There is little in the way of service level
agreements or their equivalent between the children’s
and criminal justice services about what should
happen when a child has a parent arrested. Consequently,
much of the work that does take place is based
on informal arrangements, including development
of local informal working relationships across
sectors, and good will.
Many assumptions are made about the roles and
responsibilities of others. These myths about
other services can result in a lack of coordination,
communication and action. Ironically, most of
the practice sites felt this was too complex
a piece of work to do in isolation because of
the interface between so many sectors. Consequently,
a multi-disciplinary response is crucial.
There is some evidence of good partnership
working. Some is underpinned by guidance and
legislation, such as the Multi-Agency Public
Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Some partnerships
are based on service level agreements – such
as in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Partners of
Prisoners (POPS) – and some on informal
arrangements and good will, such as the Thames
Valley.
Please send us your comments and suggestions about 'Children of prisoners - maintaining family ties' (Guide). It will help us to continue to improve our work in the future.
