Supporting Children and Families
Affected by Parental Offending in
Somerset
4th November, 2014
Dillington House
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Background to today’s event
• Initial engagement with i-HOP 8 months ago.
• Have since been working together to:
- raise awareness amongst frontline practitioners
- consider development of strategic/practice responses
• Culminating in event, co-ordinated by i-HOP, along with
colleagues from the LSCB, Avon and Somerset police, education,
probation, Family Focus, school nursing and Barnardo’s.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Why do we need to consider children
affected by parental offending?
• 200,000 children affected by parental imprisonment in England
and Wales every year.
• 2.5 times the number of children than are in care each year.
• Significant impact on outcomes for children:
• Twice as likely to suffer from mental ill-health
• Two thirds of boys with father in prison go on to offend.
• Stigma and isolation
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Aim of today’s event
• To raise awareness about children affected by parental offending
in Somerset.
• To raise awareness about the impact of parental offending.
• To inform the development of a Somerset-wide implementation
plan for children affected by parental offending.
• To encourage agencies to participate in a Somerset-wide
implementation group for children affected by parental
offending.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Supporting all professionals to work
with offenders’ children and their
families
Polly Wright
www.i-hop.org.uk
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Introducing i-HOP

Partnership between Barnardo’s
and POPS

Funded by the Department for
Education

National one-stop information and
advice service for professionals
working with children and families of
offenders.

Web-based knowledge hub
supported by telephone helpdesk
(0808 802 2013)

Direct engagement with LAs to
develop strategic responses.
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
‘Thank you so much for
that wealth of
information. I can't tell
you how useful it is.’
(Helpline caller)
‘Good to see what services
are on offer; also very good
for locating potential partner
agencies’ (Website user)
Funded by
• Almost 500 pieces of
information listed on the site.
• Over 1000 i-HOP members.
• Almost 2000 visits to site
every month.
• A third of Safeguarding
Boards in England provide a
link to i-HOP and over 50 Family
Information sites.
• Have engaged with 30 Local
Authorities.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Why do we need to consider offenders’
children and families?
 Significant number affected:
 200,000 children affected by parental imprisonment each year
 On average 10,000 visits to public prisons made by children
every week
 7% of children will see a father go to prison during their school years
 Negative impact on children’s outcomes:
 2x more likely to suffer from mental health issues.
 65% of boys with a father in prison go on to offend.
 Significant stigma and isolation with negative school experiences.
 Risk of financial instability and housing disruption.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

Often invisible
 No formal identification of children affected by
parental imprisonment

Children’s rights
 To achieve outcomes to the best of their potential.
 To be protected from harm
 To maintain contact with their parent

Impact on re-offending
“I’m not doing no
more after this. … I
know that I’m not
going to come back
to prison. I mean
I’ve been away from
my kids for two
years now and that’s
killed me more than
anything else.”
Father in prison
 Prisoners who have visits from family 39% less likely to
offend (MoJ, 2008)

