2nd October 2004
The association Bambinisenzasbarre organized a two-day training course in Milan on September 9-10, 2004 entitled “The Impact of Imprisonment on Family Ties”. The event, a Eurochips initiative, was supported by the Bernard van Leer Foundation in The Hague in collaboration with the Fédération des Relais Enfants Parents (FREP) in France . It also received backing from the prison service for the Italian region of Lombardia. The training course, conducted by Alain Bouregba, a psychologist and psychoanalyst and president of FREP, underscored Bambinisenzasbarre’s key position as the region’s main voice on the issue of prisoners’ children. Participants included people working in a variety of sectors within the field: regional prison service agents; prison governors, officers and other staff from San Vittore and Bollate penal establishments; justice ministry officials; social services for adults and juveniles; psychologists; juvenile court officials, and others. It was the first time that many of these people working in various related sectors actually sat in the same room and discussed common issues. Main themes included separation, child development issues and the impact of a parent’s imprisonment on development; issues inherent to parenting; difficulties in parenting faced by imprisoned mothers and fathers; supporting imprisoned parents; and supporting children of imprisoned parents