Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Raising a Child Through Prison Bars: A Manual for Professionals Vassiliki Karveli 2 nd Managerial Meeting Athens, 20 th - 22 nd October 2010

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Target Group Objectives English, Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian languages to be used for building capacity e.g. social workers, health visitors, psychologists, physicians Raising a Child through Prison Bars: A Manual for Professionals Based on Professionals working in women’s prison settings The results of literature review & the Needs Assessment Surveys in Specifically

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Overview Introductory booklet Content 1.Introduction-Conclusion 2.Guides & Description for the Step-by-Step Guides for facilitating an IM-SG & a CHIP-SG 3.Theoretical background for the professional (facilitator) of each SG [Literature Review Results] 4.Qualifications of the facilitators [Needs assessment of scientific prison’s personnel] 5.Suggested further reading for the facilitator in English and in national languages

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Content 6.In the english version: the last chapter of the literature review in regards to the case of the National Women’s Prisons (focused on prison’s regulations, policies and practices regarding IMs & ChIMs) will be included based on our budget but it will also depend on the extent of the chapter If not included, we could decide whether to be included it in the national language version of the Manual

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Content If we co-decide to include this chapter you should prepare a summarized version, in other words, you should prepare a short description of the regulations, policies and practices in your country, rather than copy paste some Articles for the Correctional Code, e.g. does any prison internal regulation predict a special designed for children’s visitations? [the whole manual 50 pages]

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Content 7.In order to make recommendations or suggestions in the context of internal regulations and policies as a separate chapter of the manual 8.A scenario for the facilitator in cases of CAN that s/he is obliged to report (Romanian & Bulgarian version of the Manual ??) 9.Some drawings or other material (e.g. handicrafts) created during the IM-SGs and the CHIP-SGs only with the informed consent of the participant who created it 10.Any other ideas???

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Important Notes!!! Raising a Child through Prison Bars: A Manual for Professionals is draft & is going to be finalized after the implementations of the groups To be printed in August 2011 Modifications & Additions to be made after this meeting, until the end of October (before the implementation) based on the experience following the implementation

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Step-by-Step guide for Facilitating a Mother’s Support Group in Prison Vassiliki Karveli 2 nd Managerial Meeting Athens, 20 th - 22 nd October 2010

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Title: “Discussion Groups for Imprisoned Mothers” in order to avoid implying that they need support  Using this name with the IMs  Sessions to be communicated as meetings ??

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Overview Discussion Groups for Imprisoned Mothers Step-by-Step Guide for Facilitating a Mother’s Support Group  Objectives  Participant’s eligibility & Group’s structure  Participants & Duration  Sessions  Activities

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Objectives Guidelines to be able to conduct support groups in prison Step-by-Step Guide for Facilitating a Mother’s Support Group in Prison provides Target Group e.g. social workers, health visitors, psychologists, physicians Professionals working in women’s prison settings Specifically

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme General Objectives  To enhance imprisoned mothers’ parenting skills: to reduce negative feelings of guilt or isolation regarding their parental role to increase empathy with their child/ren to feel confidence when communicate with their child/ren to deal with negative feelings because of children’s non or bad response to deal with negative feelings because of separation with the child to build or reinforce positive relationship with the child/ren to build or reinforce positive relationship with the current caregiver(s) of their child/ren  To support IMs to handle their own abuse experiences in groups where the issue of own abuse will be raised

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Participants’ eligibility Eligible participants  Imprisoned Mothers having children 0 to 18 yo  Pregnant inmates  Mothers having their infants (0-3 depending on the country) in prison Non eligible participants  Mothers with acute and/or chronic mental health disorders  may occasionally be modified e.g. in cases they take consistent medication  Substance-abusing mothers  only if they are not intoxicated during the support group

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme IM Support Groups  Structure per children’s age  Characteristics, per country

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Content-Preliminary Notes Content: may differ among groups due to the different age groups of children Topics: in some sessions should be common & mandatory in all groups e.g. in the first and the last session suggested topics may be adjusted to the needs of each group selection of the topics should follow a cohesive and coherent progression Sessions: mandatory only in the context of the specific project or in case similar activities are designed to be implemented e.g. sessions 10 & 11

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Characteristics of Facilitators To be elaborated Suggestions: To belong to the scientific personnel of prisons To be social scientists e.g. psychologists, social workers, health visitors, physicians, sociologists,…

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 1 Acquaintance - Setting the aims - Building the Ground Rules Objectives to create group cohesion & feeling of belonging to set up ground rules for the group to explore demands, needs & expectations of each individual group to define aims of the consequent group sessions in a realistic compared to the expectations Train-the-Trainers: 1 st Day Simulation of IM Support Group  Common in all groups mandatory mandatory

