Separated from their little children... Parents in prison are separated from their little children. However, we may hardly stop to think about what this means for the children - and for their development. Of course the developmental outcomes are as diverse and individually-unique as humankind itself, but there is a common thread running through the many case-by-case variables - which is the importance, value and richness-bringing status of the parent-child relationship. Each school holidays a programme called Kids Days is run at Tasmanias Risdon Prison. Kids Days recognise the rights of children to know and interact with their parents, and for parents, regardless of their status as prisoners, to know and interact with their children. (1) Kids Days is an opt-in programme for both the inmates and the children. It supports children to enjoy an extended visit with their incarcerated parent under conditions which are safe, secure, child-friendly and child-welcoming. Each session is themed, and a range of fun activities building on the theme are made available for parent and child(ren) to enjoy together, in support of their interaction, if they choose - of course they may just choose to hang-out and be with each other. Volunteers are present to assist with the activities and the interaction if needed - and they do so with great sensitivity to the precious and personal nature of these encounters between little one and parent. If the help of the volunteers is not needed, they stand back to give the little families time together unimpeded. Time to simply be with our children is vital for the development of their language skills, social skills and mental health. Several of Speech Pathology Tasmanias therapists, in the practices in-house staff-volunteering programme, have had the privilege and pleasure of supporting Kids Days on a number of occasions. We have all found it to be richly valuable use of our time and our skills as communication specialists. Our much-loved and esteemed Natalie has written about her recent experience as a Kids Days volunteer. Watch out for this post later this week - its beautiful. Rosie x 1. Toohey, J., 2012, It was almost normal: The significance of Kids Days at Tasmanias Risdon Prison in Maintaining Connections Between Children and Their Incarcerated Parents, Submission for Degree of Masters of Criminology and Corrections in the School of Sociology and Social Work, University of Tasmania.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 09:19:27 +0000
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