Visiting Mum
Pact currently operates two Visiting Mum services: one supporting Welsh mothers at HMPs Styal and Eastwood Park, jointly funded by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Welsh Government, and another funded by Comic Relief supporting women in HMP Downview.
Visiting Mum is based on a successful three-year pilot, funded by Big Lottery Wales, which Pact created and ran in partnership with HMP Eastwood Park prison between 2014 and 2017. The evaluation by Cardiff University and CASCADE showed that this work reduces the risk of self-harm and promotes positive health and wellbeing among mothers while also improving long-term outcomes for their children.
Support for mums in prison
Visiting Mum identifies women who are risk of losing contact with their children and offers specialist support to preserve and strengthen these vital family ties. Mothers are invited to engage in parenting and relationships programmes and to receive one-to-one support from our team, which may include assistance engaging with social workers and other services.
Support for children and families in the community
In partnership with Change Grow Live, specially trained volunteers provide emotional support to the women’s children and families in the community and prepare them to visit their loved ones in prison. They are also able to offer practical support, including providing transport and accompanying children and their families to prison visits, which can be a daunting experience.
This service is invaluable for the many Welsh mothers who are imprisoned in England and who struggle to maintain their right to contact because of practical considerations such as the cost of travel or lack of suitable adult supervision.