Supporting Children and Families Affected by Parental Offending in Somerset 4 th November, 2014

1. Supporting Children and Families Affected by Parental Offending in Somerset 4th November, 2014 Dillington House

2. Background to today’s event • Initial engagement with i-HOP 8 months ago. • Have since been working together to: - raise awareness amongst frontline practitioners - consider development of strategic/practice responses • Culminating in event, co-ordinated by i-HOP, along with colleagues from the LSCB, Avon and Somerset police, education, probation, Family Focus, school nursing and Barnardo’s.

3. Why do we need to consider children affected by parental offending? • 200,000 children affected by parental imprisonment in England and Wales every year. • 2.5 times the number of children than are in care each year. • Significant impact on outcomes for children: • Twice as likely to suffer from mental ill-health • Two thirds of boys with father in prison go on to offend. • Stigma and isolation

4. Aim of today’s event • To raise awareness about children affected by parental offending in Somerset. • To raise awareness about the impact of parental offending. • To inform the development of a Somerset-wide implementation plan for children affected by parental offending. • To encourage agencies to participate in a Somerset-wide implementation group for children affected by parental offending.

5. Supporting all professionals to work with offenders’ children and their families Polly Wright www.i-hop.org.uk

6. Partnership between Barnardo’s and POPS Funded by the Department for Education National one-stop information and advice service for professionals working with children and families of offenders. Web-based knowledge hub supported by telephone helpdesk (0808 802 2013) Direct engagement with LAs to develop strategic responses. Introducing i-HOP ‘Thank you so much for that wealth of information.  I can't tell you how useful it is.’ (Helpline caller) ‘Good to see what services are on offer; also very good for locating potential partner agencies’ (Website user)

7. Almost 500 pieces of information listed on the site. Over 1000 i-HOP members. Almost 2000 visits to site every month. A third of Safeguarding Boards in England provide a link to i-HOP and over 50 Family Information sites. Have engaged with 30 Local Authorities.

8. Why do we need to consider offenders’ children and families? • Significant number affected: • 200,000 children affected by parental imprisonment each year • On average 10,000 visits to public prisons made by children every week • 7% of children will see a father go to prison during their school years • Negative impact on children’s outcomes: • 2x more likely to suffer from mental health issues. • 65% of boys with a father in prison go on to offend. • Significant stigma and isolation with negative school experiences. • Risk of financial instability and housingdisruption.

9. Often invisible No formal identification of children affected by parental imprisonment Children’s rights To achieve outcomes to the best of their potential. To be protected from harm To maintain contact with their parent Impact on re-offending Prisoners who have visits from family 39% less likely to offend (MoJ, 2008) Policy Recognition Troubled Families Programme Phase 2 (2014) OFSTED Children’s Centre Guidance (2013) Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (2014) “I’m not doing no more after this. … I know that I’m not going to come back to prison. I mean I’ve been away from my kids for two years now and that’s killed me more than anything else.” Father in prison

10. i-HOP’s Engagement with Somerset • Awareness raising with: • Police • Magistrates • Probation • FE Colleges • School Learning Partnerships • Education Welfare Service • School Nurses • Early Help • Troubled Families • Strategic response • Development of Champions Model across one Learning Partnership • Delivery of strategic, multi-agency event • Establishment of CAPO Steering group to develop CAPO Implementation Plan • Consideration of CAPO in strategy development Direct engagement with LSCB and Education Safeguarding Group via presentations and newsletter bulletins

11. What has been identified? • A clear motivation to support this potentially vulnerable group of children and young people. • A lack of Somerset-based targeted service provision for children and families of offenders. • An identified need amongst front line practitioners for more information, support, resources and awareness re. children affected by parental offending.

12. What can we learn from other areas? Strategy and Protocols • Local Authorities have specific protocols, guidelines or strategies in place for supporting children affected by parental imprisonment. • A further 6 LA’s have children of offenders identified as an identified group within joint working protocols. • LA multi-agency steering/strategy groups (Bristol and Essex) • Recognition of CAPO in service delivery: • Barnardo’s Children’s Centres • West Berkshire healthcare services (Midwifery Pathway and Health Visitor referral processes)

13. Staff Development • Hidden Sentence (Action for Prisoner’s Families) training provided by: LSCBs/County Councils, prisons and voluntary agencies (no providers listed for Somerset). • Targeted twilight sessions in schools • i-HOP has begun to influence training programmes for: • Under and post graduate courses (health, social care and education) • Police • Prison based family engagement workers

14. Example: Families Outside facilitating contact between imprisoned fathers and their child’s school Aim: to support fathers in prison to become more engaged with their child’s education. • Clear procedures established between all parties (offenders, prisons, families and schools). • Schools provided with training and support prior to engagement. • Identified point of contact for family in community and school (FO worker) and for offender (member of prison staff). • Copies of child’s school work and reports sent to offender.

15. Initial evaluation has found that the following outcomes have been achieved: • A mother receiving help to tell her children the truth about dad being in prison; • Teachers gaining an insight into the effects of imprisonment on the children in their class; • Children being able to talk to their teachers about how they are feeling; • Schools authorising absences when a child has to leave early to attend a prison visit.

16. Next steps in Somerset • Consider the development of LA-wide implementation plan informed by today’s discussion. • Learn from and build on initiatives/practice already underway in Somerset and identified on i-HOP. • Develop a multi-agency steering group to lead on implementation plan.

