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Welcome to the EuroPris Knowledge Management System. The table below shows questions and responses from European National Agencies. Select a question for more information or use the filters on the left to narrow down questions based on Agency or Category.
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Introduction: The EuroPris Family Relations Expert Group, of which SPS is part of, are interested in gathering best practice in relation to staff training and development around the subject of families. Your input will be invaluable to inform a future working paper based on this subject.
We are aware of the importance of training focused on family relations for staff and it is of high importance to us. As a result we are planning to include this dimension in larger extent in to our trainings for stuff. It is possible to find some elements of the topic already in our trainings for stuff namely in connection with communication and fundamental mediation processes. There is a focus on discussions with inmates on topics how to help a parent and a child to cope with their lives on account of the imprisonment, providing support for good parenting as much as possible during imprisonment and after the release from prison and to help parent support their children at home and outside home.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?The answer is quite similar to previous one. Through equipment of visiting places with toys for children we are doing steps to raise awareness of the needs of family members and specially children. We would like to stress that in all our visiting areas corner equipped for children are provided. After all it is very important for us that visitors and inmates are expressing satisfaction about their relations with prison staff during the visit. As mention about we are planning to include more training for stuff about this specific topic.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?All forms of sensitivity are now included as parts of wider topics, in some cases they are also expressed through role plays in basic training or during additional educational meetings organised for the stuff.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?We are conscious of the need to put such topics on the agenda systematically and constantly.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?We do not provide special Child Protection Training.
Further remarks or comments?It is one of our measures to develop in the future whole an effective training program for the stuff which will address special needs and sensitivity in different relations related to our work.
The Ministry of Justice provides staff training focused on family relations. The key aspects are: the new law, the importance of supporting the inmates to improve close links to their children, the cooperation with the NGOs, the organisation of family visits and creating the visitrooms
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?The realization of family visits is part of the staff training.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?No.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?Both. The training on family relations is part of annual staff training (by choice) and part of the training for newly recruited Officers (obligatory).
Do you have a Child Protection Training?No, we don't have a special Child Protection Training.
Further remarks or comments?Schleswig-Holstein is the first federal State in Germany with a family-oriented approach in the new penal law (the law comes into force on the 1st of September 2016).
No
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?No
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?Re-socialisation department staff was trained in the framework of following projects: 1) European Commission programme “Criminal Justice” project “Suicide preventive system development in imprisonment places” No. JUST/2013/JPEN/AG/4554 (suicide prevention training) 2) Project Nr.LV08/1 “Increasing the Application of Alternatives to Imprisonment (Including Possible Pilot Project on Electronic Surveillance)” of the Norway Grants Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 programme No.LV08 (training about work with sex offenders)
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?This training was organised in framework of the projects.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?The State Inspectorate for Protection of Children's Rights in collaboration with The Local Governments Training centre of Latvia on a regular basis is training staff of Latvian Prison Administration about children’s rights. Staff training is organised according to frequency and necessity that is determined in normative acts.
Further remarks or comments?No
No.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?No.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?In our vocational training there is some particular focus on gender specifics in the subject psychology. For example: peculiarities in the penal system for female prisoners; sexual delinquency including a possible underlying disorder / peculiarities of sexual preferences; dealing with mental conspicuous prisoners under gender specific aspects. Besides our actual class off trainees works on a new project “working with relatives”. If we reach good efforts, this project will become part of the education for coming trainees.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?The further vocational training for our staff offers different units every year that may be related to gender sensitive issues. In the latest curriculum for example there was a unit on recognition and dealing with domestic violence.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?No.
