Under a new program, incarcerated fathers can play with their children and enjoy family meals

Fathers locked up in two Scottish prisons can play with their children and enjoy family meals in what is believed to be the world’s first prison-based fatherhood program.

Weekly sessions are designed to improve relationships and promote healthy behaviors between incarcerated fathers and their children and include positive tumbling games, fitness classes and games that develop motor skills.

At the end of each session, prisoners also have the opportunity to sit and eat a meal with their children and the partner or family member who accompanied the young people.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said the Healthy Dads, Healthy Babies (HDHK) program, developed in Australia for the first time, was delivered in a prison setting.

The eight-week program was first delivered at HMP Barlinnie in Glasgowand then HMP Perth and so far 14 families with children aged five to 12 have taken part.

One participant said, “I think it was great to reconnect with my son in a way that probably can’t even be described in words.”

Another inmate emphasized that the chance to spend time together away from the visiting room was particularly meaningful, saying, “Just the simple fact of your family sitting at the table with you eating a meal. It’s a completely different dynamic.”

The program was developed by a research team from the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling together with the University of Newcastle in New South Wales.

The SPS said HDHK in Prisons was part of a two-year study aimed at answering broader questions about how to improve the health, wellbeing and family relationships of men in prison and on release.

SPS pointed to research that has shown that people in prison “are at greater risk of increased mortality and poor health,” just as children of incarcerated parents “have poorer health, education, and crime outcomes compared to other children.”

Weekly workshops led by prison staff include a “just for dads” session that focuses on exploring theory on topics such as “the importance of being a dad,” “raising healthy kids” and “positive parenting.”

SPS said the program “uses enjoyable shared physical activity sessions and family meals to improve their health, well-being and relationships, and ultimately breaks possible intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and reduces recidivism.”

HDHK continues at HMP Barlinnie and will be rolled out to HMP Low Moss, Shotts, Kilmarnock and Dumfries in the coming months.

In a statement, the research team from the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling, led by Professor Cindy Gray, Professor Kate Hunt and Dr Linda Brown, said: ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Babies at HMP Barlinnie has been a huge success in making a positive difference to the lives of men, their children and family members.

“The program has fostered closer bonds and warmer relationships between men and their children, which is a significant step in strengthening family bonds.

“We owe this success to the exceptional skill, compassion and dedication of the staff involved.”