National children's charity Barnardo's have worked with offenders' children and families for the past 20 years. Our services currently include:
Prison Visitors Centres
Barnardo’s provides information, support and guidance to children and families in prison visits centres across the UK. Specialist, trained workers and volunteers provide a friendly and supportive environment for visitors to ensure that the visit is a positive experience for everyone. The centres provide:
- A welcoming area where visitors can sit down, have refreshments, use our child-friendly play area and relax in comfortable surroundings before their visit.
- Information and advice, including guidance about prison procedures, travel and transport, financial wellbeing, health, parenting and services in your local community.
- Support and information packs for first time visitors.
- Emotional and practical support following visits.
Prison based family engagement work
Trained and specialist family engagement workers operate inside prisons to support both prisoners and their families to develop and sustain positive family relationships. This can involve: 1:1 work, delivery of parenting and relationships programmes, family mediation, targetted activities such as baby-bonding sessions for new parents and homework clubs for parents in prison with school aged children.
Family Days
Providing family-friendly visits in prisons which enable children and families to interact in a way which which is more meaningful than normal visits.
See the Barnardo's services page below for more information
