Pact receives further funding to help women in prison stay in touch with their children

Pact's Visiting Mum project, which supports Welsh mothers in prison to maintain positive relationships with their children, has had further funding confirmed.

Darllenwch yr erthygl hon yn Gymraeg

Welsh Government representatives Mick Antoniw, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, and Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, yesterday (20 Jan) visited HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire to speak to the Pact team and some of the women involved in the Visiting Mum service.

As there are no women's prisons in Wales, Welsh women serve custodial sentences in England, often at a considerable distance from their homes, children and families. Visiting Mum, originally piloted between 2014 and 2017, now operates in both HMP Eastwood Park and HMP Styal in Cheshire - the two most common locations for Welsh women being sent to prison.

The project provides intensive one-to-one support and parenting education for the women in custody, while Pact's partners at Change Grow Live provide wraparound support for children and their carers in the community. Previous evaluation shows that the scheme benefits both women and children, with positive effects on their health and wellbeing, as well as ensuring women can more effectively reintegrate into the community following their release.

Between June 2021 and August 2022, Visiting Mum supported 68 Welsh women and their families. The project is jointly funded by the Welsh Government and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), who are both contributing £90,000 in 2023-24 to ensure the scheme can continue and that many more families can benefit from support.

Nadia Emblin, Head of Service Delivery and Development – Wales and Western England, commented:

"While we believe that custodial sentences for women should only ever be used as a last resort, Visiting Mum ensures better outcomes for both mothers in custody and their children in the community.

"Our evaluation shows the positive impact of this kind of holistic support on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole family. It is also vital in reducing reoffending, as we know that prisoners who receive visits are 39% less likely to return to prison.

"We are hugely grateful to our partners at Change Grow Live, and to the Welsh Government and HMPPS for ensuring the scheme can continue. One mum recently told us that it offered, “a light in the dark” for her during her sentence, and we hope that we can provide this hope for many more women in the future."

You can find out more about Visiting Mum - Wales at https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/visiting-mum.

Mae Pact yn derbyn cyllid pellach i helpu menywod yn y carchar i gadw mewn cysylltiad â'u plant

Mae prosiect Ymweld â Mam Pact, sy'n cefnogi mamau o Gymru yn y carchar i gynnal perthnasoedd cadarnhaol gyda'u plant, wedi cael cadarnhad o gyllid pellach.

Ddoe (20 Ionawr) ymwelodd cynrychiolwyr Llywodraeth Cymru, Mick Antoniw, y Cwnsler Cyffredinol a’r Gweinidog dros y Cyfansoddiad, a Jane Hutt, y Gweinidog dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, â Charchar Ei Mawrhydi Eastwood Park yn Swydd Gaerloyw i siarad â thîm Pact a rhai o’r menywod sy’n ymwneud â’r Ymweld â Mam gwasanaeth.

Gan nad oes carchardai i fenywod yng Nghymru, mae menywod Cymru yn bwrw dedfrydau o garchar yn Lloegr, yn aml gryn bellter o’u cartrefi, eu plant a’u teuluoedd. Mae Visiting Mum, a gafodd ei dreialu’n wreiddiol rhwng 2014 a 2017, bellach yn gweithredu yng Ngharchar EM Eastwood Park a CEM Styal yn Swydd Gaer – y ddau leoliad mwyaf cyffredin ar gyfer merched o Gymru sy’n cael eu hanfon i’r carchar.

Mae'r prosiect yn darparu cefnogaeth un-i-un ddwys ac addysg magu plant i'r merched yn y ddalfa, tra bod partneriaid Pact yn Change Grow Live yn darparu cefnogaeth cofleidiol i blant a'u gofalwyr yn y gymuned. Mae gwerthusiadau blaenorol yn dangos bod y cynllun o fudd i fenywod a phlant, gydag effeithiau cadarnhaol ar eu hiechyd a’u lles, yn ogystal â sicrhau y gall menywod ailintegreiddio’n fwy effeithiol i’r gymuned ar ôl eu rhyddhau.

Rhwng Mehefin 2021 ac Awst 2022, cefnogodd Ymweld â Mam 68 o fenywod Cymreig a’u teuluoedd. Ariennir y prosiect ar y cyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Gwasanaeth Carchardai a Phrawf EM (HMPPS), sydd ill dau’n cyfrannu £90,000 yn 2023-24 i sicrhau y gall y cynllun barhau ac y gall llawer mwy o deuluoedd elwa ar gymorth.

Dywedodd Nadia Emblin, Pennaeth Darparu a Datblygu Gwasanaethau – Cymru a Gorllewin Lloegr:

"Er ein bod yn credu mai dim ond fel dewis olaf y dylid defnyddio dedfrydau o garchar i fenywod, mae Ymweld â Mam yn sicrhau canlyniadau gwell i famau yn y ddalfa a’u plant yn y gymuned.

"Mae ein gwerthusiad yn dangos effaith gadarnhaol y math hwn o gymorth cyfannol ar iechyd meddwl a lles y teulu cyfan. Mae hefyd yn hollbwysig o ran lleihau aildroseddu, gan ein bod yn gwybod bod carcharorion sy’n cael ymweliadau 39% yn llai tebygol o ddychwelyd i’r carchar.

"Rydym yn hynod ddiolchgar i’n partneriaid yn Change Grow Live, ac i Lywodraeth Cymru a HMPPS am sicrhau y gall y cynllun barhau. Dywedodd un fam wrthym yn ddiweddar ei fod yn cynnig, “golau yn y tywyllwch” iddi yn ystod ei dedfryd, a gobeithiwn y gallwn ddarparu’r gobaith hwn i lawer mwy o fenywod yn y dyfodol."

Gallwch ddarganfod mwy am Ymweld â Mam - Cymru yn https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/visiting-mum.