Hastings senior firefighter Allan Brown, who runs a bilingual risk reduction programme, says the power of te reo books is helping incarcerated fathers and their children to connect.
Te Kōtuku Bilingual Risk Reduction Programme runs at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison,a Māori approach for the rehabilitation of inmates back to their whanau, hapu and iwi.
It includes 12 bilingual books that focus on the responsibilities of being a father and how they can help the health and wellbeing of their whanau.
The prison teaching modules have a focus on the father being the educator and protector, safety and learning, "building family bonds, knowing the safety areas and how to keep children safe, and reading about safety in te reo Māori and English with your children", Brown said.
Hastings' senior firefighter Allan Brown wants to help inmates and their children by spearheading a bilingual programme that highlights the importance of safety. Photo / Duncan Brown
Children of inmates have committed no crime but the penalty they are forced to pay is steep, Brown said.
"Research shows they are seven to eight times more likely to end up in prison than other children without intervention.
"They forfeit much of what matters to them, their public self image and health and wellbeing.
"They are often bullied and ostracised by their peers and can develop attitude and behavioural problems at home and at school. They feel vulnerable and unprotected and will often blame themselves for their parent's imprisonment. Whether absent or present the image of the parent has a powerful message for every child."
An inmate on the programme's conclusion said: "I have learnt how to communicate with my children about being aware of the different types of hazards, and the way I convey my messages to them should be done in a way that is fun and easy for them to understand rather than a way that I can be seen as telling them off."
Another said his children were "excited" about their father being involved in the programme.
A Corrections officer at the prison praised it for being a valuable tool for the inmates.
"The materials provided by Allan were of a professional standard and appeared to be suited and tailored to the programme.
"For some of the men, the programme reconnected them with their culture, for others it was a real eye-opener and something they had obviously lacked throughout their life.
"All the men took something away from the programme which will be of value to them in the future."
