Green

K is a mum in a Peep Mini Explorers group at a Children's Centre, led by Sophie from the Foundation Years Trust in Birkenhead. Her feedback is a great example of the value of sharing ideas about children's development, but also the importance of supportive relationships - between parent and child, practitioner and other parents:

"I’ve been attending Peep sessions since my little boy L was 10 weeks, now he’s 16 months!

I knew absolutely nothing about Peep beforehand. Hand on heart, I believe that attending these Peep sessions has made me the parent I am today.

They taught me that certain behaviours weren’t ‘naughty’ but actually developmental. That everyday things are an adventure for him, no matter how little! And that everything can be fun, and how he can learn through fun!

L has made some little friends for life, as have I. The Peep sessions have supported me and taught me the importance of supporting him, praising him, providing him with opportunities and how to encourage his learning and development. They’ve shown me that L doesn’t need ‘expensive’ experiences to learn, but actually low cost or free opportunities are just as useful, like a trip to the free fun day at the local urban farm where we can sing nursery rhymes and practise animal noises with the animals!

I find being a parent the most amazing and rewarding experience of my life, but I also have ‘hard’ days as does every parent. In group, it’s so nice to talk about those hard days with other parents and Sophie, with no judgement just support. I was so hesitant initially about going to a baby group - what if L got upset, or I needed to breastfeed and wasn’t comfortable, or I was judged -  but this group was the first I attended and it’s changed my parenting experience. Sometimes, life as a mum can be hard or lonely, but this group really does make a difference."

June 2019

All the Peep case studies involve families, but the ones on this page are individual parent/ carer stories - thanks for sharing them. 

> Parent to classroom assistant in Dumfries & Galloway - "I absolutely love my job and wish that I had made the move sooner but without going to the Peep group I would never have been confident enough to do it!" 

> Parent and baby in Birkenhead - the benefits both for her baby's development and the supportive relationships within the group, in mum's own words

> From Peep parent to Peep Progression Pathway (parent accreditation) to Peep leader or Childcare and Development worker - three examples fom Midlothian:

Kim: "I know that Peep made a positive difference to our lives. I’m a mum to three and have always enjoyed playing with them but at the group I learned so much about how important I am as my child's first educator and the importance of play at home. I am more in tune with my little boy and what helps him learn. Since going to Peep everyone at home takes it in turn to read a bedtime story to our youngest child."

Claire: "The Peep Progression Pathway course and the Learning Together Programme helped me become a better parent by supporting my learning and understanding of what a child needs. I realised that I loved the learning and wanted to do more. Being a Peep leader is a fantastic experience and I am so happy to be able to share the joy of Peep with other parents and children.”

Sarah:  "I see a big difference in how I am as a parent, from the Peep Progression Pathway. I recognise my child’s playing is an important part of learning. I didn’t realise when my little one was making a mess on their high chair with food that she was discovering new things and this is one of the first forms of mark making. I'm more relaxed and aware of simple ways to help my child develop well. My child loved the Peep group too."

This case study demonstrates how Peep can be used in a joined-up way to help support families across education, health and family support. Info from the Tomorrow Today Foundation, Benalla, Victoria, the first people in Australia to do Peep training. For further information, please download the full report below or contact admin@tomorrowtoday.com.au 

improvements in Benalla’s early development results

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide data collection that shows how young children are developing as they start their first year of full-time school. The AEDC measures five areas or domains of early childhood development: - physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; communication skills and general knowledge.

Benalla is a small city, one of 79 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state of Victoria. In 2015, Benalla had the highest proportion (33%) of any LGA for children developmentally vulnerable on one or more of the AEDC domains. By 2018 the proportion had reduced significantly, by almost a third, to 23.5%. Benalla’s results are now better than State and National averages in the domains of physical health and wellbeing; and communication skills and general knowledge.

how has the improvement been achieved?

The strong improvement in Benalla’s results can largely be attributed to two factors: –

1. The introduction of the Peep program in 2012

For parents and carers, Peep provides ongoing relevant and useful information that increases their knowledge of child development and gives them helpful and effective strategies that improve their parenting skills. For children, Peep supplies fun learning activities that develop pre-literacy and numeracy skills, and a social setting that fosters positive interaction, independence, resilience and emotional maturity. Over 200 Benalla families with children aged 0 to 5 attend Peep annually. Peep is open to all families but we focus staff time on attracting and retaining the most vulnerable families.

