Stop the Stigma- our campaign to support children of imprisonment

When an adult goes to prison, their child serves a sentence too. The unfair burden of their dad's incarceration means that children may struggle with their emotions over the absence of their father, as well as deal with the judgement of their community. 

Spurgeons looks to ease the difficult situation faced by the children of prisoners, by offering a welcoming, friendly prison family hub. Many children travel around 100 miles in total to visit their dads. Visiting the prison can be daunting but the hub offers a warm environment for families, with craft activities, homework clubs and family days. These events provide the opportunity for children to spend time with their fathers to maintain their relationship and feel close again. Dads can also record a bedtime story for children to listen to at home through our Storybook Dads service. 

Our event at Southampton FC

Spurgeons will be on the pitch at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton on June 6th.

25 members of staff, volunteers and ex-prisoners who have been supported through the Behind the Walls/ Beyond the Gate programme will come together and complete laps of the pitch in aid of the '100 Miles for Families' fundraiser. Every mile covered in one month represents a mile within the average round-trip a family might make to visit their father in prison. 

How you can donate or raise money

You can sign up to our 100 Miles for Families Challenge here. Walk, run, cycle or swim 100 miles total, either alone or with friends and family, to raise money to help children who are facing a father in prison. The distance of 100 miles represents the average distance that families must travel to visit their relative in prison. The money will go towards supporting the children by providing materials and crafts for the prison family hub, recorded bedtime stories from their fathers and vital counselling sessions to help them work through their emotions. 

Alternatively, if you'd like to donate to Stop the Stigma, please click here to be taken to the donation page. Every pound makes a difference to supporting children and making their burden easier. 

Our prison work

We work with prisoners and their families in a bid to make life for families easier, as well as strengthen family relationships. We provide parenting resources and courses to dads to help them be the best parent they can be, while providing special time together with their children. 

Our prison family hub at HMP Winchester helps make uncomfortable prison visits a little easier, with a play area for children and friendly staff to provide help and advice. 

Family days and baby visits provide vital bonding time for children and babies to be with their fathers. We also provide correspondence materials to make it easier for dads to keep in touch. 

Our extensive advice, information and tips for those affected by imprisonment can be found here.  We also have a helpful animated guide on how to support a child who is affected by imprisonment. 

Our Behind the Wall/ Beyond the Gate programme helps dads leaving prison to prepare for resettlement and support them in re-entering the community, offering them the best chance at avoiding reoffending.

Our prisons team work hard to make life easier for families. Every donation or fundraising that you can provide goes towards making lives better for children affected by imprisonment.