This case study demonstrates the outcomes achieved for one family, through multi-agency communication and work.
Background During Induction, a prisoner serving a life sentence at HMP Hollesley Bay (an open prison), requested support in rebuilding his life with his three children through supervised visits with their LA key workers. The children were residing in local authority care in various locations across the UK. The Head of Residence spent time with the prisoner discussing his personal situation, his relationship with the children and how they could go about arranging contact.
Support provided The prisoner was able to provide details of one of the children's social workers. The Head of Residence contacted the social worker and identified the location of the three children and the relevant key workers involved in their care. The prisoner's request was discussed with the social worker and it was agreed that it would be raised at the next Looked After Child Review meeting (attended by all the key agencies involved in supporting the children) to ascertain whether the children were emotionally and/or physically able to meet with their father. It was decided that it would not be in the best interests at this time for 2 of the children to visit their father as they were not emotionally ready, however one child would benefit from the contact. Communication between the Head of Residence, supervising social worker and key workers discussed the following practicalities:
-Appropriate date and time for the visit given the necessary travel required.
-Travel arrangements for the young person and supporting key workers (young person was in local authority care 4 hours away from the prison).
-Location for the visit: an open, all-male prison was identified as potentially too daunting for a young girl and the original suggestion of hosting the visit in the prison chapel was discarded. It was decided that a Special Purpose License (release on temporary license) would be organised for the prisoner to be released for half a day to attend a picnic with his daughter (and her key workers) on a nearby beach. The prison (via the young person's key workers) established what the young person's favourite food was and subsequently chicken tikka was provided along with two cold boxes full of picnic ingredients to encourage a relaxed and informal visit.
Impact on the prisoner and his daughter The young person was clearly very excited about seeing her father and ran into his arms. The prisoner has repeatedly emphasised how supported he has felt by the prison (including in a letter to his daughter, prior to the visit). The visit enabled both father and daughter to bond and communicate freely, the daughter stated: 'This place is really relaxed.' Both key workers fed back that the visit had been incredibly positive and enabled the father to speak to both his daughter and the staff involved in caring for her. The prison is currently waiting for the key workers to report back on how the young person has been since the visit and whether further visits are appropriate. The young person has received an invitation to the next Family Day at the prison, however this may prove to be too daunting for her at this stage.
Challenges associated with the piece of work
- Time associated with arranging visit: the process took one month, from the time the prisoner requested support to the visit from his daughter. This was facilitated by the fact that the child's Looked After Child's Review meeting happened to be held near to the time of the prisoners' original request.
- Consideration of both the prisoners' and children's needs. Despite the prisoner wanting to see all three of his children, it was important that the prison took the lead from the key workers involved in caring for the children, to ensure that a family visit was in their best interests and that it was something they wanted to do. Facilitating visits for children within the prison estate can be daunting for children. This prisoner was only able to visit his child whilst on ROTL (Release on Temporary License) because of his particular circumstances; this would not be available for all families.
- Reasons for success Effective communication and partnership working with the agencies involved in the children's care. Prison's ability to be flexible: the young person was delayed by an hour on the day of the visit due to transport issues. The prison were able to re-issue the ROTL on the day to enable the prisoner to still see his daughter for the same length of time. HMP Hollesley Bay's commitment to focusing on the individual needs of their prisoners and recognition of the important role of the Children and Families Pathway. Although there is an allocated member of staff to the Pathway, the entire prison recognise the value in supporting prisoners to have stable and sound relationships to return to on release.
