10th October 2010
Kids VIP has launched a new resource for all staff involved in developing and running Family Day Visits. The How to Run a Family Day Toolkit is a comprehensive guide covering planning, security, health and safety and a range of tried and tested themes and activities for children and young people. It is also supported by additional downloadable resources from our special Family Day website which include planning webs, more play and activity ideas, behaviour policies and case studies.
The pack was developed in consultation with members of Kids VIP’s National Prison Play Network.
Following our national survey in 2009 into the extent of child-centred provision for children in prison visits, we found that only 12% of UK prisons had run a family day. We therefore hope that this toolkit will provide the information, guidance and confidence to enable more prisons to run Family Days on a regular basis.
“As a Governor I introduced ‘Family Day Visits’ in two prisons (a Category C and a Local). Both were amazingly successful and with positive outcomes (at low cost) for both prisoners and for their children. The Kids VIP Toolkit is an excellent resource that can help you to develop effective Family Visits in your prison and I am very happy to give it my support.” (Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer, National Offender Management Service, England and Wales.)