I have just read an article SCCJ Newsletter titled “Female Scots prisoners to have children to stay at weekend” and a comment from the Governor of Corton Vale, Scotland’s only prison “We are working on facilities that would allow children to come in and spend time with their mother in what is as normal an environment as possible.” This is certainly a step in the right direction in providing the opportunity for families to be families in difficult circumstances, in the hope that it supports the health and wellbeing of those parties. It would be interesting to hear what your thoughts are on this and what if anything else could be done.
Interesting article. It is certainly of benefit for mums who are in prison and for their children to have a much positive contact as appropriate . Supporting their relationship in preparation for the mum’s return to family life at home can be challenging and mediation is just one way to contribute to this support.
But what about the dads!
I think you are right Andrew, providing a mediation support element, even it is to ensure that the family are able to communicate at a level where they are able to respond to the challenges together, or as a family would be beneficial. With reference to the dads, they do have a significant part to play and I would hope that this would be factored in as the initiative progresses.