Seeing a child first and foremost as a child, not a "visitor"
A two-day international training session was held in Kraków as part of the project “Child Trust – Child-friendly practices for prison staff – balancing security and quality of interactions.” The event brought together representatives of non-governmental organisations and prison officers from Poland, Italy, Croatia and France.
Project partners attending the training included Bambini senza sbarre (Italy), RODA – Roditelji u akciji (Croatia), and Relais Enfants Parents France (France), as well as prison officers from these countries. At the invitation of the Małopolskie Stowarzyszenie Probacja, the training was also attended by security staff from regional penitentiary units: the Remand Centre in Kraków together with its Kraków–Nowa Huta External Unit, the Prison in Tarnów (including its Tarnów-Mościce External Unit), and the Remand Centre in Kielce.
The training was opened by Captain Beata Bańdur, who welcomed participants on behalf of the Regional Director of the Prison Service. Colonel Paweł Twaróg, Director of the Remand Centre in Kraków, then presented the unit’s activities in supporting family ties of incarcerated individuals, the organisation of visits, and the applicable legal regulations. The importance of cooperation between the unit and civil society organisations, in particular the Małopolskie Stowarzyszenie Probacja, was also emphasised.
The first day of the training was devoted to the exchange of experiences and the presentation of good practices from different countries. Participants learned about the activities of partner organisations and the assumptions of the Charter of Rights of Children of Imprisoned Parents, which is currently under development and is planned to be signed at the Ministry of Justice. The document is being developed, among other things, based on inspiration from Italian solutions.
During the workshop sessions, prison officers jointly analysed the perspective of a child visiting a parent in a penitentiary setting. Discussions focused on the emotions accompanying such visits—uncertainty, longing, fear, but also hope—and on how daily practice can better respond to the needs of children. A key reference point was the statement:
“Every child who comes to prison comes first and foremost to see their parent.”
The second day of the training had a practical focus and began with a study visit to the Remand Centre in Kraków. Participants followed the route taken by children visiting their parents—from the entry office, through the main gate, to the visiting room. They also had the opportunity to see the living conditions of incarcerated individuals.
During a meeting with the Deputy Director of the unit, Major Grzegorz Dragan, the organisation of visits and solutions implemented in the facility were discussed. Particular interest was generated by the presentation of activities carried out in cooperation with the Małopolskie Stowarzyszenie Probacja, demonstrating how the prison space can be transformed into a more child-friendly environment—not only through visual changes, but above all through systematic actions and relationship-building.
In the afternoon session, the results of research on adolescents’ adaptation to parental imprisonment were presented by Paulina Bąbol, a psychologist involved in mentoring activities carried out by the Probacja Association. The discussion of the findings, along with a comparison of experiences and systems functioning in different countries, provided a summary of the training.
A message that repeatedly emerged over the two days was:
“The key is empathy.”
The training demonstrated that building a penitentiary system sensitive to the needs of children is possible—and that it begins with attentiveness, cooperation, and a willingness to see reality through the eyes of the youngest.
The project is implemented in cooperation with Children of Prisoners Europe, and all organizations involved in its implementation are members of COPE.
