Joanna* is a mum in custody in Queensland, and when our team first met her, she was missing her 2-year-old daughter terribly.
At that point, she’d been in custody for several weeks and only been able to have phone calls with her daughter, which were difficult because, at such a young age, her daughter was finding the conversations hard to engage with and preferred face-to-face contact.
Joanna jumped at the chance to participate in our Storytime program and record herself reading a book for her daughter.
She picked the beautiful storybook Guess How Much I Love You and made a heartfelt recording for her daughter to listen to before bed every night.
Hearing her mum’s voice has helped her daughter feel comforted that her mum hadn’t disappeared and still loved her very much.
About a month after sending off her Storytime, Joanna enrolled in our parenting program, Bringing Up Great Kids.
She found it really helpful and appreciated the tips and skills to help connect with and understand her daughter better, especially given the stress the relationship was under with them being separated.
It was during this time that she had her very first visit with her daughter as well.
“She told me the visit went really well and that it had no doubt helped that her daughter could hear her voice every night before bed,” said our team.
Joanna is now in a much happier mindset than when we first met her and is working to have her child moved in with her to the mums and bubs unit at the centre.
“She feels much more confident about parenting since the parenting program, and when her daughter does come to live with her, they’ll also be able to join our Playgroup, which will further enrich their time together at the centre and keep her child engaged in play and learning,” said our team.
It’s been wonderful to see a mum in custody making the most of the programs available to keep a strong relationship with their child, and our team looks forward to helping Joanna and bub thrive in the future.
*Names and images changed to protect participant privacy.
11-year-old David* has had a really tough start in life, with both parents in and out of custody and very little contact with them. David’s experiences have led to emotional regulation […]
This is the story of how Mike*, an Aboriginal dad in custody, turned from active program participant to respected leader and mentor to other dads going through what he has. In […]
For three little boys and their dad in custody, staying connected is key to their wellbeing, and dads aim to make a new life for himself when he’s released. Mark* (8), […]