The CHILD TRUST Project – Children Visiting Parents – TRaining EU Prison Staff is aimed at improving support for children whose parents are in prison, particularly during their visits to incarcerated parents. The project is based on the understanding that children of prisoners are often an insufficiently visible group and that the experience of visiting a prison can be made less stressful and more supportive if prison staff receive additional training for working with children and families.
Roda is implementing the project in partnership with Bambinisenzasbarre organisation from Italy - which is also the project lead, Relais Enfants Parents from France, and the Małopolska Probation Association from Poland. The project brings together organisations and experts from several European countries working on the protection of children’s rights, family support, and the improvement of prison practices.
The training held on 23 and 24 April 2026 in Požega and Zagreb was the third of four planned transnational training sessions for prison officers from the partner countries. Previous trainings were held in November 2025 in Milan and in March 2026 in Kraków, while the final training is planned for May 2026 in Paris. The aim of the training was to strengthen the competencies of staff in providing support to prisoners’ children and to facilitate the exchange of European experiences and practices that make children’s visits to imprisoned parents safer, more dignified, and more child-centred.
The training was attended by prison officers from correctional institutions and prisons in Croatia, including Glina, Požega, Zagreb, and Lepoglava, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation and the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children, which is also a cooperating institution in the project. From Italy, representatives of Bambinisenzasbarre, Milan Opera Prison, and Secondigliano Prison in Naples participated. From France, participants included representatives of Relais Enfants Parents, ENAP/DAP, and the correctional institutions of Beauvais, Fleury-Mérogis, Lannemezan, Toulouse Seysses, and Le Mans. From Poland, representatives of Małopolskie Stowarzyszenie Probacja and the correctional institutions Kraków Remand Prison, Tarnów Prison, Nowy Wiśnicz Prison, and Kielce Remand Prison took part.
This composition of participants enabled the exchange of experiences between different prison systems, institutions, and organisations directly involved in protecting the rights of children whose parents are in prison.
Day One – Visit to Požega Penitentiary
The programme of the first day of the transnational training was dedicated to field learning, familiarisation with the Croatian prison system, and the exchange of examples of good practice through a visit to Požega Penitentiary. After the welcoming and introductory remarks by the Governor of the Penitentiary, partner organisations briefly presented their work, national practices, and support programmes for children whose parents are in prison.
The central part of the morning programme was a presentation by Governor Zvonimir Leopoldović on how the prison environment can support rehabilitation. He presented the extensive renovation works carried out over the past four years in the penitentiary, including the refurbishment of the open, closed, and semi-open units. He spoke about the challenges of working in buildings more than one hundred years old, the organisational and infrastructural difficulties during renovation, and the ways in which the physical environment can support the preservation of dignity and better relationships within the prison system.
Participants were also introduced to the structure of the prison population at Požega Penitentiary. It was highlighted that the institution currently houses around 400 persons aged between 21 and 84, serving sentences ranging from six months to 34 years of imprisonment, including both women and men. The Governor also spoke about opportunities for women to work, receive education, and participate in vocational training during the execution of their sentence, contributing to their rehabilitation and preparation for reintegration into the community.
The presentation was followed by a guided tour of the penitentiary. Participants visited the newly renovated areas of the closed and semi-open units. Particular attention was drawn to the visiting area, where one section had been specially arranged for children, with the aim of creating a warmer, safer, and less stressful environment during visits with their parent. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the Mother and Child Unit, where, at that time, three mothers with babies up to six months old were accommodated. This model of work was recognised as an important example of protecting the early bond between mother and child and of efforts to ensure children as natural, calm, and supportive living conditions as possible, even within prison settings.
The visit was followed by lunch, and the afternoon part of the programme was dedicated to a joint reflection on the presented practices. Participants discussed work organisation, accommodation conditions, family support programmes, and the possibilities of applying the observed solutions in different national contexts. The first day concluded with an evaluation session and the return to Zagreb.
The evaluations showed that the visit to Požega Penitentiary was perceived very positively. Participants particularly highlighted the orderliness, cleanliness, calm atmosphere, and the impression of a well-maintained, humanised environment. Many emphasised that, in certain parts, the prison environment did not feel like a cold and repressive space, but rather like a place that sought to preserve the warmth of home and the dignity of persons deprived of liberty.
The balance between security and a humane approach was especially recognised: control was present, but not intrusive or intimidating. The visiting rooms, particularly those adapted for children, were seen as an important element in preserving family relationships and reducing additional stress for children and parents. The Mother and Child Unit left a strong impression due to its equipment, warmth, privacy, and support provided to mothers, as well as the efforts made to ensure children the most natural living conditions possible.
