The theme for Parents’ Week 2012 was ‘Make a Moment’. The week kicked off in style at an afternoon tea reception at the House of Commons. POPS were delighted to be invited, represented by Family Service Coordinators, Gill Kelly and Denise Morley, who attended alongside parliamentarians, childcare practitioners, business leaders and parents. Edward Timpson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families was the main speaker highlighting in his address the need to retain funding for family helplines. Other speakers included Steve Webb, Minister for Pensions, and Family and Parenting Institute Charity Ambassador, Saira Khan.
Back in the North-West POPS has been busy ‘Making Moments’ throughout our projects. The National Offenders’ Families Helpline created a fun-filled activity sheet with lots of suggestions as to what parents and their children could do to ‘Make-a-Moment’.
Across the eleven prisons where POPS delivers visitor services we have been encouraging families and children to ‘stick-it’ and tell us what they like most about the family member they are visiting. By jotting down their thoughts on a sticky note and sticking it to our memory boards we hope to collate a mass of positive ‘moments’ and encourage families and children to express their appreciation of each other. ‘Stick-it’ was also run across our partnerships with the Youth Offending Service and Greater Manchester Probation Trust.
As well as the ‘stick-it’ project POPS Visitor Centres have put on a range of creative activities to bring prisoners and their children together to ‘Make a Moment’. Using the theme of the ‘family’ dads at HMP Kirkham were encouraged to depict a moment in time with their family. The children then joined in making frames for their dad’s picture and together ‘Making a Memory’. Some fantastic wall art was also created including some very spooky Halloween displays. It was a great week for all involved to ‘Make a Moment’!