Letter from Minister Andrea Orlando, Minister of Justice, Italy Sent to the President of the COPE network, Lucy Gampell, at COPE’s annual conference co-organised and hosted by the Ombudsman for Children in Zagreb, Croatia, which took place on 20 May 2016 Children with a parent in conflict with the law: What are their best interests? How can … Read more
Throughout the month of June, COPE runs an annual pan-European campaign entitled “Not my crime, still my sentence”. The objectives of the campaign include: • Awareness-raising about the rights and needs of children affected by the imprisonment of a parent • Effecting policy change for these children on the local, national and European level The … Read more
On the 20th May, COPE co-hosted its annual conference with the Ombudsman for Children Croatia, at the Old Town Hall, Zagreb, entitled Children with a Parent in Conflict With the Law: What are their best interests? How can they be met? Over 200 delegates attended the conference, which began with an introduction from the Ombudswoman … Read more
Children with a parent in conflict with the law: What are their best interests? How can they be met? Friday 20 May 2016 Stara gradska vijećnica, Zagreb, Croatia Ombudsman for Children, Croatia and Children of Prisoners Europe On Friday 20 May 2016, Children of Prisoners Europe and the Ombudsman for Children, Croatia, jointly organised an International Conference … Read more
COPE has received some exciting news from Plataforma NNAPES (the group of 10 organisations across Latin America and the Caribbean working with and on behalf of children with imprisoned parents). The Argentinian-based members of NNAPES, ACIFAD (Families of Prisoners Association) and CWS (Church World Service) alongside the People Deprived of Liberty´s office of the National … Read more
In April, Families and Friends of Prisoners (FFP) welcomed COPE’s new Applicant member from Romania, Alternative Sociale, an organisation working with and for children of prisoners and their families in Romania. The visit was an interesting and rewarding experience for both organisations, which allowed them to share information about their work, experiences and best practice. … Read more
With the child’s best interests paramount, Papa Plus is a positive solution-based parent support model to enhance the capacity of prison staff/practitioners in contact with children who have a parent in prison and their fathers. It offers concrete ways on how to strengthen the child-parent bond and minimize risks, while providing fathers with the means to support their child’s development. Papa Plus also helps fathers prepare for reintegration into the home and offers ways for accessing further help, advice and support as a parent from cross-sectoral agencies.
Children who have an imprisoned parent may experience anxiety, shame, low self-esteem. Sharing important moments, events and experiences may not be possible because their father/mother is far away. This can cause a young child to feel alone and confused.
Given that over 800,000 children in the EU have a parent in prison, legal and judicial awareness of the issues facing children of prisoners and their rights is of paramount importance. In many cases, the most important stage of a family’s involvement with the criminal justice system will be at the trial and sentencing phase, where the decision to commit a parent to prison can have far-reaching, negative consequences for children, including, in some instances, the latter being taken into care. Many countries, however, do not take sufficient account of the impact of parental imprisonment on children or of the specific circumstance and needs facing children of prisoners.
COPE is supported by
The COPE network is part of the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents.
COPE is a member of
COPE is proud to be one of 18 organisations that contributed to writing the Child Rights Manifesto.
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