Within the Erasmus+ project CHILD TRUST - Children visiting parents – TRaining EU prison STaff, implemented in partnership with Bambinisenzasbarre (Italy), Relais Enfants Parents (France), Małopolska Probation Association (Poland) and Roda (Croatia), two national trainings for judicial police officers were held in December 2025 and January 2026 with the aim of strengthening child-friendly practices in the prison system. The first training took place on 5 December 2025 at the Training Centre in Zagreb, with a total of 27 participants – 23 judicial police officers and 4 female judicial police officers. Participants came from several penitentiary institutions across Croatia: the Glina Prison, Lipovica–Popovača Penitentiary, Zagreb Prison Hospital, Požega Correctional Institution, Karlovac Prison, Šibenik Prison, Split Prison, Zadar Prison and Zagreb Prison.
The second national training was held on 5 February 2026 at Lepoglava Penitentiary, with the participation of a total of 10 judicial police officers from Lipovica–Popovača Penitentiary, Karlovac Prison and Osijek Prison.
Both trainings were conducted by Marija Gabelica Šupljika, Deputy Ombudsperson for Children, and Ivana Zanze from Roda. The content of both trainings focused on understanding the child’s perspective in the prison system, children’s emotional experiences during visits with incarcerated parents, and the practical role of judicial police in reducing stress and potential retraumatization. The work was based on interactive and practice-based methods, including analysis of real-life situations of children with incarcerated parents, group discussions on children’s emotions, fear and stigma, as well as the humanization of visiting spaces and the impact of officers’ behaviour during visits. Practical issues were also addressed, such as how security procedures can be implemented in a way that is both safe and non-threatening for children. Special emphasis was placed on linking everyday practice with children’s needs and European standards, particularly the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 on children with imprisoned parents.
Evaluation results show a clear and strong shift in participants’ knowledge and attitudes following the trainings. After the training, there is greater understanding of Council of Europe standards and their practical application in everyday work with families and children in the prison system, as well as clearer recognition that a child-friendly approach can reduce stress for children and strengthen the parent–child relationship. Participants also increasingly highlighted the need for continuous training of staff, while the key remaining challenge is still the need for greater visibility, accessibility and consistent implementation of internal protocols related to children’s visits across all penitentiary institutions. The trainings thus confirm that targeted, practice-oriented education can simultaneously improve the quality of treatment within the system and reduce the negative effects of the prison environment on children.
Napisao/la: Roda
The CHILD TRUST Project – Children visiting parents – Training EU prison staff is funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme.
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