Further remarks or comments?No.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
Prison officers receive general training, in the process of visiting children. The training is about getting to understand the situation around these children in general. They are taught how to greet the child, how to talk to the child, and how to meet the Family in the visiting situation.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?The Danish Prison and Probation Service trains specially appointed officers, to become "child officers". We have appointed "child officers" in every prisons and remand prisons. These officers are trained to be especially aware of the Family relations around the prisoners. They are trained to be aware of the importance of having appropriate visiting facilities, and to provide information to the Family, The "child officers" are trained to make special arrangements for the children, supporting the possibilities for the prisoners, to keep good and evolving relations, to the children. The "child officer" shall provide the colleges with general knowledge of children of prisoners. The child officers are trained to cooperate with Ngo's as Red Cross and SAVN, which are supporting the issues surrounding children of prisoners. 15 prisons and remand prisons have started fathers Groups. The "child officers" are trained to give the fathers information and to motivate to participate in the Groups. The "child officers" are trained to focus on the family visits. They will consider how it is possible to make special arrangements, for children all ages. They also deal with the decor of the visiting areas, making sure visits are held in Family friendly areas, with toys and activities for all ages. They are aware of child friendly considerations around children during searches before visits.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?No
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?The training is lifelong and renewing, as we try to improve this area, as an on going issue.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?All prison officers are trained in how to protect the children, visiting in prison.
Further remarks or comments?In the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (PPS) there is an introductory children's perspective training for all staff which includes issues about family relations, especially focused on the needs of the children. The Swedish PPS have “Child Ombud” who has adapted training for three days. Their assignment is to support children, staff and clients in prison or on probation in questions that are related to the children´s perspective. In the Swedish PPS there is also an education for the staff working as leaders of “Parental Groups”. The “Parental Group” aims to support parents in their parenting role to promote children's positive development. The education gives increased knowledge about children's development and what separation from the parent can do to a child. It also gives knowledge about protective and beneficiary factors that work against risk factors for child development, children's needs, and how children can think and feel when a parent is convicted of a crime, the importance of the parent and how important it is that parents/adults can collaborate. The study material for the “Parental Group” has been developed by the NGO Bufff (Children and Youth with Parent/Family member in Prison). The Swedish PPS, in cooperation with libraries in different counties, also arrange study circles called “Bedtime stories from inside”. Within the study circle the inmate make a recording on CD of him or her reading the child’s favourite story. The staff who will work with this mission receive education about how to lead these study circles. There is cooperation with the NGO Bufff (Children and Youth with Parent/Family member in Prison) and they are also included in the introductory training either by information or by visiting the PPS educational center. There is a new handbook for implementing children´s perspective released in the Swedish PPS in autumn 2016.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?In the above described training, issues about providing family visits are included. This subject is also central in the new handbook about children´s perspective.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?The Swedish Prison and Probation Service (PPS) is working with Gender mainstreaming which includes training in gender equality and gender, and in what Swedish gender equality policy and the gender mainstreaming strategy involve. Gender equality is part of the education plan for renewed staff training. Gender mainstreaming is also included in our management training.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?The education in “Parental group” and “Child Ombud” training is offered as a specialized training for the staff who work with these issues. In both of these educations there is regularly renewed training. There is also a Web course in children´s perspective under construction which will include both basic information for all staff and more specialized parts. The web course is possible to do over and over again.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?The Swedish PPS provides education about the authority´s obligation to report signs of child neglect and concern to the Swedish Social Security Service. This training includes signs of mistreatment of the child and how children are affected from having a parent in prison. There is a new web course under construction which targets many child protection issues. The PPS is also about to release a new handbook about how the Swedish PPS should act and handle issues including children or children´s needs to protect the child. The Swedish PPS also provides education about the perspectives of victims of crime.
Further remarks or comments?No.
Yes. Promoting Positive Relationships training is delivered to all new recruits. Key strands of the training package include families, parenting, children and young people and child protection. Course learning outcomes include: common issues for visitors when visiting a family member in prison; internal and external support networks available to prisoners and families to promote positive relationships; the role of the Family Contact Officer and Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). GIRFEC is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people. Additionally, the five Scottish Prison Service (SPS) standards and associated principles for encouraging family contact are included within the training package. These are: • Access – SPS will offer opportunities for children and families to maintain contact with their relatives. • Communication – SPS will provide information which is accessible and meets the needs of families. • Participation – SPS will actively encourage families to participate at key stages of a relative’s sentence. • Respect – SPS staff will treat every visitor as an individual, and with dignity and respect. • Safety – SPS will ensure families visiting a relative in prison do so in a safe and pleasant environment.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?There is no specific training focusing on this area, however Promoting Positive Relationships training would cover some aspects of small/teenage children family visits.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?Yes. Equality and Diversity training is currently available which covers gender specific issues. Transgender training is also available in specific prisons which may accommodate transgender prisoners.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?Equality and Diversity training is delivered to all new recruits and on the launch of the Equality and Diversity Policy, a training package was rolled out to all SPS staff. Transgender training package is available on an ad hoc basis based on demand.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?Yes. Child Protection training is incorporated within the Promoting Positive Relationships training and is delivered to all new recruits. Learning outcomes include: principles of SPS Child Protection Policy and Procedures; indicators of abuse and roles and responsibilities of staff.
