Children’s charity Barnardo’s has been awarded a contract to work with military detainees based in Essex…
The Barnardo’s Essex CAPI service (Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment) will be providing support and advice to families of military personnel who are currently being detained at the Military Corrective Training Centre in Colchester (MCTC).
The grant which was recently awarded by the Ministry of Defence means that Barnardo’s will support families for the next three years. The project, Children Affected by Parental Service Separation (CAPSS) began on June 8th and has already seen over 12 detainees and made contact with their families.
Suzanne Page, Barnardo’s Team Leader at the Essex CAPI service said: “This is actually quite a unique project for us as not only will we be working with families in Essex, but our support will travel UK wide, as military personnel from across the country use this facility.
“It will be important to connect with Barnardo’s services across the country and other organisations to ensure the families’ needs are met.
“We will be providing our support work remotely to those families outside of Essex and will be using Skype and video Calls to make contact. This is an exciting new way of working for us and we are looking forward to it.”
One family member who has been helped by the service said: “I’m so grateful someone asked me how I am. I feel the weight has been lifted just by talking to Barnardo’s. Their support will definitely reduce our stress levels and the issues we face”.
Paul Ludbrook, Welfare Officer from the MCTC said: “The MCTC is looking forward to developing partnership working with Barnardos on this CAPI project. This will significantly benefit Service families and their children, given that there is far reaching ripple effect when a loved ones are detained and additional support is always welcome.
“This is yet another good example that demonstrates the enduring commitment the military has to supporting its people and their families.”
Over 3 year period Barnardo’s aims to offer advice and support to a minimum of 180 detainees, their families and their children along with family days and other services.