Policy Recognition
 Troubled Families Programme Phase 2 (2014)
 OFSTED Children’s Centre Guidance (2013)
 Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (2014)
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Funded by
i-HOP’s Engagement with Somerset
Direct engagement
with LSCB and
Education
Safeguarding
Group via
presentations and
newsletter bulletins
Awareness raising
with:
•Police
•Magistrates
•Probation
•FE Colleges
Strategic response
•Development of Champions
Model across one Learning
Partnership
•Delivery of strategic, multiagency event
•School Learning
Partnerships
•Establishment of CAPO
Steering group to develop
CAPO Implementation Plan
•Education Welfare
Service
•Consideration of CAPO in
strategy development
•School Nurses
•Early Help
•Troubled Families
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
What has been identified?
•
A clear motivation to support this
potentially vulnerable group of children
and young people.
• A lack of Somerset-based targeted
service provision for children and
families of offenders.
• An identified need amongst front line
practitioners for more information,
support, resources and awareness
re. children affected by parental
offending.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
What can we learn from other areas?
Strategy and Protocols
• Local Authorities have specific protocols, guidelines or
strategies in place for supporting children affected by parental
imprisonment.
• A further 6 LA’s have children of offenders identified as an
identified group within joint working protocols.
• LA multi-agency steering/strategy groups (Bristol and
Essex)
• Recognition of CAPO in service delivery:
• Barnardo’s Children’s Centres
• West Berkshire healthcare services (Midwifery Pathway
and Health Visitor referral processes)
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Staff Development
• Hidden Sentence (Action for Prisoner’s Families) training
provided by: LSCBs/County Councils, prisons and
voluntary agencies (no providers listed for Somerset).
• Targeted twilight sessions in schools
• i-HOP has begun to influence training programmes for:
•Under and post graduate courses (health, social care
and education)
•Police
•Prison based family engagement workers
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Example: Families Outside facilitating contact between
imprisoned fathers and their child’s school
Aim: to support fathers in prison to become more engaged with
their child’s education.
• Clear procedures established between all parties (offenders,
prisons, families and schools).
• Schools provided with training and support prior to engagement.
• Identified point of contact for family in community and school
(FO worker) and for offender (member of prison staff).
• Copies of child’s school work and reports sent to offender.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Initial evaluation has found that the following outcomes have
been achieved:
• A mother receiving help to tell her children the truth about dad
being in prison;
• Teachers gaining an insight into the effects of imprisonment on
the children in their class;
• Children being able to talk to their teachers about how they are
feeling;
• Schools authorising absences when a child has to leave early to
attend a prison visit.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Next steps in Somerset
• Consider the development of LA-wide
implementation plan informed by today’s
discussion.
• Learn from and build on initiatives/practice
already underway in Somerset and identified on
i-HOP.
• Develop a multi-agency steering group to lead
on implementation plan.
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Film: a mother’s perspective
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605
Andrea Packer
Behaviour and Vulnerability
Manager
Frome Learning Partnership
Together we can make the difference
Background
 Structure of Somerset’s PRU provision
changed in April 2013
 majority grouped together to become 4 area
PRU schools
 Somerset discharged some of its statutory
duties through Satellite PR provision in Frome
Together we can make the difference
The responsibility of the Frome
Learning Partnership
 Meet the needs of children at risk of exclusion
and excluded –s19 responsibilities
 Provide alternative and additional strategies to
meet the needs of vulnerable children at those at
greatest risk
 Provide preventative measures to reduce the
likelihood of children needing additional support
 Support the most vulnerable children and families
in Frome
Together we can make the difference
How do we support vulnerable
children and families?
• Manage and coordinate a number of services
• Create a method of monitoring need and
measuring progress
• Support schools by offering advice
• Having a shared behaviour strategy
• Support shared training needs
• Operate a panel to ensure fair access
• Operate a task management group to assess
effectiveness
Together we can make the difference
The Learning Partnership and Children
Affected by Parental Imprisonment
(CAPI)
The Champions Model and the
journey so far…………
Together we can make the difference
The development of the Champions
Model
 Initial awareness training delivered to the
Learning Partnership about the impact of
CAPI
 Planning with Polly to identify ways that the
Champions model could be developed
 Presentation to Heads meeting about CAPI
and the proposed champions model
 Agreement to take this forward as a Learning
Partnership
Together we can make the difference
Next steps………
