Reports

The needs of mothers before, during and after imprisonment: Summary findings from Workshop Series 1

This report captures the findings from the first series of workshops conducted during December 2020. The key findings in this report are that; (i) women want more opportunities to be mothers and to maintain or rebuild their relationship with their children while in prison, (ii) during their imprisonment mothers want opportunities to start healing and changing, and (iii) once released, mothers want more support to stay out of prison.

Understanding the needs of children and young people who experience maternal imprisonment: Summary findings from Workshop Series 2

This report summarises findings from a workshop held in April 2021 with government and not for profit organisation stakeholders working with children and youth affected by maternal incarceration. This workshop identified opportunities for interventions in six domains that are important for positive development in children and young people: health, education, love and safety, material basics, participation, culture, and identity. The report also highlights the need for a better coordinated and fluid support network for these children and youths.

Developing a new model of support for incarcerated mothers and their children: Summary findings from Workshop Series 3

Workshop 3 followed two series of workshops with mothers in prison and stakeholders in the community that were held between December 2020 and April 2021. This document reports on the outcome of our third workshop series, held in May 2021. Unlike the previous externally focused workshops, this workshop series was internal and included the ten members of the research team.

Did we get this right? Feedback from mothers in prison on a new model of support: Summary findings from Workshop Series 4

This report covers the final stage of a co-creation process to design a new model of support for mothers during a period of imprisonment and upon release, as well as their children. The model was informed by the findings from a series of workshops with mothers in prison and government and not-for-profit agency stakeholders, as well as the experiences and knowledge of the Project Team. The report summarises feedback from mothers in prison on the proposed model of service provision, for which there was strong support.

Posters: “The worries and needs of mothers while they are in prison” and “Mothers want help to”.

These posters are a reader-friendly version of the summary findings from the Workshop Series 1 report. The posters were published in May 2021 and they serve as a feedback report for women in correctional centres who participated in the first workshop series. The posters were presented to mothers across all the participating correctional centres in June 2021 during Workshop 4.

Resources

Active programs across Australia for incarcerated mothers and their children, July 2021

This resource is designed for stakeholders and members of the public who require information about programs available to incarcerated mothers and their children. The resource provides a list of available programs across Australia’s states and territories and will be updated on a regular basis on our website.