Who is it for?
The new service provides enhanced support to children and young people whose parent or carer is in prison.
What does it involve?
On 1st December 2022, the Wales Violence Prevention Unit launched Operation Paramount, in partnership with His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, (HMPPS) Media Academy Cymru (MAC) and Children Heard and Seen, (CHaS). The new service provides enhanced support to children and young people whose parent or carer is in prison.
The programme’s aim is to support needs, listen to their concerns, and ensure that their voices are heard. Our team works closely with the person now looking after the child to create a personalised approach, considering the child's needs, the nature of the offence and the child's existing relationship with the parent, guardian, or carer in prison. The service is unique in its approach to dealing with the complex needs of families. The team offer the option of making contact with the probation practitioner to inform how the sentence is managed. The team work with families to find the best ways to support children and help them to cope with the difficulties that can occur as a result of parental, guardian, or carer imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant, Claire Morgan shares that “The partnerships in place for Operation Paramount are vital to deliver accurate and professional support for children and young people, and the worries that they face with parental imprisonment.”