2. The strong collaborative effort across Benalla generated by the 2016 AEDC Forum convened by the Dept of Education and Training (DET), the Tomorrow Today Foundation and Benalla Rural City Council. 53 early years professionals attended the forum resulting in a high-energy commitment to focused action to reduce childhood vulnerability across Benalla. A steering group was formed to develop a cross‑institutional strategic plan based on information and discussion from the forum.

The stated purpose of the plan is to work collaboratively to improve learning and development for Benalla children aged 0 to 8. Here's a summary of the activity undertaken so far, under each of the 5 objectives (further details in the downloadable report below).

objective 1:  improved service co-ordination, collaboration and information sharing

• Revitalisation of the Benalla Early Years Network, bringing together early years professionals from different disciplines
• Establishment of an Early Years Facebook page
• Work to improve the transition process between preschool and school
• ‘Tip sheets’ developed and circulated to network members for use with families. 

objective 2:  parents and carers are supported and resourced as their child’s first and most important educator

• Peep program supporting over 200 families each year, including discussions on school readiness for families with older child
• Benalla Health supports Peep delivery, releasing a trained community health nurse to co-facilitate a group each fortnight
• Maternal and Child Health team provide a referral form for Peep to parents of every child born in Benalla
• Strong links established between Family Services, Family Liaison workers, and Peep staff to ensure parents and carers can access the support they need.
• Peep home visit program established offering visits to families (geographically isolated or child /parent illness)
• Parents encouraged to volunteer in Peep groups to support staff
• Families provided with transport assistance to get to Peep and/or kinder
• Other courses provided including New Parents groups, Great Start to School Program (supporting parent's and child’s transition to school), Young Parents group, Triple P Parenting, Tuning Into Kids, Real Men Make Great Dads, Bringing Up Great Kids
• Unique Breastfeeding SMS support program for new mothers developed by Benalla working group involving Tomorrow Today, Benalla Health and Benalla Rural City
• Presentations by Good Shepherd Microfinance and Berry Street Saver Plus to two of the most vulnerable Peep groups.

objective 3: children aged 0 to 8 are supported to be resilient, socially competent and emotionally mature

• Information on secure attachment provided and importance stressed to new and prospective parents through Maternal and Child Health, Benalla Health, new parents groups, and constantly reinforced at Peep
• Emphasis at Peep on listening, taking turns, sharing, and fostering of independence
• Introduction of Art based activities for Benalla pre-schoolers at Benalla Art Gallery
• Peep families make regular visits to a local nursing home to visit the elderly (inter-generational)
• Psychologist visit to Peep to speak to parents on dealing with anxiety in children
• All Peep staff trained in delivery of Tuning into Kids and many elements of the program incorporated into Peep sessions

objective 4:  children aged 0 to 8 are confident and involved learners and communicators

• Benalla-wide emphasis on the importance of preschool, and two new play groups established in rural communities funded by Tomorrow Today grants
• Speech screening now conducted in all Benalla pre-schools, and funding secured for group therapy for expressive and receptive language difficulties within the preschool setting.
• Several Library-based multi-agency initiatives, including active encouragement of Library membership, introduction of 1,000 Books Before School program, Toddler Tales sessions, and six ‘Little Free Libraries’ across Benalla
• Free books provided to parents of newborns
• Let’s Count training undertaken by four Benalla preschools and two day care providers

objective 5:  children aged 0 to 8 are healthy and physically active

• Peep groups include activities to develop fine and gross motor skills and have outdoor play sessions including excursions to local parks and lake etc
• Benalla Health dietician regularly visits Peep
• Benalla Health Infant Program is offered to all families who have children aged 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, discussing nutrition and physical activity during the first year of a child’s life.
• Food Security Network established providing free fresh food and vegetables for struggling families
• Award-winning wicking bed project established by Benalla Health and Vinnies encouraging disadvantaged families to grow fresh fruit and vegetables in their backyards. Tomorrow Today contributed grant funding.  

what next?

• Widespread dissemination of positive AEDC results to the Benalla community and beyond
• A second AEDC forum to celebrate the results, look at what’s worked and is working, and identify areas where further improvement can be made.

