Index:Introduction to Family Matters An Introduction to Family MattersFamily Matters is a New Bridge initiative to help fathers in prison become better parents and better partners. If you need an essay about parenting you can buy a persuasive essay at https://essaywritingstore.com/buy-persuasive-essaysBetween a quarter and a third of male young offenders in prison are fathers. All too many of them lack the understanding, or the experience that good parents and partners need. The New Bridge was one of the first voluntary organisations to respond to the problem. In 1991 we began to plan the syllabus for a "Family Matters" parenting course for prison fathers and a training course for our own carefully selected volunteers. A year later, we launched our first courses at the Young Offenders Institution at Portland in Dorset, and at nearby HMP The Verne. The course today involves six two-hour sessions. It covers many aspects of caring for children and is run by accredited New Bridge volunteers who have a variety of skills and experience. There is also an adapted course for women prisoners. In 2000 Family Matters received formal accreditation with the Open College Network. This makes the courses externally accountable, gives them enhanced status and will hopefully encourage more prisons and Young Offenders Institutions to include the courses in their programmes. Facts and FiguresIn 2022 a total of 17 courses were completed involving 151 prisoners. The Family Matters courses ran in the following prison during 1999 - 2022 :
The programme's purpose, aims & objectivesThe New Bridge constantly monitors and evaluates its Family Matters programme. As part of this process, in 1997 we commissioned external reviews of the programme and the training of volunteer Trainers. In January 1998, a New Bridge Working Party agreed the following statement of purpose: Our purpose"Family Matters courses are aimed at offenders with children, or those who are planning to have children. The courses seek to create an awareness and understanding of the nature of family life and of the role and responsibilities of parenthood. Through the courses, it is hoped that not only will the offender gain form the experience, but the courses can attempt to break the cycle of delinquency so that the offenders' children will also benefit" Our aims
Our objectives
Volunteers: the qualities we needAll New Bridge befriending volunteers are trained. But our "Family Matters" volunteers receive additional training to demonstrate a number of special qualities: Empathy with young people
Please contact us at your nearest New Bridge Office New Bridge Family Matters and other OrganisationsYoung VoiceYoung Voice is a charity dedicated to providing young people a voice in society and is collaborating with New Bridge on a book called "Parents under Pressure". The book is aimed at socially excluded groups of parents including parents in prison. The Home Office has provided the funding for the first twelve months and a further two years funding has come from the Diana Fund for work with families of prisoners. More information about Young Voice can be found at www.young-voice.org Prison Reform TrustNew Bridge are members of an Advisory Group organised by Prison Reform Trust and funded by the Diana Fund. The Aims of this Project are:
More information about Prison Reform Trust can be found at www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk Books and BeyondThis is a charity based at The University of Wolverhampton and has received funding through Sainsburys. The aims of Books and Beyond are to:
More information about Books and Beyond can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/booksandbeyond |