The Hidden Sentence

Supporting Families in the Criminal Justice System
10.15am to 3.00pm, Thursday 1st September
Multi-Faith Centre, HMP Kilmarnock

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL, Click Here to register on the waiting list.

It is estimated that each year in Scotland, 16,500 children are affected by parental imprisonment - more than are affected by a parent’s divorce. Many more children are in families where parents are serving their sentences in the community, an experience also likely to impact on family life.

A growing body of evidence suggests that children affected by parental offending are at significant risk of poorer outcomes in relation to all of the ‘Getting It Right for Every Child’ (GIRFEC) Indicators of Well-being. They are therefore less likely to be Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included.

Yet it is no-one’s specific responsibility to identify and support these children. And no single agency or body is responsible for helping them maintain family ties throughout a sentence.

We also know that offenders are up to six times less likely to re-offend if strong and appropriate family ties are in place.

South West Scotland Community Justice Authority’s Family Strategy Group invites you to attend this one-day event, focusing on supporting children and families affected by offending.

The aims of the event are to:
Recognise the important role which families play in reducing the risk of re-offending.
Acknowledge families’ need for support in their own right.
Examine your own role in promoting family engagement.
Recognise the children affected by offending as a priority group.
Promote a holistic, family-centred approach to reducing re-offending.

This event supports the Family Strategy’s Group’s commitment within the CJA Area Plan 2011-14 to “Champion the vital role of offenders’ families in reducing re-offending”.