Mother
means biological or adoptive mother, or legal guardian.
Baby
means any baby under the age of nine months.
Best Interest’ of the baby
The following ‘best interest’ components have been considered for the baby, in consultation with specialist staff including the Prison Social Worker, and, if required, a Child Youth and Family representative:
-
Continuity of care (that is, the mother intends to assume primary responsibility for the care of her baby on release in the reasonably near future)
- Child Health and Welfare experts agree that it is the quality of the attachment of the child to his/her main caregiver, which has a determining effect on the child’s development.
- Therefore, if it is in the child’s best interests to be in prison early in life to form an attachment with the mother, who will be returning to care for him/her in the reasonably near future, that should be facilitated.
- However, there will be occasions when the child needs to form an attachment to an alternative long-term caregiver and that relationship should be given equal attention.
- Stability of placement – that is, whether stability is more likely with the mother in prison or in a community placement.
- Safe and supportive environment for the baby – whether this is more likely to be provided in a placement with the prisoner mother or by an alternative placement in the community.
- Maintenance of family and significant relationships – whether the placement with the prisoner mother would allow for the maintenance of other family and significant relationships, including relationships with siblings.
- Whether the physical and emotional well-being of the baby may be detrimentally impacted by placement with the prisoner mother.
- The ability to maintain the child’s identity, including cultural, religious and personal identity is considered.
Primary Caregivers
means any individual who is responsible for the custody or care of a baby or babies.
Alternative Caregivers
means any individual authorised by the primary caregiver or legal guardian to be responsible for the baby outside a Prison.
Child Abuse
means the harming (whether physically, emotionally or sexually), ill treatment, abuse, neglect or deprivation of any baby, child or young person.
Parenting Order
- an order made under Care of Children Act 2004, s48(1).
Day-to-day care
includes care that is provided only for 1 or more specified days or parts of days, Care of Children Act 2004.
Self-care Units
Feeding and Bonding Facilities
- facilities for those prisoners who are ineligible or choose not to have their baby with them in full-time residence in a Self-care unit, the baby may still be brought into the prison daily for the purposes of feeding and bonding with the prisoner mother in a designated facility.
Custodial Supervision
The requirements outlined for Custodial Supervision (in the Custodial Supervision service description) will apply unless otherwise specified.
Delivery Measures
The key measures for determining service levels and for the Department’s external reporting are:
- Number of prisoners eligible to use this service/facility.
- Number of prisoners utilising this service/facility.
