Adjusting to Life Outside: Parenting, Challenges, and Supportive Friendships

In this episode, we explore what it’s really like coming out of prison and adjusting to life on the outside – especially for parents trying to reconnect with their children. Our guests, Faye and Toni, met while in prison and have supported each other ever since. They share their experiences of parenting after prison, navigating stigma and judgment, managing the challenges of life on tag, and how supportive friendships can make all the difference during reentry and transition. If you’re preparing for release or supporting someone coming home, this episode is full of honest insights and practical advice.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful Organisations

Spurgeons – Focus on building healthy parent-child relationships, easing the emotional, social, and financial pressures of prison life. By supporting the whole family, they help reduce reoffending, strengthen bonds, and build resilience for the future.

https://spurgeons.org/

Nepacs (North West) – Work with families, young people and children affected by the criminal justice or care systems.

https://www.nepacs.co.uk/

Storybook Dads and Storybook Mums – UK prison programmes that help parents in prison stay connected with their children by recording bedtime stories and sending them home.

https://www.storybookdads.org.uk/

Children Heard & Seen – They offer tailored one-on-one support from trained practitioners, assistance for parents/carers, peer support groups for both children and carers, engaging online activities, fun-filled activity days and residentials, as well as practical support such as legal advice and guidance on financial well-being.

https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

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