Further remarks or comments?The SPS Family Strategy is currently being developed to improve outcomes for offenders and their families affected by imprisonment. This will clearly set out how SPS will review, develop and deliver national and local policies and procedures relating to the care of children, young people and their families.
In 2013, the Saxon State Ministry of Justice founded a working committee including one employee of each penal institution in Saxony in order to develop projects and standards of supporting contact between prisoners and their families. The members of the committee are also responsible for introducing family matters in their respective penal institution. In some Saxon prisons exists a certain provided training for staff concerning this subject. It helps to understand the necessity of good and healthy family relations during an imprisonment, especially for the guiltless affected children. Since 2015, there´s a provided training for NGO's concerning this subject as well. Besides that, in 2015 employees in eight of ten Saxon penal institutions obtained training in order to offer an ability course for incarcerated parents.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?Currently the working committee named above has submitted standards for providing special family visits with children for all Saxon penal institutions. It contains for example required equipment for the visiting area and required time for visits. The standards also comprise providing special visits only for incarcerated fathers and their children.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?No.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?In 2016, Saxony started to provide a training concerning family matters for newly recruited Officers at the end of their general education for penal systems. Starting in 2016, the training time for this subject is supposed to be raised up by next year. Purpose of this training is to achieve the awareness of the consequences of an imprisonment for relatives and especially for affected children of incarcerated parents. The training entails part of sensitization, aspects of family law, recommendations of the COPING study and concrete needs and appropriate offers of the penal institutions in Saxony.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?As already mentioned at the first point, some employees have obtained a further training in order to offer ability courses for parents by now. In one penal institution (Dresden), such a course has already been offered over years aiming to convince the parents of the need to create a childhood without violence for their children. Furthermore, there´s provided a first aid training considering children for incarcerated fathers in cooperation with a local NGO.
Further remarks or comments?None.
Croatian prison system has in 2013. developed the "Prisoner as a parent" program for prisoners. Program is carried out by specially trained treatment and security staff in the prison system, according to the "Handbook for implementation of the PaP program". Duration of training of staff for implementation of the "Prisoner as a Parent" is four days. The program aims to promote parental competence of prisoners who, in the supportive environment of workshops through experiential and group work, share their parenting experiences and also learn and acquire new skills and reinforce responsibility for their own parenting processes, for the quality of the relationship with the child and for maintaining family ties. This program rests on the fact that parental competence is largely based on a learned behavior and that it's improving is possible by learning. Its aim is to encourage the active, positive and responsible parenthood of inmates, one that is in the best interests of the child. Program also provide the necessary assistance and support to inmates regarding separation from their children during the term of the sentence. In the prison system, we have good cooperation with NGOs in this area, as can be seen from the answer to the following question. In addition, during the project "ma#me", NGO Roda was provided funding for children's visits to their mothers in prison for families with lower income.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?In cooperation with NGO's, especially with the NGO Parents in Action - RODA, in the activities of the project "ma#me", financed by the ESF, workshops were held with the staff of the prison system according to the manual, "Child of the prisoner as a motive for changing practices". Aim of those workshops is to train the staff to support creative and purposeful use of time during children's visits to their parents in prison. The staff considers education and manual very useful, especially regarding proposals of specific activities of spending time with a child and templates material for such activities. The manual, which is attached to this query (in Croatian), in the chapter "Child's visit to the parent in prison", deals with the following topics: „Approach of the staff to the child“, „Quality time during a child's visit in prison - what this actually means?“, „Drawing as a function of communication“, „Accordion – drawing“, „Island“, „Our picture book“, „Balloon of feelings“, „Gift for the child“, „Doll in the function of communication“ and „Fairy Tales in the function of communication“. The chapter "After the prison's visit" is dealing with the diary in the function of self-assessment.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?Topic "Special features and needs of women prisoners" is incorporated into the theme "The special groups of prisoners" in the basic training for the newly recruited security staff, conducted by the Training Center. The basic course for security staff also includes several topics related to the specifics of minors in the prison system and the lecture "People with disabilities in the prison system". Training Center from time to time organizes lecture on persons with disabilities and a lecture on the prevention of discrimination for all staff in several prisons and jails . Personnel who carried out treatment programs with specific groups of prisoners (such as drug addicts, perpetrators of sexual offenses and the like), after the initial training continue attend the supervisory meetings.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?This training is designed for newly recruited security staff, except of the lectures regarding people with disabilities in the prison system and discrimination prevention, which are designed for all staff, but not lifelong nor renewed. Training for the treatment programs of specific groups of prisoners (as mentioned in answer to previous question) is renewed training through supervision workshops.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?No
