Teachers set to go into prison to hold parents’ evening
PRISONERS will be able to attend a children’s parents’ evening next month – when it is held behind bars.
More than 100 teachers and parents from 30 schools across Wales and as far away as Bristol are due to attend the groundbreaking event at Parc Prison, Bridgend, with pupils.
Parc’s head of family interventions Corin Morgan-Armstrong said the unique scheme is aimed at reducing re-offending by improving fathers’ relationships with their children and ensuring children of prisoners get the support they need in school.
Prisoners will be able to talk to their children’s teachers and see their schoolwork together.
“The premise is the same as any parent teacher evening and it works really well,” said Mr Morgan-Armstrong. “The teachers bring the school work in, mums and carers bring the children in.
“We have our biggestever parents’ evening coming up with more than 100 pupils, teachers and children.”
The scheme is among a raft of family interventions spearheaded by the jail which have attracted international attention.
Mr Morgan-Armstrong said building father-child relationships was a “huge motivation” for prisoners to stop cycles of reoffending.
“It’s really important to get families together like this. It goes on for a whole afternoon and we call it Children’s Showcase. We will try to make sure the children leave feeling full of enthusiasm and praise and feeling confident about themselves.
“The kids will go up in front of parents and teachers and the dads also get certificates (for their work on the prison’s Family Interventions Unit). We make sure the kids will see everyone clapping their fathers so they see something good about them.”