Children’s Commissioner calls for jailbird mums not to be separated from their babies while inside

JAILBIRD mums should not be separated from their children wherever possible, the acting Children’s Commissioner has said

Acting Children’s Commissioner Sally Sievers says mums shouldn’t be separated from their babies in jail

JAILBIRD mums should not be separated from their children wherever possible, the acting Children’s Commissioner has said.

Sally Sievers made the comments after the NT News revealed prison officers feared for the safety of a six-month-old baby being held with its mother at Holtze.

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“There’s no procedures in place about the mum or bub’s safety’,” a prison source said.

But Ms Sievers said while she would not comment on any specific baby’s situation, studies had shown “parental presence is more important than the surrounding environment for the wellbeing of an infant”.

“As a community we have a shared responsibility to give our children the best foundations in life to succeed,” she said.

“We know that one of these foundations is the ongoing presence and care of a primary caregiver.”

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Ms Sievers said the prison had “a safe and secure cottage for mothers and babies, with rigorous processes in place for assessing needs and tailoring plans accordingly”.