Beyond Youth Custody welcomes help for women to maintain family ties

10 November 2014 | Tagged with the theme: Young women and girls

Beyond Youth Custody welcomes Simon Hughes, the Minister for Justice’s, announcement that women in custody will be given help to maintain vital ties with their families through the introduction of family engagement workers.

On Tuesday, Minister for Justice, Simon Hughes, announced that women in custody will be given help to maintain connections with their families through the introduction of family engagement workers in all public sector women’s prisons – as well as some young offenders institutions.

Pippa Goodfellow, Programme Manager for Beyond Youth Custody, said:

“This chimes with Beyond Youth Custody’s research into the resettlement of young women and girls, which shows that promoting supportive and appropriate relationships with family and significant others can play a significant role in reducing reoffending.”

“The support provided by family engagement workers will make it easier to maintain family ties, empowering women to be more resilient through the development of positive relationships.”

As the female estate shrinks, those sent to prison are more likely to be held further away from home, which inevitably makes maintaining supportive relationships more difficult.