Impacts of Pre-trial Detention Procedures on Children with Parents in Conflict with the Law
January 25, 2022
“Mum explained that I had to prepare myself that my father would probably be imprisoned. It was sort of like waiting for something that you know will be unpleasant, but you don’t know how bad it will be…. And it was also as if every time we thought that now we were sure we would
Implementation Guidance Document: Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5
June 12, 2020
This Implementation Guidance Document is structured as a companion to Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 to member States concerning children with imprisoned parents. It is by no means exhaustive. Providing examples of good practice from our member organisations, it is designed to guide and support the many stakeholders that the Recommendation addresses by presenting actionable
Working with the media on behalf of children with imprisoned parents
June 12, 2020
This media toolkit is a communications tool for NGOs working with and advocating for children who have a parent in prison, and more broadly for families affected by the imprisonment of a loved one. From the outset, this toolkit has been written with medium-sized NGOs (about 15-20 people) in mind, although many of the methods,
Keeping children in mind: Moving from ‘child-blind’ to child-friendly justice during a parent’s criminal sentencing
June 12, 2020
Now available in six languages (BG, EN, ES, FR, PL, RO).
Children with imprisoned parents: collecting data with a purpose (2019)
January 27, 2020
2019 saw advances in both qualitative and qualitative data collection. With more robust data on who they are and where they are, support initiatives for children with a parent in prison are able to be stronger and more focused on individual needs. Data collection with a focus on mutual trust involves the prisoner-parent and is
It’s Time to Act – CoE Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5
November 20, 2019
After the adoption of Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States concerning children with imprisoned parents in April 2018, organisations across Europe worked with children, including their voices to make this milestone document more accessible. This set of European guidelines is designed to help encourage action, as well as
Stakeholder briefings
September 24, 2019
Among the many publications that COPE produces annually, these stakeholder briefings serve several functions. Intended to provide report summaries and outline research findings; introduce good practice; provide policy updates; bring awareness to special issues; or report on program and campaign launches, they are pithy documents geared towards network members, professionals in the field and researchers.
Reading Between the Lines: A toolkit to help schools support children with a parent in prison
August 6, 2019
In December 2017, Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) published volume 6 of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment ‘First port of call: The role of schools in supporting children with imprisoned parents’. The articles highlight the key role schools have in supporting children affected by imprisonment and explore the importance of Human Rights Education principles;
Roma & Traveller Children with a Parent in Prison: Follow-up Report (2018)
April 2, 2019
Roma and Travellers tend to be overrepresented in European prison populations. Roma individuals make up an estimated fifty percent of sentenced prisoners in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania; Travellers — though they make up 0.6 percent of Ireland’s general population—account for nearly twenty-five percent of the female prison population. Reasons for this over-representation include, among other
Establishing Baselines: Data collection towards better safeguarding children with a parent in prison (2018)
February 12, 2018
The collection of data presented in COPE’s 2018 ‘Establishing Baselines’ report is the first of its kind. It draws from a qualitative questionnaire designed by COPE in 2017 and was distributed to prison administrations and services in 47 member states in the lead up to the publication of Recommendation CM/Rec2018(5). The work of data collection
Children of Roma and Traveller Prisoners: A Short Guide (2017)
October 18, 2017
There is an overrepresentation of Roma and Travellers in prison populations in Europe, though exact numbers are difficult to establish, as some countries in Europe do not provide prison population statistics by “ethnicity” and “race”. There is a general lack of understanding and studies on the situation of Roma and Traveller prisoners across European countries,
Family Relations Good Practice Collection
September 7, 2017
This Family Relations Good Practice Collection is the result of a two-year, multilateral cooperative project between the EuroPris Family Relations Expert Group and COPE on issues related to children of prisoners. The good practices within serve as recommendations, drawn from numerous European prison administrations, with a focus on improving the child’s experience in prison visiting
