Barnardo's (Liverpool)
Key Facts
Location
Project Criteria
Contact
Meg Fassam-Wright
Email
Project funding
£275,011
Funding round
Parenting in prisons -- Liverpool parenting matters
The parenting in prisons project extends the work being done in HMP Kennet to HMP Altcourse and Liverpool. It ensures a comprehensive approach to improving the parenting ability of parent prisoners and their partners and to maintaining family links through:
- An assessment on induction of an offender's family situation identifying any issues to be addressed. This will be undertaken in 2 stages. A brief "screening" designed by Barnardo's and undertaken by a member of the prison service at induction. If issues are identified and the offender wants support, a further more comprehensive assessment is undertaken by a Barnardo's Worker.
- The ability to follow this up through positive contact with the offender's family
- A range of interventions within the prison that improve parenting and maintain positive family ties including "Being a Parent in Prison" programmes, family learning opportunities, family days and extended visits.
- A range of interventions "outside" that address the issues for the family left behind including parallel parenting programmes, family support, mentoring and befriending schemes. Barnardo's can add value through our extensive network of services and partners engaging with children and families across the region.
- Ensure that the needs of parent prisoners and their partners are considered and included within the local authority's parenting support strategy; by providers in the community; and by the prison service children and family pathway and its providers.
- Volunteers from the wider local community will provide support to families on the outside, thus enabling members of the community to have a broader awareness of the difficulties faced by families with a partner in prison.
Staff within the prison also take referrals direct from the offenders themselves, from partner agencies and from prison officers. Staff have had to maintain a large network of contacts liaising with a variety of different agencies including ICS, YOS, education services, adoption services, Barnardo's projects across the country etc. They also work very closely inside the prisons with colleagues from the public protection unit, wing staff, probation, health, education and partner agencies.
The Project is based within an existing Barnardo's Service within Liverpool. The team dedicated to this Project will consist of a Team Leader admin and three workers (who will be based in the three prisons). The Team Leader will have direct responsibility for service delivery, management of the staff and volunteers and day to day running of the Project.
The Team Leader will report to a Steering Group consisting of the Children & Families Pathway Lead in each of the three prisons, HMPS North West Community Development Director, Barnardo's Assistant Director and partner representatives from the Prison. They will produce an action plan and monitor progress against it.
The workers complete documentation to monitor the progress of individual parent prisoners and their families against agreed outcomes and the project as a whole against agreed outcomes. All monitoring information will be held within Barnardo's electronic (live link) recording systems. The project will also be monitored through regular formal service reviews.
Rachel Harding Children's service manager
Karen Lankstead team leader