Out of Sight Out of Mind: Arguing the Case for Social Workers in Women’s Prisons

Following his review of women convicted of crime, Farmer (2019), recommended the presence of Social Workers in all women’s prisons. He recognised this would go some way towards responding to the often unmet needs of women in prison, especially those who were mothers. This paper firstly explores the research evidence described by Lord Farmer as having made a 'significant contribution' to his understanding and subsequent recommendation. The paper goes on the provide an early reflection on the first year of the subsequently developed 3-year pilot project which sees two qualified social workers based in women's prisons. The paper describes work the social workers are undertaking. The first year of the project has already provided a strong evidence base for the need for Social Workers in women’s prisons. We conclude the paper by arguing strongly for the prison Social Worker role to be extended and supported permanently in all women’s prisons. We would argue that social work training should include knowledge and understanding about the importance of supporting imprisoned mothers and their children, more effectively and consistently than currently occurs.