Imprisoned mums at Hydebank Wood are using Zoom technology to
share special time with their kids.
A pilot project at Northern Ireland’s only female prison facility
was launched in August to provide additional contact for mums
with children at home or those placed in foster care.
During the Covid pandemic the Prison Service has facilitated more
than 20,000 virtual visits from Hydebank Wood, Maghaberry and
Magilligan prisons.
Hydebank Wood Deputy Governor Tom Ferguson said: “The project
with mums is a further example of Prison Service innovation and
compassion at this time.
“It very much fits with the Prison Service Family Strategy where
stronger family links and ties to children are encouraged.
Anything that helps reduce the trauma of having a parent in
prison is a positive step forward.”
The Hydebank mums are permitted Zoom visits with their kids
between the hours of 5-7pm when they get to chat with them, help
with their school homework and even read bedtime stories to them.
Head of Resettlement at Hydbebank Wood, Tracy Megrath, said: “We
recognised that our mothers in custody were missing out on vital
one to one contact with their children. So we put in place Zoom
visits between 5-7pm when their kids are home from school and
settled for the evening.
“It’s been a huge success, the mums have welcomed it; they get to
see and chat with their kids without distraction. It has provided
a vital link for those mothers and their children”
Notes to editors:
- Hydebank Wood accommodates female remand and sentenced
prisoners in Ash House, a house block within the complex.
