“Children of prisoners are children in need, and provision of support to this group will help them to achieve the five outcomes of Every Child Matters” Barnardo’s
Babies In Prison (BIP) is a UK charity (Registered Charity Number 1013166) that observes and supports the development of babies and toddlers living with their mothers in Mother and Baby Units within prisons in the United Kingdom, and works to improve their general wellbeing despite the restrictions of the prison environment.
Our aims are to:
- Broaden the range of experiences available to the babies and toddlers.
- Improve the mother/baby relationship by encouraging good parenting skills.
- Provide a range of educational toys and equipment to stimulate the babies.
It is recognised that the first months of life are critical for the emotional, intellectual and physical development of babies. We therefore set out to:
- Recognise good practice in the mother and baby units and promote activities known to lead to good parenting.
- Promote positive bonding between the mothers and their babies and encourage the mothers’ confidence in their role.
- Work with other practitioners to enhance the skills of mothers and babies.
- Provide independent observation of the effects on babies and their mothers of living in an institutional environment.
Babies In Prison provides the only voice to government to ensure that this vulnerable group is represented and accommodated in an appropriate environment within the penal system.
The charity was awarded an NCVO bursary to attend the 2010 Liberal Democrat Party Conference and a further NCVO bursary enabled the Chair to attend the NCVO trustees’ conference in October 2010.