A practical guide for prison staff
In the Netherlands, thousands of children are growing up with a parent in detention. They are invisible to the public, yet they experience the effects of policy decisions and practices on a daily basis.
With the guide Getting Started with Child Participation in Prison, the Centre of Expertise K I N D, together with consortium partners from the Our Stories Matter project, offers a practical and accessible guide for prison staff to systematically incorporate the voices of these children into their policies and practices.
Why this guide?
Beslissingen binnen een penitentiaire inrichting raken niet alleen de gedetineerde, maar ook hun kinderen. Kinderparticipatie helpt om beleid en praktijk beter aan te laten sluiten op hun leefwereld, behoeften én rechten. Zo is het recht op kinderparticipatie vastgelegd in artikel 12 van het Verdrag inzake de Rechten van het Kind.
Decisions made within a correctional facility not only affect the inmates but also their children. Child participation helps ensure that policies and practices are better aligned with children’s lives, needs, and rights. For example, the right to child participation is establishes in Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“You’re making decisions that also have an impact on us. So don’t lose sight of us.”
What do you learn with this guide?
Kinderparticipatie vraagt niet per se om grote veranderingen, maar om kleine, bewuste stappen in hoe we kijken, luisteren en handelen in het contact met kinderen. De gids ondersteunt medewerkers, beleidsmakers en managementteams bij het concreet vormgeven van kinderparticipatie in de dagelijkse praktijk. The guide consists of several components:
- A process description of child participation, explaining how to embed participation in policy, monitoring and evaluation;
- An overview of evaluation methods, tailored to different age groups, enabling the safe and developmentally appropriate involvement of children.;
- Clear checklists to embed child participation structurally within prisons;
- Worksheets for daily work in prison, to apply child participation in everyday situations.
The guidelines are based on research, practical experience, and input from the children themselves.
Taking responsibility together
Kinderparticipatie vraagt om gezamenlijke inzet. Van de portier tot het management, van beleid tot dagelijks contact, iedereen speelt een rol om zorg te dragen dat kinderen met een ouder in detentie, gezien, gehoord en begrepen worden.
Child participation requires a collective effort. From the entrance to management, from policy to day-to-day interactions, everyone plays a role in ensuring that children with a parent in prison are seen, heard, and understood
Download the guide and get started today.
Getting Started with Child Participation in Prison
“They were nice, and I can always ask Henk any questions I have.”
The Our Stories Matter project is a collaboration between the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC), de European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris), Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE), Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen (DJI), Foundation Exodus Nederland and the Centre of Expertise K I N D.The project was co-funded by the European Union and the Janivo Foundation.