> Downloadable version of the report. (Sept 2019)

snapshot of a group session [course outcomes and downloadable version below]

"This is the best 90 minutes of my week – I always learn masses," Martin confides as we sit in the Peeple Centre before the group starts. Matthew wriggles on and off his knee, then round behind his chair, as adults begin to arrive through the open door with babies and toddlers, buggies and bags. Matthew is two years old. "This is our 61^st day together, and, yes, I’m the main carer," he continues. "I’ve never cried so much. I now understand so much more about my own feelings too."

Martin is one of fourteen foster carers who have been meeting for an hour and a half each week, over ten sessions. Today there are several babies in the group ranging in age from six to seventeen months old. It is 1.30 in the afternoon, and sun streams in through the windows.

session content

Helen is running the group, and places some Topic handouts and other information for the foster carers on the table. At the other end, co-facilitator Sue has arranged a wide basket on a rug, strewn with picture books, sensory objects and things for babies to shake and roll. During the first half of each session, the carers have an extended talk time/ discussion with the Peep practitioner Helen, based on one of the Programme’s topics. Meanwhile the other Peep practitioners played with the children in the same room, with activities and play that supported the learning in the sessions. During the second half of the session, the carers, children and practitioners gathered together on the floor to share a story and sing songs, with actions and props.

The older children move back and forth between their carer and Sue who sits on the floor chatting and playing with them; sometimes they are on a knee, sometimes exploring the room, sometimes tussling over an interesting object in the basket. The adults evidently know each other at this stage in the term, and the children are at ease with both Helen and Sue so there is a fluidity in the children’s attention and focus of interest.

There is a general buzz of conversation between the foster carers, who know they can joke and confide safely. Helen asks them how things are going. She has focussed all the material for this course on the following Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) topics from the Peep Learning Together Programme:

• Helping children feel good about themselves
• Making the most of routines
• Becoming ‘me’
• The importance of relationships
• An introduction to ORIM [Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Modelling]
• Helping children understand and manage their feelings
• The importance of names
• The importance of support and encouragement

today’s session focus is on helping children understand and manage their feelings

There are ideas on the topic handout that act as starting points and information to be explored:

‘The wide range and mixture of feelings can be very confusing for young children. Younger children can generally recognise basic emotions, such as happy or sad, but they may confuse fear with anger. By the age of four years, children learn that it is possible to feel mixed emotions.’

This rings so true with these carers. What emerges through the conversation and shared experiences is how the older children in their care have a real need to control their situations and their relationships. When things can be so unpredictable for them, they show their need to control through everyday things, like insisting on what to wear and when to dress. These are some of the little but regular challenges that it seems helpful to talk about today because they are interdependent with how the children feel about where they are and who they are with. Where children are up for adoption, the coming and going between different households affects their emotional behaviour.

Sarah is sensing this strongly about the child in her care but speaks generally about children in this situation and as an experienced foster carer: "They have a sense of loyalty to their parent which is difficult to manage, so they’re often dealing with massive emotions."
"What do you do?" asks Helen.
"Reassure them; show them I’m there for them."

Similarly Martin says how much being a foster carer and coming to the group has helped him become aware of and articulate his own feelings. This is again emphasised in the topic handout:

‘Talk about your own feelings… tell them when something makes you happy or upset, and explain why you feel that way. This will help your child to understand that changes in how we are feeling are a natural part of being who we are.’

Frank and his partner have between them fostered several children over the years. This afternoon he proudly displays his NOCN portfolio, full of their drawings and marks and his own reflections. Their smiles say it all.

shared experiences

Here foster carers are given the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and relationships with their children; what it means emotionally to welcome them into their homes and to have to say goodbye, and all the times in between. Finding the words is important - as they recognise their own emotions and help their children talk about how they feel. Coming together and sharing the challenges and successes of their role – and having these acknowledged - supports them both individually and also in their joint perspectives on their children’s learning and behaviour. They become positive models in their children’s lives, even where their time together may be brief. The foster carers who attended this course evidently felt a sense of group cohesion, participating in conversations about challenging and emotionally moving situations, where they could see their voices were heard, and their relationships valued in a non-judgemental way. This led to an openness about sharing and honesty about admitting feelings both in themselves and at home or with partners and with their looked after children. By having a safe place to discuss emotions and behaviour and how to manage these, the foster carers helped each other to gain a sense of perspective on their children’s learning and behaviour.

