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)

13. Developing a support plan for a child/young person
Area of support
Outcome to achieve
Action/s
By who?
When/
where
Remembering Dad
 Have ways to think about Dad and feel happy
Start to think about happy things I have done with Dad that I can put in my memory box 
Find a box to bring to next session that we can decorate as a ‘memory box’
Sam
 Worker
At home this week
This week