28th April 2010
Norway’s Organization for Families and Friends of Prisoners (FFP), a Eurochips member, is organizing a seminar in Oslo entitled Children with Imprisoned Parents: Exchanging Experience and Good Practice, on May 7, 2010, to coincide with Eurochips’ annual General Assembly meeting the following day.
The seminar will be a day to share experiences, initiatives and recent and ongoing research on the issue of prisoners’ children. Topics to be addressed on good practice include: parenting in prison; training prison staff on the importance of family ties; children visiting in prison; and working with prisoners’ children. Featured speakers will include Reidar Hjermann, the Children’s Ombudsman in Norway, who has worked closely with FFP and will be focusing on the importance of letting children’s voices be heard. EUROCHIPS member Maja Gabelica, Deputy Children’s Ombudsperson in Croatia, will speak about the key role that the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office has played in getting the issue of prisoners’ children off the ground in Croatia. Trje Moland Pedersen, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of Norway, will speak about how the Correctional Service of Norway works to help maintain family ties.