PACT, theThe Prison Advice and Care Trust’s Time to Connect parenting programme has been introduced into Wormwood Scrubs men’s prison (from November 2012) and Bronzefield women’s prison (from February 2013), giving even more prisoners the chance to strengthen their relationships with their children.
The moments in our lives that we may take for granted mean so much to prisoners and their families.
The Time to Connect course develops and builds bonds between imprisoned parents and their children. By drawing on simple and achievable positive parenting techniques, prisoners on the course come to feel more confident and better prepared to spend time with their children and interact with them appropriately and responsively.
The partner of one of the men on the course said, “The course is very helpful to all young men and gives them a better understanding of what the child needs. I believe it benefits the children as well as the parents”. The time that the children get to spend with their imprisoned parent is extremely precious and helps them to cope with the challenging situation.
One prisoner, Nicky, who has recently completed the Time to Connect programme could not thank the prison staff enough for allowing him to participate in it. The course had a dramatic effect on his life and, due to his behaviour and positive attitude, he was given early release to an open prison despite still having a year to serve. Nicky realised the importance of being a good father to his son: “I want to be a better father because my father wasn’t there for me…The whole day was brilliant. I would recommend the course to anyone”.
Nicky recently spoke at a PACT event in the House of Lords about how much the course had helped him develop his skills as a father, and how he felt it could benefit other imprisoned parents.
Time to Connect has so far helped around 100 male and female prisoners and their families, including about 200 children in 6 prisons.