The Families Outsides Support & Information Helpline provides over-the-phone support and information to children and families of prisoners in Scotland, often operating as the ‘first port of call’ for people searching for support resources. The Helpline is also available to professionals working in the field. The line is open on weekdays during business hours and … Read More
Policy consultations and requests for feedback
Over the year 2020, Families Outside fed into numerous policy consultations and requests for feedback, nationally and internationally. Among other projects, the organisation submitted a brief to the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on children’s rights to privacy; was consulted by the Scottish Sentencing Council to establish the ‘Sentencing Young People’ … Read More
Support for the implementation of video visits and mobile phones in prisons
Video visits and mobile phones were available starting the end of the month of June 2020 to people held in every prison in Scotland for the first time. Uptake has not been high, however, and Families Outside is currently undertaking research on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service to understand the barriers to uptake of … Read More
Statistics Scotland
Prison population total and prison rate per 100,000 are retrieved from Aebi, M. F., Cocco, E., Molnar, L. & Tiago, M. M., (2022). SPACE I – 2021 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, Table 7.Estimated number of children separated from an imprisoned parent: extrapolation based on Champsaur, P., … Read More
Proposed Support for Children Impacted by Parental Imprisonment
In February 2015, Labour MSP Mary Fee launched a Bill to support children of prisoners. The legislation was to require a needs assessment to be carried out in relation to the children of a parent being sentenced by way of a Child and Family Impact Assessment. It was also to provide for additional learning support … Read More
Teacher Training
After having successful sessions in 2013 of their Continuing Professional Development opportunities, Families Outside offered opportunities to teachers in Scotland in starting in 2014. Their aim is to train teachers on how to help all school staff in identifying and supporting children with an incarcerated parent. The organization hold’s their training sessions inside the prison … Read More
Barnardo’s Family Ties
Parenting Matters is a project that has been working in Northern Ireland prisons since 1996. It offers support to parents in custody as well as children and families in the community. They work inside prison with parents in custody at HMP Maghaberry and Magilligan and HMP Hydebank Wood women’s prison and young offenders centre. Their … Read More