2. 6 scenarios
Scenario 4: Supporting children of prisoners
Read the situation below. Choose the best response and then click on Check to see our feedback.
You are a foster carer. You are looking after Fran, 13, and her brother Jack, 10. Their mother is in prison for three months. There is very little other family. The expectation is that mother and children will be reunited upon release. You are concerned about their housing situation as their council flat is empty. Additionally, the children haven't seen their mother for three weeks. Jack is particularly distressed and has received numerous detentions. Fran comes home and it is obvious she has been crying but she refuses to talk to you. Do you:
- Contact their social worker to raise your concerns and ask that he comes to visit?
- Top answer - The social worker should think about the children's housing situation and ensure housing benefit is paid so the family is not evicted. Liaison with the housing department is essential. The social worker could contact the school so it can offer support. There are materials available for the school (Thames Valley Partnership, Ormiston) and training for foster carers (Ormiston). There is a statutory obligation for contact to be maintained between parent and child, regardless of where they are, if it does not compromise their welfare. Arrangements should be made for the social worker or you to escort the children on a visit.
- Arrange to take the children to visit their mother, even though you have never visited a prison before?
- Whilst this may well be an appropriate course of action once agreed with the social worker, you might also want to think about other ways in which the children can communicate with their mum. For example, writing letters or drawing pictures to send, and arranging phone calls with the prison. Some prisons have a resource called Storybook Dads/Mums which is run by the organisation of the same name in many male and female prisons. This enables parents to digitally record a story for their children.
- Contact the school to find out what has been going on and explain their home situation?
- This should probably be done through the social worker, who is the corporate parent in this instance and therefore should give permission. However, at least this would provide the children with other avenues of support during the day, for example through behaviour support teachers, rather than leaving the children to feel isolated and alone.