Conference

Prisons Minister visits Durham to address NEPACS' conference on Families of Offenders

Regional charity NEPACS, which supports visitors to our regions' prisons, held a conference in Durham on 'How family ties can be reinforced and family needs met, during and after imprisonment' on 19th May 2011.
 
The conference highlighted the impact of a custodial sentence on the children and families of prisoners, and in particular, the disruption caused through repeated reoffending.  The event included national speakers, including Prisons Minister, Crispin Blunt MP and Guardian columnist and ex-offender, Mark Johnson, as well as a number of workshops demonstrating good practice in this field.  This was illustrated by visual images from photographer, Simon Veit- Wilson, and film maker Reuben Abraham.
 
The conference also launched a new guide for local authorities and partnerships entitled 'Working with Children and Families of Offenders' which aims to build support for prisoners' families in their local community.  The guide was commissioned by NEPACS and compiled by Dr Christopher Hartworth, following research in all twelve local authorities in the region, and has been endorsed both by the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education.
Carole Payne, Head of Early Intervention and Partnerships at Durham County Council, who spoke at the conference said, 'I welcome the launch of this new guidance.  Children of prisoners are a particularly vulnerable group, and it is important that all agencies work together to support them properly.'
 
A number of families of serving prisoners attended the event.  Teesside resident, Julie, who is bringing up her granddaughter while her daughter is in prison at HMPYOI Low Newton, addressed the conference.
 
Said Julie, 'My daughter has done wrong and is paying the price, but myself, my granddaughter and other family members, are also serving this sentence.  We need to keep visiting to keep my daughter strong and make sure that vital bond with her little girl is not lost, but as family members, we need support too.  There are so many things that NEPACS staff and volunteers can help with at the Visitors' Centre, but it would be good to know where else we can go for help.  I hope by speaking out, I can reduce the stigma experienced by families and get people to think about our needs.  After all, we are not the ones who have committed an offence.'
 

2009

The Isolated Prisoner: Challenging the Void

The fourth NEPACS conference was held on 22 April 2009 at St Aidan's College Durham. It looked at the particular problems of prisoners who, for many and varied reasons, are isolated from society or family, and brought together ideas from current innovative practice and research.

Click here to download the conference report

An extended transcription of Professor Toch's address is published on the HMPrison Serivce Website

2005

Prisoners & their Families: Sustaining the Links:
An international perspective

At:Collingwood College, Durham, 5 September 2005

NEPACS' third national conference looked at the importance of family relationships to an offender and the trauma and disruption to family life caused by a prison sentence. It focused on how statutory and voluntary sectors can work with prisoners and their families, particularly examining:

a)research into families and prisoners, including the effects of imprisonment on the roles of parents and its consequent effect on the family

b)what is being done or can be done to ameliorate the effects of separation and improve the resettlement prospects of prisoners

c)what challenges are presented for the Criminal Justice System in the light of research?

The conference approached this subject from an international perspective, with principal speakers from Europe, Canada, and England and Wales providing an overview of the challenges and approaches they experience. The day was interspersed with a number of workshops relating to the theme and allowing delegates to engage with the issues.

Chairman: Mike Worthington former Chief Probation Officer, Northumbria & Visiting Professor of Community Safety, University of Northumbria

Speakers:

Christine Knott former Chief Probation Officer for Greater Manchester, Deputy Chief Executive, National Offender Management Service for England and Wales

M.W. Wolleswinkel Associate Professor in Maastricht University & President of the European Committee on Children of Imprisoned Parents (EUROCHIPS)

Lloyd Withers National Co-ordinator of the Canadian Families and Corrections Network

Workshops

Swedish initiatives with prisoners' families Rita Christensen & Pernilla Lindgren

Family relationships in a Scottish women's prison Sue Brookes, Governor, HMP Cornton Vale, & Annette Phillips

Good practice in sustaining family ties Mark Heybourne, Deputy Manager, Action for Prisoners' Families

Preparing prisoners & their families for resettlement Deborah Marshall, SMARU, & David Biddle, head of Learning & Skills, HMP Acklington

Reaching the parts others can't reach - focussing on black families POPS

Experiences of prisoners' families Victoria Wood, PhD researcher, & family members

Families, prisoners, & tackling addiction ADFAM, Cristina Osori, HMP Holloway

Working with Offenders families Teesside Probation

Family contacts in Women's and YP correctional institutions in Russia
Valerie Larinov, Correction and Probation Dept, Kostroma

Strengthening families through couple relationships Chris Grimshaw, Chair, Time for Families