Children with Parent in Prison-Game with Mum & Dad

In the past months, the Game with Mum & Dad (GWMD) project continued to create meaningful opportunities for children and their imprisoned parents to spend time together and strengthen their relationships.

So far this year, 21 games brought together 326 children and 196 imprisoned parents across participating countries. 
But numbers only tell a part of the story: the activities demonstrated how child-focused, inclusive initiatives can help families overcome barriers to contact and maintain relationships during imprisonment.

Making games accessible to everyone

The 2026 edition marked several important milestones. For the first time, GWMD games were organised in women's prisons in both Romania and Portugal, an important step towards ensuring that opportunities to strengthen family bonds are available to imprisoned mothers as well as fathers.
In Czechia and Poland, local football organisations, including FC Praha and the Maopolska Football Association, joined the initiative, extending the  project's reach beyond prison settings and engage new actors in supporting the rights of children with imprisoned parents.
At Vaslui Prison in Romania, the team adapted the activities to ensure that a child with developmental support needs and their visually impaired parent could participate fully in the games. Through tactile cues, guided orientation and flexible group activities, the team created an inclusive environment where both could engage comfortably and enjoy playing together. The session highlighted the importance of adapting activities to different needs so that every child and parent can participate and feel included.

Reconnecting families separated by distance

In Izeda, Portugal, GWMD brought together families who had gone months or even years without seeing one another face-to-face . The opportunity to be physically present together is important for nurturing emotional security, maintaining a sense of connection and helping children experience their imprisoned parent as an active part of their lives.

The event highlighted how geographical distance can become a major barrier to maintaining family relationships during imprisonment. The close collaboration between COPE member CASPAE, the prison administration and staff, and participating families was essential to making the activity possible. Their work showed how a coordinated, child-focused approach can create more positive and supportive opportunities for family contact.

In Bremerhaven, Germany, GWMD also marked an important milestone: the first family-focused activity of its kind at the prison. Following a successful pilot game on 25 June, which was enthusiastically received by participating families, the team organised three additional games over the following three months. This response demonstrated the value and importance of creating dedicated spaces where imprisoned parents and their children can spend meaningful time together.

Raising awareness and sharing the project's impact

The 2026 edition also attracted attention from traditional and online media, helping raise awareness of the importance of family relationships during imprisonment.

In Portugal, the newspaper Público published an article about the project. In Czechia, actor Filip Tomsa joined the GWMD event at Jirice Prison on 19 September and recorded a video reflecting on the experience and the importance of maintaining family relationships. Professional football players from FC Praha's Ambassadors team also led football training and joined the match, sharing their experience of the event on social media. The Czech Prison Service published an article about the initiative on its website.

In Germany, Forum Strafvollzug, a professional journal covering developments, research and practice in corrections and rehabilitation, published an article about the GWMD project. This coverage helped bring the project's approach to the attention of professionals working in the prison and rehabilitation sectors.

Looking ahead

The experiences of 2026 reinforced the importance of creating opportunities for children and their imprisoned parents to maintain and strengthen their relationships. Whether through adapting activities to meet individual needs, bringing together families separated by long distances or establishing family-focused activities in new prison settings, GWMD continued to demonstrate the value of child-centred approaches to family contact.

The collaboration between prison staff, local organisations, sports associations and other partners is essential to making these activities possible, combining different expertise and resources to overcome practical barriers and create meaningful opportunities for children and their imprisoned parents to maintain their relationships.

QUOTES

“I decided to join the project so that the children could develop a positive relationship with their father. I was looking forward to seeing the children enjoy having a ‘normal’ dad.” — Caregiver, Jirice Prison, 19 September 2026

“That was the best time I’ve had in 2 years. No time pressure. The hours go by so fast.” — imprisoned father, Bremerhaven Prison, 17 September 2026

“It was particularly meaningful to observe the mothers playing with their children and making the most of every opportunity for affection and interaction. The activity also helped strengthen child-parent bonds and allowed families to discover a different side of the mothers’ daily lives inside prison.” — CASPAE GWMD Coordinator