Session snapshot by Alison Street, Peeple trustee, Sept 2019. Foster carer names have been changed.

course overview and outcomes

‘The subjects covered and the conversations that took place as a consequence helped me to understand my role and to make sure I was doing the best job possible’  Foster Carer

This course aims to support the foster carers to:

• value and extend learning opportunities in everyday life
• improve the quality of the home learning environment
• develop secure attachment relationships with their babies and children
• gain an accredited unit based on supporting their child's learning and development.

recruitment, funding and participation

The course was funded by Oxfordshire’s Virtual School, Early Years team and Foster Care Team. This team has an overview of all the looked after children attending settings. The Peeple practitioners recruited foster carers for the course via these teams, the Foster Carers network and the social workers with whom the foster carers regularly have contact. The number of children living with the carers changed over the duration of the course, but the carers can continue to attend.

The support and relationships within the group were very important to the carers, as with the previous cohorts. In keeping with their role as a combination of temporary parent and professional carer, they were particularly aware of the challenges and progress of all the children in the group.

Foster carers’ observations of the child in their care became more detailed. They spent time discussing their children and offered support and ideas to other carers. They were extremely supportive of each other and discussed confidentially the challenges they are facing within the role. They also provided relief care for one another in a few instances which was an added outcome. They have arranged to meet outside of the group and set up a group to continue to support each other.

Having children present was welcomed by the foster carers:

‘Brilliant as we don’t need childcare, and can also put the learning into practice with the children’s activities… It’s a good interaction with adults and children together.’

‘This is ideal for the children we care for. Although their presence can sometimes distract,
it’s in a happy way’

‘Helen turns the group into a little family. We all keep in touch and look out for all our children when we’re together’

understanding more about children’s personal, social and emotional development and how to support it

The learning in the group was put into action in the home. The carers in the group all said that, as a result of the group, they were more aware of the benefits of what they were doing at home, and did more of it:

‘I took loads from this course – I was quite unprepared for looking after a child (despite my best intentions) but the things I learnt here helped me to understand and support him’

‘The course has given me the theory behind the practice which helps me to look at what I do, and improve or tweak it as needed’

‘PSED course content was very interesting and encouraged me to think about all areas of the subject when I’m dealing with my children’

‘This course gave us imaginative ideas for supporting learning which can be built into everyday activities. They show that learning takes place from the youngest age and can be fun.’ 

adult learning - Peep Progression Pathway

All fourteen foster carers completed their NOCN Level 2 qualification unit (part of the Peep Progression Pathway): 'Supporting Babies' and Young Children's Personal, Social and Emotional Development as part of Everyday Life'. They kept records of what they noticed and reflected on as the children in their care learn and develop.

‘It has been great for learning, and a very good opportunity for support and cohesiveness as a group of carers’

outcomes for children and children’s voices

Both the Peeple staff and the carers noticed many changes in the children over the weeks. As seen previously, the children grew in confidence in a group situation, and both their PSED and communication skills visibly developed. The children quickly became familiar with the routine and they joined in with the singing and story time; they especially liked the props and had favourite songs that they would ask for.

conclusion

The Peep Training Course for Foster Carers provided a unique chance for the carers to participate in an accredited programme of learning which developed their own skills as a ‘professional parent’ and was of direct benefit both to the children who attended, and subsequent children that they may care for in the future. Having the children as part of the course made it more accessible and provided significant learning opportunities for all the participants. Another benefit was the support networks that were formed during the course.

The additional challenges of working with looked after children were met within the context of the group, where there was an open acceptance of the demands of meeting the needs of children who often have complicated backgrounds, and the emotional rollercoaster as children come and go from the carer’s home.

The carers said that they valued the learning on this course because it could be applied to the foster children that they have or might work with in the future. Previous Peep courses for foster carers and their children used multi-age topics from the Communication and Language, Early Maths and Early Literacy strands of the programme; any topics can be used, to meet the needs and interests of those attending. 

‘Peep courses are always fun,  interesting and thought-provoking’

‘PSED course content was very interesting and encouraged me to think about all areas of the subject when I’m dealing with my children’

‘I enjoyed the course, it is the third Peep course I have attended and I find the fun, informal type group much better for soaking up information.’

‘The courses open your eyes to everyday common sense elements that otherwise may be missed.’

All the staff from Peeple who were part of the course felt privileged to have learnt more about foster carers and their special relationship with the children in their care.

‘Needed reassurance I was doing the best for my child – Peep provided this.’

> Downloadable version of the case study

Peep offers an engaging, strengths-based way to work with parents and carers, supporting early intervention work in any context.

> foster carers group in Oxford

A multi-age group for foster carers and their children, incorporating a NOCN qualification unit. 

