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8 MAY 2026
Some children travel long distances for very short visits with their mums in custody. For a child, that can mean hours on the road for just 60 minutes together.
But what if you are only five years old? Sitting and talking for an hour can feel hard. Mum may be nervous, the adults do most of the talking, and for a child the visit can feel quiet and confusing. You still really want to see her – you just want her to be like other mums. Playing with her kids. Making lunch. Doing a drawing or helping with stickers and craft.
Ruby* travelled almost 6 hours for a visit with her mum at Dillwynia Correctional Centre. But this was a very different visit, it was three hours and they had morning tea and lunch. Mum helped her pick some fruit and poured her a drink and even took her to wash her hands - it was so normal, but it was so exciting for Ruby because it was a brand new experience.
Ruby’s mum helped her get some tomato sauce to go on her chicken nuggets, let her pick the biggest slice of watermelon, and even let her keep the plastic jewels she had stuck on her face to wear them all through lunch. It made her mum smile and Ruby felt so happy.
SHINE for Kids is a charity that supports children and young people with a parent in prison. They help make prison visits less stressful and run programs that help kids feel safe, stay connected to their parent, and cope during difficult times. These programs include Storytime and Child & Parent Days.
Karen, a SHINE for Kids Child & Family Coordinator, has seen firsthand how special these days can be. She has been part of many Child & Parent Days in women’s correctional centres and is filled with joy seeing the children spending hours talking, playing, eating, cuddling and simply being with their mum.
The kids don’t even notice the correctional officers keeping an eye on things, but they do notice the toys and other kids and the fingerpaints and stickers. And they notice mummy because she is smiling and tickling them, sitting on the floor, and playing.
“Child & Parent days are about connection in a relaxed environment,” Karen said.
“They are having lunch together; they are doing things families do when they are all at home and it is incredibly normal. These visits are longer than the regular visits and the child’s caregiver is not present – it really is an opportunity for mum to be mum.”
The mums at Dillwynia know their children are often carrying the heaviest emotional load during their time in custody. They want to stay connected or, in some cases, rebuild bonds. They want to hear about school, sport, birthday parties, or a new favourite colour or food.
“I need this, I know Rianna* knows I love her, but being able to sit and eat lunch with her and listen to the younger kids screaming and playing reminds me of the time I wasn’t here, and we did things like this. That’s when I was ‘mummy’ and not an inmate with a number and my child had to wait to see me once a fortnight.”
Marco* has paint all over his hands, he is roaring like a tiger, he has had four party pies and wants more. He thinks he is at a party, and he is enjoying the freedom of running and roaring and making new friends, but every now and then he rushes back to mum just to make sure she is really there. She is painting a bunny with his little sister and hasn’t moved. Marco feels good.
His mum, Kerrie*, would love a few more cuddles, but she also loves seeing her children laughing and playing freely.
“This means everything to me,” she said.
“I’m just so happy seeing my two little ones being kids.”
It is a day of fun for the children but behind the scenes the women are carefully selected and the safety of all is a priority. Many applications are received for the day; however security checks on child protection alerts, non-associations, AVO’s and intel checks are standard practice leading up to the finalised list of participants.
The Service Integration Team at Dillwynia work closely with Shine for kids, planning for months to ensure the days are a success as these days now occur multiple times a year at this centre.
For the women at Dillwynia, time in custody comes with real consequences, the hardest being time away from their children. For children like Ruby, Marco and Rianna, the impact of that separation can be quieter and longer‑lasting.
Child & Parent Days are built around a simple understanding: while mums are accountable for the decisions that brought them into custody, their children still need time with their mum.
SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan said feedback from families shows just how important these days are for children’s wellbeing.
“Helping children build and maintain a positive relationship with their parent through meaningful time together is not only vital to their wellbeing but can also ease the transition when a parent returns home,” she said.
“We know that having a parent in custody can be deeply disruptive to a child’s life. That’s why everything we do is focused on reducing that impact, both now and into their future, by surrounding children with support and reminding them that they are not alone.”
By setting aside a few hours that feel normal, SHINE for Kids helps protect those bonds. It doesn’t change where the women are, or why, but it does change how children experience that time apart. For a little while, Ruby gets her mum helping with lunch, Marco gets to race back for another cuddle, and mums like Kerrie get to just be “mum.” And that connection is kept alive.
*Names have been changed.