Falling through the cracks: Child poverty and the impact of imprisonment
Reflecting on Challenge Poverty Week from Families Outside’s perspective – run by Poverty Alliance from Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th October – the message is clear: for many families in Scotland, poverty can be all-encompassing… and this can have a massive effect on children. When the current Scottish First Minister took office, ending child poverty […]
Families Outside hosts groundbreaking Game With Mum and Dad initiative
On Saturday 29th July, we worked with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to launch ‘Game With Mum and Dad’ at HMP Grampian. The event was part of a Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) campaign where children got to play a game of football with their dad, mum, or caregiver, behind prison walls. This was the […]
Paying the Price: A Project on the Financial Impact on Families of Imprisonment and Release
Families Outside, supported by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, launched new research last week (29th March), highlighting the devastating financial cost to families of supporting someone in prison and after release. The research found that the burden of care and costs associated with supporting someone in prison in Scotland falls disproportionately on women, with many spending […]
“Devastating”, “damaging”, “broke my heart”: When brothers and sisters are separated
“Devastating”, “damaging” and “broke my heart”. These are just some of the words care-experienced young people I have spoken to as part of the Staying Connected project, and who are currently serving a prison sentence themselves, have used to describe what it feels like to be separated from their brothers and sisters. Sometimes this has […]
The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release debated in the Scottish Parliament
Yesterday, Tuesday 7th March 2023, saw Members of the Scottish Parliament engage in a Members’ debate led by Rona Mackay, SNP MSP, about the cost to families of imprisonment and release. Opening the debate, Ms Mackay, gave a powerful account of the difficulties facing children and families affected by imprisonment describing the “adverse ripple effects” […]