> children's social care and community support: a city-wide approach in Aberdeen

Aberdeen City Council use Peep as a multi-agency approach to working with families, led by Social Care. It is used in both universal and targeted work, including with parents whose children are looked after, kinship carers, foster carers, parents moving on from domestic abuse or experiencing postnatal depression, young parents and parent volunteers. 

'Time for You and Your Baby' - working with Spurgeons’ Invisible Walls Family Support Service, Hampshire and HM Prison Winchester

project structure:

• Seven sessions with fathers, followed by an eighth family session where children are invited into the prison for a joint playtime with their Dads, who can put their new skills into practice.
• The Spurgeons team also work with the whole family, including introducing them to services within their own communities, especially children’s centres.

staff: Peep-trained Spurgeons practitioners, funded by The Big Lottery. Spurgeons Invisible Walls Family Support Service provide a number of interventions for prisoners and their families.

feedback:
The fathers felt they had increased their understanding of many aspects of child development and how it related to them and their baby, including:

• the importance of positive interactions with very young children and different ways of communicating with them
• the importance of music, songs and rhymes, and sharing books, for their babies
• different ways that babies explore the world, make choices and learn through their senses
• how to make the most of prison-visiting time.

The fathers were asked if they would recommend this course to someone else?

• "Yes, it's a really good course and really helpful to build better bonds. Loved the sock puppet."
• "It’s a good relief to know how important my children are and how I can still have a part in their lives. Although small, it is still a part."
• "Yes - get on the ‘Time for You and Your Baby’ course, you would love it!"

'Dads inside and out' - working with Aberdeen Peep, Aberdeen City Council and HM Prison Aberdeen, Craiginches

project structure:

• Six sessions with fathers, followed by a seventh family session before release.
• Focused discussion/ talk-time around children’s needs and parental responsibilities; routines, play and other aspects of child development; attachment, and creating portfolio diaries.
• Activities that provide ideas for positive interactions between parent and child, as well as promoting learning, e.g. stories, songs, puppet making, messy play.
• Family fun session to enable learning to be put into practice.

staff: a Peep practitioner and a Prison officer

feedback:

• Dads were reflecting and thinking more about both the impact on their children, and the role of their partner in caring for their children while they are absent.
• A dad who had been in prison since his child was 1 year old (now 4) had said at the beginning that he didn’t know how to interact with his son. At the family session he was animatedly sharing his homemade book and puppet with his son.
• Dads were reflecting on making longer term lifestyle changes to stop re-offending.

Peep Progression Pathway qualifications for fathers (and their partners) - working with Highland Peep, Highland Council, CALA and HMP Inverness

“I gained useful skills through the Peep programme that will help me day-to-day when I’ve been released from prison. It gave me a better understanding of parenting and what can help my child.”

Staff: Two Peep-trained practitioners, Gillian Forbes from Highland Council and Mairianne Nairn from Care & Learning Alliance (CALA); the project built on CALA’s existing Prison Service work with remand prisoners and their families, and on Highland Council’s Peep delivery in local communities over the past decade.

Project overview (from the practitioners):

‘The course consists of 13 weekly hour-long sessions with the families, followed by an additional 30 minutes for the fathers to work on their portfolios. Each course has been run with two or three dads (who are in custody), their baby or young child and their partner. The first course went really well, and the families were really appreciative. We’re now on to our third time of running it, at the request of the Prison Governor. We’ve seen all the dads grow in confidence and get really involved within the sessions. There were obviously challenges: the prison is fairly small but over-crowded, with many prisoners being either short-term or moving to another prison, and for some mums it was too far or difficult to bring their baby or child each week.

From the start, we were keen that the fathers would have the opportunity to gain an SCQF-credit-rated unit (level 3, 4 or 5), from the Peep Progression Pathway.  This is based on the parents’ own learning and reflections on an aspect of child development, linked to play and learning activities that they do with their child during the session, then record in a portfolio. The children can be any age from 0-5 years, so the courses have used the mixed-age ‘Early Child Development’ unit.  This includes Learning Together Programme topics such as Helping children feel good about themselves, Play and language, Sharing books with babies/young children, Maths in everyday routines and Food for life.

Completing the qualification unit also guarantees the fathers an interview at the local college when they leave, if they wish to do further training. The dads have all worked really hard on their credit-rated portfolios. For one dad it was his first recognised qualification, and this time one of the mums is completing a portfolio too. The dads have told us that it’s the highlight of their week – and we’ve found that it is for us too.’

