Invisible Walls Family Support Service

HMP Winchester

The Invisible Walls approach

DfE funded project 2011-2013 Big Lottery Reaching Communities 2013-16 HCC Troubled Families Innovation Grant

Common Aims :• help reduce re-offending• increase stability of children’s lives, and • help families achieve positive outcomes

The scale of need….

• 200,000 children experience a parent being sent to prison each year nationally• around 65% of boys with a Dad in prison

become offenders themselves• nearly 30% of children with a parent in prison experience mental health problems • children of prisoners are more likely to experience poorer education attainment and higher levels of social disadvantage

• Emotional Impact on Children :

• Disenfranchised grief – grief that persons experience when they incur a loss that is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, publically mourned or socially supported”. (Doka 1989) The Role of Schools in Supporting Families Affected by ImprisonmentWinston Churchill Memorial Trust - Report Oct 12

• Feelings of guilt by association

• Feeling labelled – ‘Don’t assume that I will end up in prison like my Mum or Dad’

• Not being told the truth

• Loss of childhood – changing roles in families

Invisible Walls -what do we offer ?

• Information , advice and support for families visiting the prison

• Signposting and referrals to community support

• Parenting programmes and support for fathers in prison

• Pre and post release support packages

• Training and workforce development

a space to talk…Visitor’s Centre at HMP Winchester

a space to play…Visitor’s Centre at HMP Winchester

Feedback from families

[The Visitors’ Centre] is a hand of humanity in a very cold, sad place. It

helps me feel less of an outcast in society

If this centre wasn’t here I wouldn’t

bring my children

The Visitors’ Centre makes the whole

thing easier

Children’s voices…

Some extracts from visitor’s boards…

Some extracts from visitor’s boards…

Pre arrest Arrest

First court appearanceRemand: bail/custody

Trial and Sentence

Custodial/non-custodial

Serving Sentence in custody

Pre-release

Release

ResettlementThe

Offender Journey

12

Parenting Support

• Time for You and Your Child

• Time for You and your Baby

• Time for You and Your Teenager

• Family Days

o Storybook Dadso Dads Together Groupo Self Study Packs

Feedback from fathers

I enjoyed setting goals for myself and thinking for

the future

I’ve learned about my child’s emotional

development and how important a

Dad’s role is

Most enjoyable… expressing and

sharing my thoughts and feelings

Future opportunities and challenges

• Resettlement agenda – HMP Winchester

• Changes to Probation Service

• Troubled Families agenda

• Commissioning

• Capacity

• Expectations

PARTNERHIP WORKING

Contact details :

Kerry Longhorn – Service Lead

klonghorn@spurgeons.org

mob : 0778 0757 7368

Issy Pound – Workforce Development Lead

ipound@spurgeons.org

Mob: 07794 394678