Further remarks or comments?Attachments:
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) delivers a foundation course to new prison officers called Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT), it contains a range of modules that combine together to provide individuals with skills, knowledge and behaviours required to work safely in the operational environment. In January 2016 NOMS Learning and Development Group launched a new version of the POELT course that includes a bespoke qualification, part of which focuses on the importance of family involvement in rehabilitation. POELT contains a session that focuses on prison visits and the related policy (PSI 16/2011, Visits - Maintaining family ties. http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/offenders/psipso/psi-2011/psi-16-2011-providing-visits-and-services-to-visitors.doc). Prisons are required to actively encourage individuals in their care to maintain outside contact and meaningful family ties as it is integral to a prisoner’s right to family life, as well as their rehabilitation. Visits are therefore considered crucial to sustaining relationships with close relatives, partners and friends, as well as helping prisoners maintain links with the community. Training provides new officers with an opportunity to understand the practicalities of facilitating visits but also emphasises the importance of providing an enabling environment that helps to strengthen the relationship between the prisoner, their family and significant others. The visits process and the provision of opportunities for play activities as an important part of a visit is described; the benefits of allowing prisoners to engage with children in as normal an environment as possible; access to professional and legal advice as well as other support contacts that are made available at this time is presented. It is believed that this support may assist with maintaining good order. Learning outcomes include the impact imprisonment has on children whose parent or guardian is in prison.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?Family services have been delivered mainly by third sector providers with expertise in working with children and families that provide staff such as family engagement and play workers that support family visits and interaction between children and their families. Staff are made aware of the importance of providing an environment that fosters positive engagement with prisoners, their children and other family members.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?Gender specific content and case studies contribute to the course and include a Women’s Staff Awareness Programme (WASP), which is recommended follow-on training to POELT recruits entering the Female Prison Estate, which should ordinarily be accessed within 3-6 months of completing POELT (though specific training is not mandated). WASP is a 2-day course which includes sessions that focus on a woman’s journey from court through to custody. It considers the impact and effects that prison has on women and their children, facts and figures regarding women that are parenting from prison and how to support mothers that are pregnant when they arrive in prison. Issues that cause women to be in custody and the types of behaviour they can exhibit in prison and the reasons behind this are considered. Foreign national women and the impact of their incarceration on their children is also reflected. Other matters addressed during the programme include gender dysphoria, legislation and support around gender realignment, looking at ways women self-harm and how to prevent it, signs of domestic abuse and how this can continue in prison. It explores honour-based violence and forced marriages. Sex Workers in Custody/Community (SWICC) is a 1 day course which considers learners’ previous knowledge on this issue and their attitudes towards sex work and sex workers; Law and Government Strategy is explored. The Prostitution strategy launched by the then Government in 2006 and the Government’s 2011 ‘Review of Effective Practice in Responding to Prostitution’ document provide a resource for consideration. Other related issues are considered such as how staff manage disclosure from prisoners and how staff manage information, respecting women’s choices and why some women continue to choose to work in the sex industry. They discuss exit strategies from the sex industry and how to support women that disclose their practices. Another women related programme is the Management of Pregnant Prisoners and Mothers with Babies in Prison, a two day course that explains the purpose and role of Mother and Baby Units and includes the application process, the impact on women who separate from their baby, the purpose and process of Separation Boards and Child Care Plans.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?POELT training for new staff is mandatory and WASP training may be accessed by staff working in the women’s estate. Training budgets are available so that as part of the staff annual appraisal process training needs can be identified. This enables all staff to maintain their continuous professional development (CPD).
