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Fiona Sun

Hongkonger Ah Yi* has tried to avoid mentioning her husband in front of their two sons, aged three and six, since he was sent to prison last year.
The mother, 40, said the ordeal had a huge impact on the family, particularly her eldest son who used to be close to his father.
The six-year-old would become anxious or sometimes hysterical over small things, such as losing a toy, which caused her to worry too, she said.
But the situation at home has started to slowly improve since the family joined a programme supporting children with fathers behind bars after Lunar New Year in February.
They have taken part in courses that help to foster closer parent-child relationships and improve communication skills, as well as sessions on managing their emotions.
The two boys were also able to talk and play games with their father during arranged visits to a parent-child centre at Tong Fuk Correctional Institution on Lantau Island.
“The atmosphere at home has improved, and so has our mood,” their mother said.
“My husband said he felt our sons still loved him, and he had a stronger feeling of being needed and wished to go back home to be with us.”
She added that the boys would draw pictures for their dad to celebrate Father’s Day this year, which fell on Sunday.
The family is one of 29 households with children whose fathers have been arrested, incarcerated or are ex-offenders who are being supported by the “Be My Hero” programme, which was launched by non-profit organisation SideBySide in March of last year.
The initiative also falls under the Blue Bus Jockey Club Together We Grow Project, which is sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to support families with children where a parent has been arrested, incarcerated or is an ex-offender.
Kimmy Chiu Sze-man, who is in charge of the wider project, said the Be My Hero programme offered families a total of 11 two-hour course sessions, including five for incarcerated fathers, three for their children and another three for carers.
The sessions cover topics such as parent-child relations and communication skills, as well as encouraging fathers to reflect on what they had learned from the previous generation.
The programme also arranges two visits for children to meet their fathers at parent-child centres at Stanley Prison, Tong Fuk Correctional Institution and Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre. Chiu said the youngest child involved in the initiative was just two years old, while the eldest was 10.

The programme helped fathers in prison to realise they were missing out on seeing their children grow up and encouraged them to change for the better, with some dads in the scheme planning to seek further education or even give up habits such as smoking, she said.
“By using different methods to support this group of children, including activities targeting children, parent-child activities and parent groups to teach them how to educate and look after their children, we hope to reduce cross-generational disadvantages and crimes,” Chiu said.
Dr Fung Yat-lui, a senior research executive at the University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration who is part of a research team under the programme, said they had found fathers in prison made big positive changes including improving their relationships with their children, as well as with prison staff.
“They have woken up to the fact that apart from them being in jail, they actually have another role: as a father,” he said.
Chiu also said staff would continue to follow up with families after they finished the programme, adding the scheme offered a starting point for fathers and their children to have a consistent, healthy relationship.
“We hope that the children’s sense of security and emotional connection, as well as the parent-child link, will be maintained to help lead them to healthier growth,” she said.
*Name changed at interviewee’s request.


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Inmates exercise at Stanley Prison on Hong Kong Island. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

(Left to right) Head of Blue Bus Jockey Club Together We Grow Project Kimmy Chiu, mother-of-two Ah Yi*, project officer Connie Fong Sau-ting and the University of Hong Kong’s Dr Fung Yat-lui. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Tong Fuk Correctional Institution is among those introducing parent-child centres for male inmates to interact face-to-face with their children below the age of 11. Photo: Handout

News

Hong Kong

Society

SideBySide offers scheme to support families with young children whose fathers have been arrested, incarcerated or are ex-offenders


SideBySide offers scheme to support families with young children whose fathers have been arrested, incarcerated or are ex-offenders.