 Schools identify a member of staff to be their
Champion within their school community
 School Champions attend Hidden Sentence
Training in Bristol in September
 Champions Meeting - the roles and
responsibility of the Champion
 Identify the aims of the Champions Model
 Develop an Action Plan
Together we can make the difference
The School Champion
 Point of contact within a school community
for CAPI and attend 3 FLP Champion Group
meetings per year
 Attend the 1-day Hidden Sentence training
course
 Be a member of the national i-HOP service.
 Be the identified point of contact for children
and families affected by a family member’s
offending
Together we make the difference
The School Champion continued..
 Be the identified point of contact for external
agencies to share practice and guidance
supporting child/family member affected by a
family member’s offending
 Provide non-judgemental, sensitive and
informed support and information to children
and families affected by a family member’s
offending
Together we can make the difference
The School Champion continued..
 Raise awareness about the needs of children
and families affected by a family member’s
offending across their school community
 Lead on the implementation of the FLP
Champions Action Plan in their school
 Be aware of how work with children and
families affected by a family member’s
offending sits within the overarching
behaviour and vulnerability strategies, policies
and guidelines
Together we can make the difference
Looking forward…..
 Identification of children in our area who are
affected by family member imprisonment
 Improved communication and awareness
between key agencies and other professionals
 Strategic buy-in to enable all agencies and
professionals to work together within a
strategic framework
 Children and families are supported
Together we can make the difference
Final thoughts………..
“I just wanted someone
to ask me if I was okay”
Young person – Hidden Sentence Training
September 2014
Together we can make the difference
Together we make the difference
WHAT IS IMPACT?
•
IMPACT is the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) who work with prolific and
substance misusing offenders involved in committing serious acquisitive crime.
•
IMPACT combines the resource, knowledge and expertise of Police, Probation, Prison, Youth
Offending Team and Drug Recovery Workers.
•
It is a multi-agency approach to diverting offenders away from crime through offering
pathway support and using enforcement.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pathway Support falls under the 9 Reducing Reoffending pathways which include:
Drugs
Alcohol
Accommodation
Children and families
Finance, benefit and debt
Mental and physical health
Attitudes, thinking and behaviour
Education, training and employment
Women – domestic abuse and sex work
ABOUT IMPACT FAMILY PROJECT
•
The IMPACT Family Project is an innovative pilot project for Somerset and North
Somerset which has just been launched in October 2014.
•
The idea of the project is that if the IMPACT offender engages in a positive
personal development activity (PPDA), he can earn points towards an
activity/experience for his parent or child.
•
For example, if the Offender undertakes 30 hours of voluntary work. We could pay
for swimming lessons for his child. Max. award value of £50.
•
Local organisations will be used to provide the PPDA. The activity and reward will
reflect the needs and circumstances of the offender.
•
This pilot project has received a Community Safety Funding Grant from the PCC.
WHY?
•
Parental offending and imprisonment can have a direct
impact on children’s academic attainment, emotional
development and behaviour.
•
IMPACT Offenders are a difficult group to engage and it
is hoped this project will help incentivise them to
engage in pathway support to try and reduce their
reoffending.
•
The importance of an offender’s personal relationships
with his family and children can often be central to the
process of desistance from crime.
•
For many IMPACT offenders, the effect their behaviour
and lifestyle has on their children and family is one of
their deepest regrets and impacts upon their selfesteem, self-worth and their offending.
OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
•
To incentivise and improve IMPACT offenders engagement in positive personal
development activity including education, training and employment, drug
treatment, tenancy sustainment courses etc.
•
Increase and improve the skills of the offender.
•
Increase and improve the self-esteem and motivation of the offender.
•
Improve the relationships between the offender and his family and/or children.
POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS
•
Expand the pilot project so that if an offender undertakes PPDA whilst in custody,
we can then pay for an activity/experience for his/her family member in the
community.
•
For the rewards to be sponsored by organisations and companies and to seek
alternative funding for the rewards.
•
To increase the type and range of PPDA available if there are gaps in existing
provision especially around attitudes, thinking and behaviour and voluntary work.
Contact:
Rebecca Marshall
Pathway Coordinator for IMPACT and IRIS
for Somerset and North Somerset
rebecca.marshall@avonandsomerset.pnn
police.uk
07824 083409 (mobile)
01278 644118 (landline)
A young person’s perspective
(Young person from Barnardo’s Children
Affected by Parental Imprisonment
Project)
Funded by
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605