A new program is helping dads in prison read bedtime stories to their children.
The Storytime program, run in prisons in NSW, Queensland and WA, records fathers reading stories and sends them to their kids on the outside.
The recorded stories range from simple picture books for toddlers to Harry Potter for teenagers. The fathers are encouraged to add a message to their child at the start or end of the story, and to change the names of the characters to their own.
The recording is sent along with a physical copy of the book so they can continue reading whenever they like.
Linda Carn works for SHINE for Kids, an organisation that runs the program in NSW and Queensland prisons.
She said it provides a strong connection for fathers and their children, beyond the regular visits.
“It gives fathers in custody the opportunity to stay connected with their children in a meaningful and personal way,” Carn told About Time.
Sophie is the mother of a three-year-old boy who has received a recording from his father in prison. She said it has been “incredibly special” for the family.
“For our son, hearing his dad’s voice and knowing the story was recorded especially for him brings comfort and familiarity,” Sophie told About Time. “It creates a moment where he can simply enjoy his dad reading to him, just like so many other children do.
“It reminds him that he is loved, thought about every day, and is still a very important part of his dad’s world. Rather than every interaction being centred around incarceration, Storytime creates moments that simply feel like a dad reading to his little boy. Those moments are incredibly precious to us.”
Carn said she has heard from a mother on the outside whose child was having a “massive meltdown” in a shopping centre. The mother took out her phone and played the recording of the child’s father reading out a story, and they quickly calmed down.
A new program is helping dads in prison read bedtime stories to their children.
The Storytime program, run in prisons in NSW, Queensland and WA, records fathers reading stories and sends them to their kids on the outside.
The recorded stories range from simple picture books for toddlers to Harry Potter for teenagers. The fathers are encouraged to add a message to their child at the start or end of the story, and to change the names of the characters to their own.
The recording is sent along with a physical copy of the book so they can continue reading whenever they like.
Linda Carn works for SHINE for Kids, an organisation that runs the program in NSW and Queensland prisons.
She said it provides a strong connection for fathers and their children, beyond the regular visits.
“It gives fathers in custody the opportunity to stay connected with their children in a meaningful and personal way,” Carn told About Time.
Sophie is the mother of a three-year-old boy who has received a recording from his father in prison. She said it has been “incredibly special” for the family.
“For our son, hearing his dad’s voice and knowing the story was recorded especially for him brings comfort and familiarity,” Sophie told About Time. “It creates a moment where he can simply enjoy his dad reading to him, just like so many other children do.
“It reminds him that he is loved, thought about every day, and is still a very important part of his dad’s world. Rather than every interaction being centred around incarceration, Storytime creates moments that simply feel like a dad reading to his little boy. Those moments are incredibly precious to us.”
Carn said she has heard from a mother on the outside whose child was having a “massive meltdown” in a shopping centre. The mother took out her phone and played the recording of the child’s father reading out a story, and they quickly calmed down.
In Western Australia, it is available at Acacia Prison and the Wandoo Reintegration Facility. Fathers in custody can participate if they have been charge-free for three months, have not been charged with child sex offences and have not been issued a violence restraining order.
In New South Wales and Queensland, SHINE for Kids started the program during the Covid pandemic, and has maintained it due to its popularity.
Each year about 500 children around Australia receive a recording through the program.
It also can improve literacy and education opportunities for the children.
“Parents tell us all the time how precious they are,” SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan told About Time.
“Children, especially young people, can become familiar with and hear their dad’s voice, and they can listen to the recordings over and over again.”
Other families play the recording on the way to a prison visit, and on the way home.
It is estimated that about 40 per cent of all adults in prison have dependent children on the outside.
Carn encouraged all fathers in prison to take part in the program if they can.
“Reading a story or sending a letter can have a lasting impact.
“Your child doesn’t expect perfection – they want to know that you love them and you’re thinking about them on a daily basis, every second of the day. It gives them love, comfort and care.”
Sophie, a mother of a two-year-old girl who has been part of the program said it has made a “huge difference” and provided an “opportunity to maintain the bond” between the two.
“It might feel like reading a story is a small thing, but to a child it can mean everything. Programs like Storytime help children continue to feel that love, and I truly believe that preserving those relationships, where it is safe and appropriate to do so, benefits not only the child but the whole family.”
People in prison in NSW can contact their Programs Officer to express interest in the program, and those in Queensland can request a General Request Form.
Referrals can be made during family visits, and posters are placed in the screening area of some prisons so people can apply for it when they enter prison.
Families on the outside can contact SHINE for Kids via its website (shineforkids.org.au), where they can also find resources for families impacted by incarceration.
In Western Australia, it is available at Acacia Prison and the Wandoo Reintegration Facility. Fathers in custody can participate if they have been charge-free for three months, have not been charged with child sex offences and have not been issued a violence restraining order.
In New South Wales and Queensland, SHINE for Kids started the program during the Covid pandemic, and has maintained it due to its popularity.
Each year about 500 children around Australia receive a recording through the program.
It also can improve literacy and education opportunities for the children.
“Parents tell us all the time how precious they are,” SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan told About Time.
“Children, especially young people, can become familiar with and hear their dad’s voice, and they can listen to the recordings over and over again.”
Other families play the recording on the way to a prison visit, and on the way home.
It is estimated that about 40 per cent of all adults in prison have dependent children on the outside.
Carn encouraged all fathers in prison to take part in the program if they can.
“Reading a story or sending a letter can have a lasting impact.
“Your child doesn’t expect perfection – they want to know that you love them and you’re thinking about them on a daily basis, every second of the day. It gives them love, comfort and care.”
Sophie, a mother of a two-year-old girl who has been part of the program said it has made a “huge difference” and provided an “opportunity to maintain the bond” between the two.
“It might feel like reading a story is a small thing, but to a child it can mean everything. Programs like Storytime help children continue to feel that love, and I truly believe that preserving those relationships, where it is safe and appropriate to do so, benefits not only the child but the whole family.”
People in prison in NSW can contact their Programs Officer to express interest in the program, and those in Queensland can request a General Request Form.
Referrals can be made during family visits, and posters are placed in the screening area of some prisons so people can apply for it when they enter prison.
Families on the outside can contact SHINE for Kids via its website (shineforkids.org.au), where they can also find resources for families impacted by incarceration.
