Project title: Raising a Child through Prison Bars
Project No: JLS/2008/DAP3/AG/1260
Duration: 14.12.2009 – 13.02.2012
Coordinator: Ινστιτούτο Υγείας του Παιδιού, Διεύθυνση Ψυχικής Υγείας & Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Ελλάδα)
Partners
- University Babes-Bolyai, Romania
- University SWU – South-West “Neofit Rilski”, Bulgaria
- European Anti-Violence Network. Greece
- Association of Young Psychologists in Bulgaria “4th April”, Bulgaria
- AWAV-ARTEMIS: Association of Women Against Violence, Romania
Short description of the project
EAVN participated as partner to the Project “Raising a Child through Prison Bars” (with financial support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union) that was implemented in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. The project’s objectives were to contribute to:
- support Imprisoned Mothers (IM) & future mothers to handle their own experiences of abuse [either Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or Child Abuse & Neglect (CAN)] & accomplish their parental role in as an effective way as possible
- prevent & combat CAN as well as to provide support to Children of Imprisoned Parents (CHIP) in order to both disrupt the cycle of violence & enhance children’s resilience
- collect data in 3 European countries (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria) aiming to map the Imprisoned Mothers population in regards to demographic information, needs and problems faced by Imprisoned Mothers, their children and families, as well as in regards to CAN and attachment style for both Imprisoned Mothers and Children of Imprisoned Parents, IPV experience of IM and mental health of CHIP.
The project’s objectives were accomplished by conducting the following activities in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania from December 2009 until February 2012:
- Research & needs assessment surveys were conducted to imprisoned mothers, children of imprisoned parents and women’s prisons’ personnel
- Mothers’ Support Groups (M-SG) & Family Ties Building Activities were conducted in 5 women’s prisons in Bulgaria (one prison), Greece (2 prisons) and Romania (2 prisons)
- Children’s Support Groups (CHIP-SG) were conducted via using drama techniques
- Building women’s prisons’ personnel capacity through Training (professionals employed in women’s prisons) & Sensitization Seminars (operational personnel)
- Development of Supportive Materials, namely:
- The expected results of these activities are: enhanced CHIP’s resilience & functionality; enhanced IMs’ parenting skills; strengthened mother-child relationships; enhanced skills & raised awareness of prison personnel:
- two (informative) leaflets
- for children of imprisoned mothers entitled: My mother is in prison… what I’d like to know…
- for imprisoned mothers entitled: Raising a child through Prison Bars… isn’t easy but… it isn’t impossible!
- a series of three manuals for professionals (available in 5 languages: English, Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian)
- two (informative) leaflets
A total of 269 imprisoned mothers και 132 children of imprisoned parents participated in the Support Groups, and 81 children of imprisoned mothers who participated in the family ties building activities conducted in 5 womens’ prisons.
EAVN developed the information leaflet for children of imprisoned parents and the following activities in collaboration with Georgina Kakoudaki (Theater Educator-Actress):
- Development of the Step-by-Step Guide for Facilitating Support Groups for Children of Imprisoned Parents
- Implementation of four Support Groups with children of imprisoned parents: the aim of support groups was to empower Children of Imprisoned Parents (CHIP) to explore difficulties that they may encounter in their daily life, to “discuss” sensitive issues like imprisonment through theater games and, possibly, to discover methods on how to deal with any conflicts (both internal and external) that they may encounter in their everyday lives.
More information about the project: www.mothers-in-prison.eu