A new program is working with dozens of incarcerated mothers in South Australian prisons to re-engage them with their children.
The Stronger Women, Stronger Families, Stronger Communities (Stronger Families) project is a partnership between the Department for Child Protection (DCP) and Department for Correctional Services (DCS) and is a continuation of the State Government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable families through significant investments in family support programs.
The program’s team has formally met with at least 40 women and many more on a less formal basis to build their parenting capacity and help them to engage and reconnect with their children, many of whom are engaged with the child protection and family support system.
The program also aims to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal women and children engaged with the child protection and family support and corrections systems.
Stronger Families will connect incarcerated mothers with DCP workers to ensure that they are well informed about their children's circumstances and have the opportunity to be involved in decision making.
The hope is they will then re-unite with their children after they leave custody.
The program will work to achieve:
- Improved long-term wellbeing for children and mothers
- Reduced numbers of children engaged with the child protection and family support system (particularly babies born to women in custody)
- More successful reunifications following a mother’s exit from custody
- Improved placement decision-making through effective engagement with women in custody and their families.
Two staff, one each from DCP and DCS, have been employed to support the project and engage with mothers at the Adelaide Women’s Prison and the Adelaide PreRelease Centre at Northfield.
The Stronger Families team is in the process of connecting with potential Aboriginal partner organisations to build community supports for the program to effectively operate. It is linking women to existing programs such as Mothers Matter facilitated in the Adelaide Women’s Prison.
The Stronger Families program aligns with national Closing the Gap targets, which include reducing the rate of Aboriginal incarceration by 15 per cent by 2031 and reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care by 45 per cent.
It is also consistent with the 2022 report by the SA Commissioner for Children and Young People, Join the Dots: considering the impact of parental incarceration on children and young people, which recommended promoting prisoner reconnection and reintegration with their children.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard
There are children and families in South Australia facing utterly heartbreaking circumstances that many people could not imagine nor ever have to contemplate.
The Stronger Families program acknowledges this and helps respond to these most difficult challenges by supporting and empowering mothers who are incarcerated to maintain meaningful connections with their children and provide opportunities to explore reunification.
Even in the most challenging family circumstances, it is still so important that children are safely afforded the opportunity to grow up in a secure environment where they are loved, nurtured and supported to reach their potential, connected to family.
This program represents another step in our government's determination to tackle the most complex challenges children and their families face, while helping to transform our child protection and family support system in ways that improve lives.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Correctional Services Dan Cregan
This partnership across agencies ensures women in custody have the services available to help them re-engage with their children and thrive.
The program empowers participants to reconnect with family and reintegrate into the community with a newfound purpose.
It also builds on the Government’s commitment to reduce the rate of incarcerated Aboriginal South Australians and improve outcomes post-release.