MOTHERS at a women’s prison near York have taken part in the development of a short film, which sheds light on their experiences and the impact of prison on their children.

Barnardo’s Family Support team, which works with the families, commissioned York St John University Prison Partnership Project to research and produce the film, Keeping Mum.

Mothers at HMP Askham Grange prison, in Askham Richard, shared their stories for the film which used actors.

It will be used to support awareness-raising sessions and training that Barnardo’s delivers about the impact of parental imprisonment upon children. It highlights the benefits of maintaining family ties for the children while mothers are in prison and seeks to promote the rights and voices of children affected.

Barnardo’s assistant director Nadine Good said: “We wanted to raise awareness of the impact on children when they have a parent in prison. We often talk about it being their sentence too.

“In the film, we see this through the mothers’ perspective, being isolated from their children, worrying about how their children are coping, hearing stories about their children being bullied and about who and how their children will be looked after while serving their sentence.

“We’re there to help those families, particularly the children because they are more likely to have mental health issues as a result of the trauma.”

Research with the women by York St John Prison Partnership Project was turned into a script by playwright Laura Lomas. The film was co-directed by Rachel Conlon, from the Prison Partnership project, and Imogen Ashby, from Clean Break Theatre. The Prison Partnership Project was conceived in 2013 between the university’s theatre department and HMP Askham Grange and HMP New Hall to provide a unique, creative partnership between the arts, education and the prison service.