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 2 Children’s Developmental issues Objectives to discuss issues concerning biological/emotional needs of children at each developmental stage the kinds of parental behavior that facilitate growth at each stage to develop empathy about their children needs to understand children’s reactions, attitudes & behaviors to choose consciously their own cues/reactions to understand that their own experiences as children may affect their parenting style to raise awareness that a parent also transmits cultural, ethical values, roles, codes of behaviors  Adapted depending on group characteristics

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 2 Children’s Developmental issues Mothers of children in early childhood (0 - 3 years old) Mothers of children in early childhood ( years old) Mothers of school- age children ( years old) Mothers of adolescents ( years old) Developmental characteristics: Total dependency Developmental tasks: Attachment and trust Developmental characteristics: Increased perception and mobility; incomplete individuation from parent Developmental tasks: Sense of autonomy, independence and initiative Developmental characteristics: Increased independence, ability to reason, importance of peers Developmental tasks: Ability to work productively Developmental characteristics: Increasing abstract thinking, future-oriented behavior, aggression, puberty Emotional crisis and confusion, adult sexual development, abstract thinking, independence Developmental tasks: Achieves identity, engages in adult work and relationships, resolves conflicts with family and society

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 3 & 4 Being a mother from prison Objectives to introduce the “conspiracy of silence” phenomenon & how to handle it to make visible why it is difficult for IM to keep in contact with their children to improve the quality of their communication with their child/ren to start establishing communication when it does not exist to learn how to avoid the double-bind messages when communicating with the child/ren to discuss on the importance of structuring and maintaining a honest, realistic, consistent and frequent contact with their children based on their developmental stage to reflect on and/or practice on alternative positive ways of communication with children  Common in all groups

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 5 Dealing with parenting stress (and other difficult emotional issues) Objectives to talk about their own difficult feelings in regards to the separation from their children to talk about possible children’s reactions (internalizing or externalizing) to separation according to their developmental stage to introduce parenting stress indicators in their attitudes and behaviours Note: only for experienced facilitators qualified to handle possible emotional outbursts of mothers  Common in all groups optional

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 6 Dealing with the stigma Objectives to discuss IMs’ concerns regarding the difficulties their children may face to discuss the importance of peers & school community for the child especially between 6+ to 18 years old to discuss how children in early childhood may experience the stigma of the incarcerated mother to understand and/or “decode” the aggressive or negative behaviours of their children because of them feeling stigmatized by others to increase empathy for the child/ren to reduce feelings of guilt to sensitize mothers in order to recognize the indicators of stigma in the behaviors of her child/ren to talk about stigma in a social perspective  Common in all groups

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 7 Children’s current living conditions: the (substitute) caregiver Objectives to introduce the importance of establishing or maintaining a stable and supportive communication with the children’s caregiver(s) to introduce possible ways of establishing a good relationship with the caregiver(s) to talk about their feelings towards the current caregiver(s) of their children that may make difficult such communication to talk about their concerns regarding the current living arrangements of their children  Common in all groups needs further elaboration needs further elaboration

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 8 Corporal punishment and alternatives Objectives to prevent violent behaviors toward children to increase knowledge about positive discipline techniques to discuss on the importance of setting boundaries to the child based on his/her psychosocial development, while taking into account that the parenting role is undertaken for a substantial period by other(s) to introduce alternative ways of problem solving with their children or conflict resolution to introduce and to sensitize them on CAN indicators  Common in all groups

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 9 Love and violence (title taken from SURT, 2008 p.44) Objectives to introduce topics on romantic love to introduce violence indicators in an intimate partner relationship to discuss about the impact of the marital/intimate partner relationship on the mother-child relationship  Common in all groups Optional – needs further elaboration Optional – needs further elaboration

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 10 Preparation of the two leaflets targeting IM & children of IM respectively Objectives to reflect on the issues that should be included in such a leaflet on the basis of IM proposals (1st Session) to propose names or titles for the leaflets to contribute to the creation of a material that will be addressed to their needs to reflect on topics or ideas they consider as important to be included in the leaflet for children to feel helpful to the others, such as the imprisoned mothers in general to express their creativity to increase their confidence as a parent  Common in all groups mandatory under specific conditions mandatory under specific conditions

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 11 Preparation of the Special Day Objectives to talk about their feelings and concerns in regards to this common activity to discuss about their expectations of such an activity to introduce realistic expectations to promote their parental confidence  Common in all groups mandatory under specific conditions mandatory under specific conditions

Raising a Child through Prison Bars With financial support from the EU DAPHNE Programme Session 12 Looking back – Looking forward – Saying “goodbye” Objectives to talk about their feelings regarding their participation in these sessions to talk about potential benefits of such an experience to talk about potential negative feelings or thoughts during the sessions to make their proposals for such future activities evaluation  Common in all groups mandatory mandatory