We are independent volunteer female lawyers who help mothers try to connect with their children
Mothers Project helps mothers in prison try to maintain meaningful connections with their children
because, when a mother is imprisoned, her children serve that sentence as well.
NEED HELP?
When a mother is in prison, she becomes separated from her children. Our volunteers help imprisoned mothers connect with their children .
GET INVOLVED
Our volunteers help imprisoned mothers to maintain crucial family ties while the mothers are separated from their children.
Just because a mother has committed a crime, doesn’t mean she’s not a good mother.
We believe around 85% of imprisoned women in Aotearoa are mothers. Many are single mums and some were the sole caregiver for their children before going to prison. Even if they haven’t yet been convicted or sentenced, mothers can be away from their children for months, sometimes longer.
Good relationships between mothers and their children, even when they’re separated by prison walls, can benefit child wellbeing, and reduce parent reoffending which is why the team at Mothers Project does whatever it can to try and support imprisoned mothers stay connected with their children.
Volunteer lawyers who are trained and coordinated by Mothers Project, visit every women’s prison in New Zealand every month offering their services pro-bono to help mothers understand their responsibilities and rights regarding their children.
Women Managed by Corrections
Many women who offend are primary caregivers. If they receive the support they need to turn their own lives around, that will have a positive impact on their children, families and our communities.
6,712 women are under the management of Corrections
675 (6.8% of the prison population) are in prison
An estimated 85% are mothers.
Of those mothers:
68%
have been victims of family violence, rape and/or sexual violence
70%
have signficant literacy problems
52%
of women in prison have a lifetime diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder
75%
have been diagnosed with mental health problems
46%
have lifetime alcohol dependence
44%
have drug dependence disorders
How we help mothers
Good relationships between mothers and their children can benefit child wellbeing and reduce parent reoffending. Lawyer volunteers trained and coordinated by Mothers Project visit every women’s prison in New Zealand every month to help imprisoned mothers understand their responsibilities and rights regarding their children.
"We want to ensure kids who have a mum in prison can stay connected and feel comfortable visiting her and the mum knows where her children are and who’s looking after them."
- Stacey Shortall, Mothers Project Founder
Volunteers assist mothers to understand where their children are, who is caring for them and what the mothers need to do in order to preserve their legal rights. Volunteers make calls to Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children), family members, caregivers, schools and legal aid lawyers, to open communication lines and share information, and arrange prison calls and visits with children as appropriate.
Feedback from both mothers and volunteers working on Mothers Project has been positive. Mothers describe being appreciative that someone in a volunteer capacity is willing to help them. Volunteers get a new perspective on the challenging lives of some women and children in our country.
Mothers Project is a programme created by registered charity Who Did You Help Today? to connect our communities to create positive change.