Do you have a Child Protection Training?Child protection training is included within the POELT course giving staff an understanding of safeguarding and the duty placed on organisations by the Children Act 2004, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and statutory guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children that supports organisations in fulfilling that duty. It also provides staff with domestic abuse awareness as defined by the cross-government definition, and their responsibilities. This includes identification of the signs of abuse, appropriate reporting to whom, how to manage disclosure and the likely outcomes of reporting suspected abuse. Resources include reviewing high-profile cases and how they were managed. Care is taken when delivering this course to be mindful of participant’s prior knowledge and experience on this topic, which could reflect on their own experiences and trigger uncomfortable feelings. The session on child abuse can be a challenging module therefore support is provided for staff if it is required. Additionally, NOMS has developed two safeguarding training courses for staff in the National Probation Services (NPS). The child safeguarding course consists of an e-learning module and a two-day classroom-based module. It is aimed at raising child safeguarding awareness. The classroom-based module covers both child safeguarding and domestic abuse and focuses in more detail on identification, assessment and management of risk of harm. The adult safeguarding course consists of an e-learning module aimed at raising adult safeguarding awareness and a one-day classroom-based course looking in more detail at identification, assessment and management of risk of harm. The e-learning modules are mandatory for all NPS staff, including victim liaison, admin and reception staff. The classroom-based modules are mandatory for all operational staff and their managers. Both courses should be undertaken by NPS staff working in prisons.
Further remarks or comments?In Norway, the education of prison officers is two years on a University college level. In the training the students learn the importance of good family relations and non-criminal social network. There is cooperation with NGOs and governmental institutions (child welfare, child care); such as visiting collaborators, attending as auditors etc. The function of child coordinator was formally established in 2014. The child coordinators are to assist with information, advice and guidance to children and caregivers who are affected by a prison sentence The coordinators have two days of courses and a two-day workshop with exchange of experiences each year.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on providing family visits (with small or teenage children)?There is contact between children and their imprisoned parents: The students at the University College of Norwegian Correctional Service (KRUS) have lectures and required reading in social work and jurisprudence. Fathers in prison are offered a cognitive program called “Daddy in prison”. The program includes various themes which aim to give fathers a greater insight and skills in parenting. To have the opportunity to take advantage of visitors building or visit an apartment must fathers have completed the program. KRUS is responsible for the training of program managers.
Do you have any specific staff education/training focused on gender sensitive or specific issues?For convicted women, the students at KRUS have lecture and required reading focused on their situation and for sexual minorities (homosexuality, transexuality etc.) they have a lecture Women in prison are offered a cognitive program called VINN. KRUS is responsible for the training of program managers. The overall purpose of VINN is to motivate women serving sentences and support their ability to cope, increase their sense of coherence and promote a more active adaptation to their environment and thus foster a better quality of life.
Is this training lifelong and renewed training or for newly recruited Officers?After graduating from KRUS, there is no additional mandatory training. All staff may, however, apply for participation in courses and conferences. The input concerning aspirants are newly recruited officers. The further training is not mandatory, but there are many participants in courses and conferences.
Do you have a Child Protection Training?We do not have any program in the education/training for students. Nevertheless, protection of children is a topic in education and training. Protection of children is a topic in education and training of program managers for both Daddy in prison and VINN.
Further remarks or comments?