It was particularly valuable that, alongside international partners, prison officers and staff from other correctional institutions in Croatia had the opportunity for the first time to see this unit and discuss its organisation. This made the visit useful not only as a presentation of a Croatian example of good practice to international partners, but also as an opportunity for learning within the system itself. The model observed opened space for reflection on which elements could be transferred or adapted in other prisons and penitentiaries, both in Croatia and in the partner countries.
Participants identified as particularly applicable the humanisation of space, the arrangement of visiting rooms in a way that is welcoming to children and families, the calmer and less intrusive presence of staff, the adaptation of facilities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and an approach that enables people in the system to have more independence and responsibility. Their responses showed that they saw the applicability of the observed model not only in the physical arrangement of the space, but above all in the way of thinking: in an approach that connects security with trust, dignity, individualised support, and long-term rehabilitation.
Day Two – Professional Programme in Zagreb
The second day of the training was held in Zagreb, at the premises of the Representation of the European Commission in Croatia, and was dedicated to expert presentations, knowledge exchange, and linking European standards with the practice of the Croatian prison system.
The first presentation, “Support for Children Whose Parents Are in Prison: European Standards of Practice,” was delivered by Marija Gabelica Šupljika, Deputy Ombudsperson for Children, and Ivana Zanze from Roda, the project coordinator in Croatia. The presentation focused on support for children who have a parent in prison, with emphasis on European standards, particularly Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning children with imprisoned parents.
Special attention was given to the challenges these children face, including stigma, emotional stress, feelings of shame, lack of understanding of the situation, and the risk that their needs remain unrecognised. The importance of protecting the best interests of the child, the right to maintain contact with the parent, and the creation of visiting conditions that are safe, dignified, and child-friendly was strongly emphasised.
Participants were also introduced to practical guidelines arising from European standards, including the importance of child-sensitive communication, respect for the parent in the child’s presence, unobtrusive supervision, protecting children from intimidating or stressful situations, and creating an environment in which the parent-child relationship can be preserved.
Through practical exercises, participants had the opportunity to reflect on how important it is in professional work to distinguish between what we actually see and what we assume, interpret, or conclude based on our own experiences and prejudices. These exercises opened space for reflection on how personal assumptions can, often unconsciously, be transferred into relationships with prisoners, their children, and families, and why professional objectivity is essential for ensuring fair, supportive, and child-centred treatment.
In the presentation “Supporting Family Relationships in the Croatian Prison System: Staff Training and the Parenting Programme,” Smiljka Baranček from the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Head of the Training Centre since 2017, presented the Croatian rehabilitation concept on which the execution of prison sentences is based.
She particularly emphasised that the purpose of imprisonment, alongside humane treatment and respect for dignity, includes preparation for life in freedom. The presentation highlighted the important role of the Training Centre in strengthening the competencies of prison and probation staff, especially through programmes that connect security, treatment, communication skills, ethical conduct, and employees’ mental health.
Special emphasis was placed on the programme “Prisoner as Parent,” implemented since 2013, which is aimed at strengthening parenting skills, improving family communication, understanding children’s needs, and preventing inappropriate parenting practices. Participants found the Croatian example useful because they were able to compare it with their own national experiences and identify elements that could be transferred or adapted in other prison and probation systems.
The final presentation was delivered by Bernardica Franjić Nađ from the Department for Psychological Support to Prison and Probation Officers of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation. The topic of the presentation was “Understanding Stress and Strengthening Resilience among Prison Staff.”
The presentation addressed the understanding of stress, its causes, and the ways in which it can be recognised in everyday work and life. It explained how stress affects the body and mind and what consequences it can have if it becomes chronic. Particular emphasis was placed on recognising physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioural signs of stress.
Participants were introduced to concrete ways of strengthening resilience, including rest, setting boundaries, recognising one’s own needs, seeking support, and relaxation techniques. Through short breathing and relaxation exercises, participants were able to directly experience the importance of caring for employees’ mental health, especially in a system that daily involves a high level of responsibility, emotional burden, and work with vulnerable groups.
Together, these expert presentations connected children’s rights, standards of treatment, Croatian institutional practice, and staff wellbeing as mutually connected parts of quality support for children whose parents are in prison. The programme enabled participants not only to gain new information, but also to better understand how European recommendations can be translated into concrete actions in the daily work of prison officers.
