Tools and Resources

Families Outside constantly creates new tools, research, and resources to support professionals who regularly come into contact with families affected by imprisonment.

The Framework for the Support of Families Affected by the Justice System is intended for use across various settings and by any individual or organisation that has contact with families. Its eleven broad outcomes and associated recommendations describe an ideal standard of support for families affected by the criminal justice system.

The Good Practice Guidance for the Support of Families Affected by Imprisonment is written for professionals working with families, whether from voluntary or statutory organisations, and can be used by family members themselves. It gathers together evidence from research and practice, drawing on the expertise of Network members throughout Scotland.

For a comprehensive list of tools and resources, please visit our Publications Page.

Knowing Your Rights to Sibling Contact

This resource for care-experienced children and young people with a sibling in prison or secure care provides support for knowing their rights around how to keep in touch with their siblings in the secure environment and how to access these rights.

Download 200kb PDF

Knowing Your Rights: Prison

This resource for young people in prison, or a Young Offenders’ Institute, provides support for knowing their rights around how to keep in touch with their siblings on the outside and how to access these rights.

Download 220kb PDF

Knowing Your Rights: Secure Care

This resource for young people in secure care provides support for knowing their rights around how to keep in touch with their siblings on the outside and how to access these rights.

Download 219kb PDF

Social Work Guide: Supporting Children and Young People

This online resource provides guidance to social workers, in checklist form, on how best to support care-experienced children and young people with a sibling in prison or secure care. It includes an insight into prison processes, some of the experiences of care-experienced siblings and more, with links to further information.

Download 175kb PDF

Paying the Price: A Project on the Financial Impact on Families of Imprisonment and Release

The research conducted for this project shows that more families than ever who have a family member in prison are experiencing very serious additional financial penalties. The findings highlighted that the costs associated with supporting someone in prison are high, unnecessarily so. These tend to particularly impact mothers and children, and families deal with this by silently suffering, enduring, and leading a diminished life. Read the full report to learn more.

Download 1.55Mb PDF

Paying the Price: Social Media Survey

To help verify the emerging findings with a wider reach of participants, a short online survey was done via social media. The findings of the survey provided a ‘sense-check’ of the financial issues families reported through separate interviews that were conducted.

Download 1.28Mb PDF

Paying the Price: Literature Review

The “Paying the Price” project started with a review of the literature over the last decade to set the context and identify the issues the project needed to explore. It aimed to identify wider social benefits to improving the accessibility of family contact alongside greater digital connectivity. Literature was added as the work progressed to ensure the information for the project was as current as possible.

Download 555kb PDF

Financial Impact Process Map

This process map was created to outline where families face barriers and access support in their journey through the criminal justice process. Key stages are highlighted, with the implications for each listed. This map helps identify the types of financial challenges families can expect at each stage, and helps alert them and professionals to these challenges, so they can prepare and seek support and information.

Download 781kb PNG

"This is Me": A Child Impact Assessment toolkit

Resources to support children with a mum in the criminal justice system

Download 807kb PDF

Resources to support children with a dad in the criminal justice system – Child-Impact-Assessment-DAD

Paying the Price: The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release

Find our useful one pager of key information from our financial report which highlights the impact that a decade of austerity, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis has had on families with a family member in prison.

Download 157kb PDF

Help and Information Following a Death in Custody

Family support resource

Download 250kb PDF

Family Support

We know that having a family member in prison or facing a prison sentence can affect families in many ways. You might be looking for support and information. Our service might be able to help you.

Download 66kb PDF

My Story

My Story, written by Katie, has been developed with support from Families Outside, to help young people with a family member in prison to understand and explore their feelings.

Download 2.28Mb PDF

My Visit

Many children with a family member in prison will visit them at some point, although not all children have the opportunity to visit. It can help children feel better about visiting if they know what this is like and where their family member is.

Download 6.33Mb PDF

ALSO: Check out our My Visit video on vimeo

Who We Are, What We Do

Our purpose is to improve outcomes for children and adults affected by imprisonment. This booklet highlights our services, how to access them, and the issues they aim to address.

Download 183kb PDF

Guide for Professionals Working with Children & Young People

This booklet is aimed at professionals who work with children and young people affected by imprisonment. It highlights the issues children and young people face and the steps that can be taken to support them.

Download 214kb PDF

Keeping Connected: Family Contact Booklet

Stronger Families Inside Out is an initiative that was developed to help maintain strong family relationships through a variety of activities.

Download 1.34Mb PDF

Coming Home

Preparing for release will be a different experience for everyone. However you and your family are feeling this booklet is here to give you as much practical information as possible and to encourage to you think and talk about release so you feel prepared.

Download 370kb PDF

The Families Left Behind

We are four women from across Fife, brought together by Families Outside and Fife Council’s Family and Community Support Team to support each other through the experience of having a loved one in prison.

Download 3.78Mb PDF

My Diary

Support for children and young people with a parent in prison

Download 1.58Mb PDF

ALSO : Check out our My Diary video on Vimeo.

Picking up the Pieces

Support for Families of People Convicted of a Sexual Offence

Download 1.60Mb PDF

Supporting Prisoners' Families - What can schools do?

Are you working with a pupil who has a parent or close relative in prison? This helpful guide has been designed with and for teachers so they can better support children with a family member in prison.

Download 3.08Mb PDF

Supporting Prisoners' Families - What can Health Professionals do?

This booklet offers information and guidance to health professionals so that they can better support children and families affected by imprisonment.

Download 561kb PDF

Framework for the support of families affected by the Justice System

Developed with extensive involvement and support from the Lothian & Borders Community Justice Authority’s Families Outcomes Group, the Framework is now revised and updated.

Download 1.37Mb PDF

Check out the Supporting Document Oct 2021 which provides rationale and further information.

Guidance and Resources for Schools

Guidance and Resources for Schools in Supporting Children Impacted by Imprisonment

Download 1.94Mb PDF

Council of Europe Recommendations

Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States concerning children with imprisoned parents.

Download 323kb PDF

It's Time to Act

This child-friendly version of the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 from April 2018 has been prepared by COPE members and other organisations withhelp from children and young people across Europe. It includes children’s voices throughout and is an example of how children can be involved and advocate for what they want and need.

Download 4.24Mb PDF

National Performance Framework for Prison Visitors’ Centres in Scotland

Prison Visitor Centres seeking funding from the Scottish Government will now be required to demonstrate that they can meet the standards set out in the National Performance Framework.

Download 340kb PDF

Scottish Prison Service Family Strategy 2017-2022

Created in partnership between SPS, Barnardo's Scotland, and Families Outside.

Download 8.65Mb PDF

Honest

What happens when a relative is sent to prison. For children aged 4-11

Download 597kb PDF

Whats the story?

What happens when a relative is sent to prison. For young people aged 12-16

Download 1.14Mb PDF

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