Feedback on the Peep sessions:

Dads:

• “Peep’s had a massive impact on me and my family – without it I wouldn’t have had that opportunity to bond with my baby.”
• “I’ve really enjoyed the course, it’s made me feel more confident in being a first time dad and I have discovered lots of activities me and my son can do together.”
• “The Peep course has emphasised things, why we do activities and how it helps my child’s development. I didn’t realise the impact reading a story had on my child.”
• “It’s helped me exist, I feel more like a father. Even getting to stand up with my daughter makes a huge difference, in a normal visit session we can’t get off our seats.”

Mum:
“I feel that - although the circumstances in which we attend Peep aren’t the best - it has had such a great impact on us.  Initially I felt it was going to be condescending, but after attending the first session I soon realised the benefit of it.  I’ve seen how much it helps my partner interact with our son.  The activities and tasks that fathers often don’t take part in, like crafts and messy play, he has been able to experience. I’ve also learnt from it, the in‑depth details of children’s learning is really interesting. Most of all it has helped keep a bond between father and son, giving them both time to play, learn and interact, and I feel this will be very beneficial for when he comes home.”

Inverness Prison Governor, Stephen Coyle:
“It has given the fathers in our care the skills and confidence to shape play in a way which is fun yet maximises the benefits to their children, whilst strengthening the bonds in the wider family group. We are delighted this work will be ongoing.”

Prison Officer:
“This Peep project is about preventing future victims.”

Maree Todd, Scottish Minister for Children and Young People, visited one of the sessions in December 2018. She was very positive about the encouragement, praise, nurture and strong relationships that she saw, about the emotional literacy displayed in the fathers’ written portfolios, and about the likely lasting benefit for the families.

> Downloadable version of Peep in Inverness Prison case study  or find out more about the Peep Progression Pathway

“Really can’t describe how good it’s been to spend time with my family in this learning environment. Having this time has made me feel like a dad, as we can do fun family stuff together.”

Background (from the practitioners):

The project was piloted by Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Parenting and Family Learning Team, Fife College and the Scottish Prison Service in 2015. The feedback from the families and Family Contact Officers was very positive. We were delivering two 6-week blocks per year of family learning activities within the prison's learning centre, targeting Perth and Kinross families. After the programme's evaluation it became evident there was a larger need than we could support. Therefore we looked at what local partners could be involved in the delivery of the programme that would enhance the delivery frequency and impact for families. Since 2017 PKC has led a partnership of 4 local authorities (themselves, Dundee, Angus and Fife), the Scottish Prison Service, Fife College and third sector organisations, to deliver a rolling programme of family learning in HMP Perth. This has enabled some of the most disadvantaged families to improve family bonding and parenting skills.

Peep project overview:

Over the last two years we have included 4 blocks of Peep in HMP Perth's family learning delivery schedule, which have targeted different ages of pre-school families. During these sessions, staff support families to take part in the Peep programme including singing, stories and activities that support their child’s development. All families make two keepsake books, one which can be kept by Dad, and one that can be taken home. The Peep staff develop positive relationships with families, and signpost them to support and family learning activities in their local communities.

Staffing: Each block is supported by two staff from the local authorities, at least one is Peep-trained. The sessions are also supported by staff from the prison's learning centre, which is managed by Fife College.  

Feedback from families:

“It’s made kids be able to get closer to their dad and put that spring back in their steps. I’d like to thank all the staff for letting us be part of it.”

“These bonding sessions have been absolutely brilliant for the prisoners, partners and kids.  We've all really enjoyed them. We have really enjoyed making stuff, decorating stuff and keeping a book of what they have done.”

“It was great having some quality family time, we enjoyed when we met other families and 1:1 family time.”    

“Really can’t describe how good it’s been to spend time with my family in this learning environment. Having this time has made me feel like a dad, as we can do fun family stuff together.”

“Benefits of this group has been truly great as my son has more time to spend with his daddy and he even got to give him his first bath.”

Feedback from staff:

“This partnership assists in my role as family support coordinator for Tayside, including encouraging families to engage in family learning, and being able to feed back to the group directly from families their experiences and how it has benefitted them.” (Families Outside)

“The work of the partnership is a great development which is unlike other prisons in Scotland, working together to feed into the Child and Family agenda.” (HMP Perth)