Family & Children's Services

VACRO has a long history of working with families and children of offenders, recognising them as the secondary, 'invisible' victims of crime.

" It's often left up to the individual family to find support for their children when the mother is sentenced. The police will contact the Department of Human Services to say that children are in the home when they carry out the arrest, but if the children are elsewhere, such as school, they may not necessarily follow up" (Meredith Hillebrand, former VACRO Family and Children's Program Coordinator, as quoted in Madison Magazine, September 09 Issue.)

Stereotypes of prisoners and widespread fear of crime and criminals can lead people to discriminate against families of offenders.

Studies highlight the trauma, grief and distress experienced by the families of offenders and the difficulties that confront them in navigating their way through the criminal justice system.

The imprisonment of a loved one often brings up hardship and uncertainty that most people find difficult to deal with. Many questions arise about how to carry on and cope with their own situation while their partner, child or parent adjusts to life in prison.

Issues such as what and how to tell children about a parent's imprisonment and how to manage other's reactions to the situation can be a heavy burden to manage.

The stigma attached to offenders often makes it hard to confide in friends and relatives and many are left wondering where to turn for support.

"Sometimes it's hard to talk about this stuff, even to your family. VACRO staff are understanding and not critical"

In 2004, VACRO created a program area that specialises in working with families and children of offenders.

In 2005, the program expanded to include a specialist children's worker to provide counselling and support for prisoner's children, this program built upon the recommendations outlined in VACRO's 2000 research initiative, Doing it Hard; a report with a specific focus on the needs of prisoner's children. We are pleased to announce that we have been successful in receiving further funding to re launch this program with the addition of a Children's Mentoring program, run in partnership with Shine for Kids.