A1258689963HwOgt

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The Growing Crisis Limited Support
Sisters Inside Personal Support Programme
Jacqueline Johnson and Natalie Bell
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme

• Personal Support Program began at Sisters
  Inside in July 2002
• The program currently has 55 participants in
  the greater South East Queensland area.
• The regions that we offer this service in are
• Gold Coast South West Brisbane
• Logan North Brisbane
• Ipswich Redcliffe/Caboolture
• South East Brisbane Sunshine Coast

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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme

• Some of the barriers that women are referred with
  from centrelink could include
• Homelessness Gambling Problems
• Drug and/or Alcohol Problems Poor
  Communication
• Domestic Violence Depression
• Social Isolation/Alienation
• Family Relationship Breakdown
• Anxiety Conditions
• Anger Management
• Work Behaviour skills
• Financial Management Problems

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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme
A survey was completed this year and at the time
there was 55 women on the program. Sisters
Inside as a service provider for the Personal
Support Program is a specialist provider meaning
who have a specific target group. The program is
open to all women who have been through prison.
Women who have been through the system two weeks
ago or three years ago. Reintegration back into
the community can be a constant uphill battle for
some women. Therefore women who were released 5
years ago are still eligible to complete the
program with Sisters Inside. The following are
some of the results from the survey.
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme

• Women who enter the prison are generally the sole
  care givers for their children.
• 85 of women interviewed were sole care givers.
• It has been noted that women on the PSP sometimes
  have difficulty meeting with their children both
  in Departmental care and those who are in the
  care of family members.
• Family may think that the mothers need to get
  their act together before they will let them see
  or take their children.
• Family members are reluctant to uproot children
  who are established in schools and extra
  curricular activities if the mother still has
  court hearings to attend.

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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme
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The Growing Crisis Limited SupportPersonal
Support Programme

• Personal Support Programme
• Case Study
• Sandy 35 year old Indigenous women
• Released from prison 5 years ago
• 6 children, one 18 years and the other five under
  16 years of age 3 children are in the care of the
  Department of Families and 2 are with two
  separate family members
• Sandy was referred by centrelink with the
  following barriers
• Domestic Violence
• Homelessness
• Family Breakdown
• Other around cancer