ASPIRE: A Model of Support for Children in Wales with a Parent in Prison

Description

The ASPIRE Project (Actioning a Schools & Prisons Independent Research Evaluation)

In July 2023, the Welsh Government commissioned the ASPIRE Team for a 12-month period to provide options and considerations for a national model of support to improve wellbeing and educational outcomes for children affected by parental imprisonment in Wales. The ASPIRE team is a collaboration led by Families Outside (a national Scottish charity that supports families affected by imprisonment) and supported by two academics, two independent consultants specialising in policy and practice related to children affected by imprisonment, and two research assistants.

The study involved five phases of data collection, and included interviews with children, interviews with mothers, observation of the School Zone operating in HMP Parc and HMP Cardiff, and focus groups with fathers in prison. The study also involved a roundtable, stakeholder event held at Cardiff University.

This webinar will present the key findings from the study and the recommendations for a pan Wales model of support for children and young people in Wales who have a parent in prison.

Presenters and Panellists:

Dr. Ben Raikes (Security Lead and Head of Governance) is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Huddersfield.

Professor Nancy Loucks OBE, Chief Executive of Families Outside, and visiting Professor at Strathclyde University.

Professor Alyson Rees is a Professor in the School of Social Sciences and Assistant Director of CASCADE Research Centre at Cardiff University.

Sylvia Stevenson (Research Assistant) a final-year PhD student at Cardiff University, exploring services in Wales that support birth parents following the compulsory removal of their children by local authorities.