17. Film: a mother’s perspective

18. Andrea PackerBehaviour and Vulnerability Manager Frome Learning Partnership Together we can make the difference

19. Background Together we can make the difference Structure of Somerset’s PRU provision changed in April 2013 majority grouped together to become 4 area PRU schools Somerset discharged some of its statutory duties through Satellite PR provision in Frome

20. The responsibility of the Frome Learning Partnership Together we can make the difference Meet the needs of children at risk of exclusion and excluded –s19 responsibilities Provide alternative and additional strategies to meet the needs of vulnerable children at those at greatest risk Provide preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of children needing additional support Support the most vulnerable children and families in Frome

21. How do we support vulnerable children and families? Together we can make the difference • Manage and coordinate a number of services • Create a method of monitoring need and measuring progress • Support schools by offering advice • Having a shared behaviour strategy • Support shared training needs • Operate a panel to ensure fair access • Operate a task management group to assess effectiveness

22. The Learning Partnership and Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment (CAPI) The Champions Model and the journey so far………… Together we can make the difference

23. The development of the Champions Model Together we can make the difference Initial awareness training delivered to the Learning Partnership about the impact of CAPI Planning with Polly to identify ways that the Champions model could be developed Presentation to Heads meeting about CAPI and the proposed champions model Agreement to take this forward as a Learning Partnership

24. Next steps……… Together we can make the difference Schools identify a member of staff to be their Champion within their school community School Champions attend Hidden Sentence Training in Bristol in September Champions Meeting - the roles and responsibility of the Champion Identify the aims of the Champions Model Develop an Action Plan

25. The School Champion Together we make the difference Point of contact within a school community for CAPI and attend 3 FLP Champion Group meetings per year Attend the 1-day Hidden Sentence training course Be a member of the national i-HOP service. Be the identified point of contact for children and families affected by a family member’s offending

26. The School Champion continued.. Together we can make the difference Be the identified point of contact for external agencies to share practice and guidance supporting child/family member affected by a family member’s offending Provide non-judgemental, sensitive and informed support and information to children and families affected by a family member’s offending

27. The School Champion continued.. Together we can make the difference Raise awareness about the needs of children and families affected by a family member’s offending across their school community Lead on the implementation of the FLP Champions Action Plan in their school Be aware of how work with children and families affected by a family member’s offending sits within the overarching behaviour and vulnerability strategies, policies and guidelines

28. Looking forward….. Together we can make the difference Identification of children in our area who are affected by family member imprisonment Improved communication and awareness between key agencies and other professionals Strategic buy-in to enable all agencies and professionals to work together within a strategic framework Children and families are supported

29. Final thoughts……….. Together we can make the difference “I just wanted someone to ask me if I was okay” Young person – Hidden Sentence Training September 2014

30. Together we make the difference

31. IMPACT family project Rebecca Marshall

32. What is IMPACT? • IMPACT is the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) who work with prolific and substance misusing offenders involved in committing serious acquisitive crime. • IMPACT combines the resource, knowledge and expertise of Police, Probation, Prison, Youth Offending Team and Drug Recovery Workers. • It is a multi-agency approach to diverting offenders away from crime through offering pathway support and using enforcement. • Pathway Support falls under the 9 Reducing Reoffending pathways which include: • Drugs • Alcohol • Accommodation • Children and families • Finance, benefit and debt • Mental and physical health • Attitudes, thinking and behaviour • Education, training and employment • Women – domestic abuse and sex work

33. About impact family project • The IMPACT Family Project is an innovative pilot project for Somerset and North Somerset which has just been launched in October 2014. • The idea of the project is that if the IMPACT offender engages in a positive personal development activity (PPDA), he can earn points towards an activity/experience for his parent or child. • For example, if the Offender undertakes 30 hours of voluntary work. We could pay for swimming lessons for his child. Max. award value of £50. • Local organisations will be used to provide the PPDA. The activity and reward will reflect the needs and circumstances of the offender. • This pilot project has received a Community Safety Funding Grant from the PCC.

34. Why? • Parental offending and imprisonment can have a direct impact on children’s academic attainment, emotional development and behaviour. • IMPACT Offenders are a difficult group to engage and it is hoped this project will help incentivise them to engage in pathway support to try and reduce their reoffending. • The importance of an offender’s personal relationships with his family and children can often be central to the process of desistance from crime. • For many IMPACT offenders, the effect their behaviour and lifestyle has on their children and family is one of their deepest regrets and impacts upon their self-esteem, self-worth and their offending.

35. Our AIMs AND OBJECTIVES • To incentivise and improve IMPACT offenders engagement in positive personal development activity including education, training and employment, drug treatment, tenancy sustainment courses etc. • Increase and improve the skills of the offender. • Increase and improve the self-esteem and motivation of the offender. • Improve the relationships between the offender and his family and/or children.

36. Potential Developments • Expand the pilot project so that if an offender undertakes PPDA whilst in custody, we can then pay for an activity/experience for his/her family member in the community. • For the rewards to be sponsored by organisations and companies and to seek alternative funding for the rewards. • To increase the type and range of PPDA available if there are gaps in existing provision especially around attitudes, thinking and behaviour and voluntary work.

38. For more information • Contact: • Rebecca Marshall • Pathway Coordinator for IMPACT and IRIS for Somerset and North Somerset • rebecca.marshall@avonandsomerset.pnnpolice.uk • 07824 083409 (mobile) • 01278 644118 (landline)

39. A young person’s perspective (Young person from Barnardo’s Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment Project)