Network News
The Network raises concerns in a letter to the Irish Prison Service
In a letter dated 9 September 2023, the Action for Children and Families Network (the Network) have written to the Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey. The Network raised the following concerns and posed questions to Ms McCaffery: Families...
Progressing the collaborative book project
On 31 August 2023, members of the Action for Children and Families Network (the Network) involved in the collaborative book project steering committee with Kids' Own Publishing met for the second time to progress the project. Kids' Own Publishing hope the project will...
Collaborative book project commences
On Tuesday 25 July 2023, members of the steering committee of the collaborative book project between Kid's Own Publishing and Irish Penal Reform Trust’s (IPRT) with support of the Action for Children and Families Network met for the first time. The book project...
Response to cancelled prison visits in Castlerea Prison
On 4 July 2023, in response to a parliamentary question by Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan on the ability of prisoners in Castlerea Prison to receive visits from family members, the Minister for Justice and Equality explained that visits to imprisoned people in the...
Children’s Book Project with Kids’ Own in partnership with IPRT
Kids’ Own and Irish Penal Reform Trust's (IPRT) new Children and Families Initiative are working in partnership on a new creative project for children and young people who have experience of having a family member in prison. On 14 June 2023, we were delighted to hear...
IPRT become members of Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) Network
The Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) Network General Assembly meeting took place in Limerick on 9 June 2023 after the COPE conference, which was run in conjunction with Bedford Row Family Project. At the General Assembly meeting, a vote took place to accept Irish...
Children of Prisoners Europe’s (COPE) International Conference 2023: “Reconnecting through Learning and Play”
The Children of Prisoners Europe’s (COPE) International Conference 2023 “Reconnecting through Learning and Play” co-hosted by Bedford Row Family Project, COPE, Mary Immaculate College and Limerick Prison took place in Limerick on 8 June 2023. The conference...
Network submission to DCEDIY Statement of Strategy 2023
On 2 May 2023, Action for Children and Families Network Co-chair, Ashling Tobin, submitted to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth survey consultation on their Statement of Strategy 2023. Below are the responses submitted to the...
Child’s right to regular contact with a parent in detention safeguarded
A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (21 March) that safeguards a child's right to regular contact with a parent in detention, specifically in this case pre-trial detention, has marked a major development in European case law. This ruling will support...
Children and Families Project launch and publication of Maternal Imprisonment in Ireland: A Scoping Study
On Thursday 2 March 2023, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) held an in-person launch event at Wood Quay Venue, Dublin for their new project on children and families of people in prison. At the event they published their latest report ‘Maternal Imprisonment in Ireland: A...