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20th Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services, Bucharest 9-10 June 2015 In June, Claudia Vogg and I had the privilege to attend the 20th Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services in Bucharest. The conference was attended by senior representatives from the Council’s committees such as … Read more

In April 2015, Jean Lambert MEP tabled a Written Question to the European Commission on behalf of Children of Prisoners Europe. The question, entitled “The multiple ways in which a parent’s imprisonment adversely impacts the rights of children and the EU’s commitment to ensuring that these rights are respected”, was written with the participation of COPE … Read more

On 9 and 10 June 2015, Dr. Aisling Parkes and Dr. Fiona Donson (also of St. Nicholas Trust, Cork) hosted an Exploratory Research Workshop on the Rights of Children affected by Parental Imprisonment at the School of Law, University College Cork. This event was funded by the Irish Research Council’s New Foundations Scheme 2014. The … Read more

In March, the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents jointly with the African Union and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay held a side event at the UN Human Rights Council on children of incarcerated parents. Jorge Cardona from the Committee on the Rights of the Child spoke about the Committee’s evolving … Read more

  Morning Tears is an international non profit organisation working to support children with imprisoned parents. The alliance has members in China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Morning Tears Germany is an affiliate of Children of Prisoners Europe. Recently, their Cologne-based project “Room to Bond”, which has received considerable … Read more

2015 marks the 10th year of working with children and families affected by imprisoned for the Finnish organisation KRITS. KRITS, an affiliate of the COPE network, supports families affected by imprisonment through their ‘Child and Family Work’ programme, which has been running since 2005 with the support of the Ombudsman’s Office for Offenders. The ‘Child … Read more

Exodus focuses on the family system of prisoners including children to provide support and shelter for ex-prisoners and their families. On 12 June, they held a Day of Action in The Hague including panel discussions with organisations to discuss how to protect the rights of children of prisoners, and held a meeting with members of … Read more

Families Outside has been as busy as ever in 2015. Their main services and activities include providing freephone support and an information helpline, as well as direct support for children and families affected by imprisonment throughout Scotland. The organisation delivers training for all new prison officer recruits about the impact of imprisonment on families and … Read more

For Fangers Pårørende (FFP), our Norwegian member, is an organisation working with friends and families of prisoners. FFP provides support to these groups through the sharing of information, counselling, and increasing young people’s involvement in advocacy. Earlier this year, the organisation launched an exhibition this year that showcased photographs taken by children of prisoners who … Read more

St Nicholas Trust was welcomed as a full member of Children of Prisoners Europe at our General Assembly in 2014. St Nicholas Trust is a family support group which was established in Cork, Ireland as a response to the needs of the relatives of those in prison, who sought help and information from various services … Read more