From 20-23 March, the International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP) hosted their first conference in Rotorua, New Zealand. The conference was four full days of presentations and discussions on research and good practice from international experts on children of prisoners. Over 160 delegates were in attendance from 15 countries representing universities, research networks, organisations that work with the families and children of prisoners and advocacy groups.

Nancy Loucks, President of Families Outside (Scotland) and Secretary General of COPE, was present at INCCIP to represent COPE. Along with a number of presentations providing a global perspective on topics concerning children of prisoners, Nancy prepared a keynote presentation that discussed the ‘double burden’ faced by children and families of the accused or convicted of sexual offences. Nancy’s presentation outlined the research into this issue, and introduced the ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ resource for families – developed by Families Outside as something that families and professionals have since used in Scotland as well as in Norway.

There were over 60 speakers at the Conference, including Judge Andrew Becroft, who mentioned the importance of judges being “merchants of hope” for young people, and 12-year-old Madison Strempek, published author of “We All Make Mistakes”, describing her experience after her father was sent to prison. Madison suggested that children become more involved in the conference, and in the future be given the opportunity to have their own session and then share their ideas at the end of the conference.

Some key takeaways from the conference were recommendations to improve the prison environment for children, such as preparing children for their visit to prison; giving them adequate information and the opportunity to ask questions about prison procedures including searches; having prison authorities ensuring that their staff behave in a respectful, child-friendly manner when dealing with families; education and training modules for prison staff that introduce the child’s perspective; among others.

The Conference was a positive exchange of ideas and experiences, and provided numerous   opportunities for international knowledge-sharing.

Find out more information about INCCIP and the conference on their website.