On Thursday 8th September 2022, the Action for Children and Families of Prisoners Network  joined together online for their seventh meeting.

The primary focus of the meeting was for individual members to provide an update on the work they have been carrying out on behalf of children and families since the last meeting in June 2022.

At this meeting, IPRT’s Co-Chair, Sarahjane McCreery, informed the Network that she would be leaving her post with IPRT on the 23rd September 2022 and that her role carrying out work related to the Network would be taken over by the soon-to-be recruited Children and Families Initiative Project Co-ordinator. Sarahjane also used this as an opportunity to introduce Saoirse Brady in her new capacity on the Network as Executive Director of IPRT.

This meeting also included a short presentation from CEO of St. Stephen’s Green Trust (SSGT), Orla O’Neill on the Family Matters Grant Programme 2022-2025 which aims to fund work focusing on improving the system of support for families affected by convictions and imprisonment to improve rehabilitation and resettlement outcomes. Orla encouraged Network members to apply for the grant programme and circulate information about the grant within their respective networks.