24th July 2004
The Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents is holding its fourth National Training Institute on July 21-24, 2004 at the Western Justice Center in Pasadena , California . The training program will focus on recruitment, selection, screening, training and supervision of people who work with children of criminal offenders, including staff workers, mentors and other volunteers. It will underscore the Center’s research and practical experience, highlighting its developmental approach to the issues. The event will also include two workshops for participants involved in mentoring children of prisoners: 1) Assessment & Screening of Mentees; and 2) Measuring Mentoring Outcomes. Trainers will include Denise Johnston, M.D., founding director of the Center, a child development specialist and a leading national authority on children of criminal offenders; Michael Carlin, coordinator of the FatherRight and Child Custody Advocacy Services [CHICAS] Projects; and Lynette Singleton, the Center’s clinical specialist and coordinator of the MotherRight Project, which serves incarcerated mothers in residential, mother-child correctional programs.
The Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners, in partnership with the National Endowment for Financial Education, the American Correctional Association, the National Institute for Corrections and the Women’s Prison Association, have produced a publication entitled “Reuniting: Money, Family and You; A Guide for Women Leaving Prison.” Focus groups were held with women under supervision and staff working with women to ensure a useful and user-friendly document. It contains information about finding a job, locating housing, and reuniting with children.
The document, slated for publication in late summer 2004, will be available free of charge. To reserve copies, e-mail alee@cwla.org. Shipping will be in boxes of eighty booklets. (For small, individual orders there may be a shipping and handling charge. For large orders, the shipping and handling may be free as well.) People are encouraged to order large quantities.