Family Days

Spurgeons' Prisoner and Family Support Services often organise a Family Day or Children's Visit in addition to visits in the Visits Hall. A Family Day will typically involve an activity which Dads and their children can take part in together.

Due to Covid-19 Family Days have been suspended but we are finding safe ways to keep the communication going between dads and their families.

Making prison visits less daunting

Having a father in prison can be very traumatic for children; the pain of separation and the anxiety involved in visits to a building with uniformed officers and tight security can be a huge burden.

It's also hard for the parent in prison - often then don't see their children grow up, and find it really challenging to reintegrate back into the family on release.

At our Spurgeons' Prisoner and Family Support Services, we want to provide a warm welcome and a safe and homely space in which visiting families can relax.

Allowing families the time and space to bond

Creating a 'family friendly' service can be a challenge in older prisons where the layout is inflexible. Naomi Webb, Family Services Manager at HMP Norwich, says. ''There is no room for a play area inside the Visits Hall, so when families go there to visit their dad, the children can get bored. If so, our volunteers can collect them and take them back to play in the Visitor Centre play area. This also gives parents the chance to chat in private.

''Prisoners may be allowed an occasional Family Day or Children's Visit. Dads aren't allowed to move around on an ordinary visit, but on a Family Day, we organise activities for them to do with their children. We're restricted by space and tight security as to what we can offer. We might buy a cake which they can decorate together.''

The team will sometimes include sandwich-making as an activity, so families who have had a long and costly journey don't need to buy lunch on the day.

One dad commented,