A Message for Mother’s Day 2023
Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor, One Small Thing
An estimated 17,000 children are affected by maternal imprisonment every year. This Mother’s Day Lilly Lewis, Women's Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing, shares a few ways to better support women affected by the justice system and their children around this time.
Mother’s Day is such an important day for me as it is the day I get to celebrate my work and achievements that I have gained since coming out of prison.
I will never take spending time with my children for granted, also I spend time on Mother’s Day, thinking about my birth mum who I have never had the chance to meet. My mum, the lady who adopted me, always FaceTimes me as she does not live nearby.
Many women in the criminal justice system don’t have an opportunity to spend time with their own mothers and children due to restrictions on visits and limited release on temporary license. Here are a few ways women could be better supported around Mother’s Day.
Those working with justice involved women should support women to have contact around Mother’s Day
I think both prison staff and those working with women in the community, who do not have their children with them should provide more support around Mother’s Day. This is an extremely emotional time for women. For social workers who do not work Sundays, they should try to ensure contact or family time can be the Friday before Mother’s Day or the Monday after Mother’s Day. I think this is so important for children who often in the week before Mother’s Day, will be making gifts at school for Mum or even possibly Nan.
All Women eligible for ROTL (release on Temporary license) should be given the opportunity to apply
In prison, every woman who is eligible for ROTL should be given the opportunity to apply for a license to see their children. For those who are not eligible, on the weekend of Mother’s Day an extra visit should be put in place. This is to ensure that as many women as possible can see their own mothers, or have contact with their children.
Increased therapeutic support for women unable to have contact with children
For those mothers who can’t have contact with their children, this is such a hard time. For me, social services did send me cards that the children had made for me. However, not all mothers are able to have contact with their children and for those women, I would like to see some therapeutic workshops being available for these them around Mother’s Day. If children are in the care system I think it is also important to put on additional support for the children who are often not thought about enough around Mother’s Day.
Written by: Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing